http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/music/7029272.htm CLAY AIKEN Measure of a Man (RCA) ** ½ That whoosh you hear is the sound of people from ages 7 to 70 stampeding to record stores this week. The numerous "Claymates," Clay Aiken's excited fan base, have promised to buy multiple copies of the American Idol star's debut CD, one presumably, for every stereo they own. So much for the record industry's woes. Aiken wasn't even the winner of American Idol and the buzz has it that some staffers at his rock-oriented label have anonymously dubbed his decidedly wholesome CD "vanilla." Success is similarly sweet. These supposed negatives have boosted Aiken's stock. Americans love an underdog and Aiken is just another in a line of perceived misfits such as Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow and Celine Dion who have triumphed over their "uncool" status to win mass appeal with a broad demographic. Aiken's Measure of a Man will not please hipster critics who will carp -- not without some accuracy -- that the music here isn't edgy enough. The album is the equivalent of a current Dion CD sung by a man with an equally strong voice. Windswept production a la Celine? Check. Unabashed midtempo love songs? Check. Instantly accessible hooks? Got those, too. This isn't the sort of album a talent such as Aiken's deserves. Simpler production, organic instrumentation and classier songs would better showcase his rich voice. Aiken's pipes are often forced to compete for prominence on mainstream pop songs that don't require a killer voice to get across. That Enrique Iglesias cowrote one of the selections suggests that top-shelf quality wasn't the producer's primary directive in assembling the set. That said, Measure of a Man is also an upbeat and likeable CD, soaring on the sheer force of Aiken's buoyant personality. Superior to anything to come out of the American Idol camp thus far, Measure of a Man proves Aiken is the contrived reality show's most natural and gifted performer yet. Highlights include the infectious soft-rock single Invisible (cosongwriter Desmond Child's best song since the mid-'80s), the Elton John-style No More Sad Songs and the melodic I Will Carry You. Measure of a Man is better than it could have been given producer Clive Davis' and American Idol's heavy-handed involvement. Aiken's progress will be interesting to watch when he's given the opportunity to pick his own material and take a firmer hand in guiding his own career. posted by Yee 12:57 AM . . .
