Justin Guarini, the runner-up on the first American Idol, released his album ten months after the competition ended and two months after Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the competition, released her debut. Clay Aiken, the runner-up on the second American Idol, released his first album, Measure of a Man, a mere five months after the close of competition and two and a half months before the winner, Ruben Studdard, released his record. Clearly, Clay was something more than a singer that came in second -- he was a bit of a pop phenomenon, capturing the hearts and minds of American Idol's core audience of preteens and housewives. To those not part of either demographic -- including those who faithfully watched AMIdol -- his appeal is a little puzzling, since he's hardly the cutest teen idol, looking a bit like Thom Yorke as a Southern-fried theater nerd, and his voice his better-suited for show tunes and his musical taste is thoroughly middle-of-the-road. Whenever he tried to tackle dancier material he seemed like he was singing a foreign language, and he never seemed at ease wearing or doing anything remotely hip; at least Kelly and Justin seemed somewhat comfortable doing teen-oriented material. Clive Davis, smart man that he is, decided to play up Clay's MOR bent on Measure of Man, never pushing Aiken toward club-ready dance cuts like "Miss Independent," or trying to approximate the sound of the Matrix or Neptunes on any cut. Instead, this is firmly pitched at adult contemporary radio, thanks to the cleanly professional production and the selection of self-consciously mature songs, written by such industry stalwarts as Desmond Child and Cathy Dennis (early-'80s metalhead Aldo Nova, of all people, gets in on the action, too, with "This Is the Night," the single that preceded Measure of a Man; it's included here, inexplicably called a "bonus cut," even though it's inserted at track nine of a 12-song album and there's been no version of the album without the song). Clay's earnest delivery -- somewhat sweet and expertly coached -- gives these songs a bit of innocence and believability, but the slickness of the whole enterprise overshadows his voice, particularly because his voice isn't all that remarkable on record. Perhaps it's due to the rushed release schedule of the album (to everyone's credit, it doesn't sound rushed), leading to Aiken overworking his voice, but his voice doesn't dazzle the way it occasionally could on the show; isolated from the visuals and his competitors, his voice sounds diminished. Even so, it's perfectly suited for this safe MOR album, and while none of the songs really catch hold, it doesn't matter since the sound of the record is pleasant and perfect for radio, which will please both the preteens and housewives, which is all Measure of a Man needed to do, anyway. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Measure of a Man is Clay Aiken's debut album, released on October 14, 2003, five months after the conclusion of the second season of American Idol. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was, with 613,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest-selling debut for a solo artist since Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in December 1993.[1] It was number one on the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks and received a Multi-Platinum certification November 17, 2003.[2]
Wade Paulsen of Reality TV World wrote that despite huge sales "Critics have ranged from strongly positive (Billboard) to mixed (Washington Post, which calls the CD a "likable album even without being a particularly good one", and Knight-Ridder), to negative (Associated Press, which refers to the song selections as "insipid"), to scathingly negative (the New York Daily News). " [5]
In the summer of 2004, a second version of the album was released in which "Solitaire" (Neil Sedaka / Phil Cody) replaced "This is the Night" as a bonus cut.
In some of the international releases, the bonus track, "This is the Night" was replaced by "Bridge Over Troubled Water". The album released in Japan also included "On the Wings of Love" as a second bonus track.[6]
Singles
"Invisible" is the first single from the album. It was initially released as a promo-only single in September 2003,[7] and only became available as digital downloads much later. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard Adult Contemporary and at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts on January 6, 2004. The track received Gold certification for digital downloads by the RIAA on March 31, 2006.[8]
"The Way"/"Solitaire" was released as a commercial single on March 16, 2004. "The Way" peaked at number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.
"I Will Carry You" is the third single and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Music videos
The music video for "Invisible", directed by Diane Martel, was shot in Hollywood at Hollywood & Highland, a major outdoor shopping center and tourist attraction. Aiken invited 800 fans to be part of the crowd scene in the video.[9]
"The Way" music video was also directed by Diane Martel. Instead of the traditional Hollywood types Aiken hired everyday people to play the couples shown in this video.[10]
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