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On My Way Here | 
| Artist: Clay Aiken
Label: RCA
Category: Music
List Price: $18.97
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $8.98 (47%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  99 reviews
Sales Rank: 13
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
UPC: 886972808925
EAN: 0886972808925
ASIN: B00130973W
Release Date: May 6, 2008 (New: This Week)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | On My Way Here | | • | Ashes | | • | Everything I Don't Need | | • | Something About Us | | • | Falling | | • | Where I Draw The Line | | • | The Real Me | | • | Weight Of The World | | • | As Long As We're Here | | • | Sacrificial Love | | • | Grace Of God | | • | Lover All Alone |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Since shooting to stardom on the second season of American Idol, Clay Aiken, the Raleigh, NC, native with the powerhouse voice has become a international pop phenomenon who has sold six million albums. In addition, Aiken has launched eight live tours, made the New York Times best-seller list, and won several American Music and Billboard Music Awards. In January 2008, Aiken made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Monty Python's Spamalot. When Clay began the search for songs to record for Aiken's first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man, he fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic front man Ryan "Alias" Tedder called "On My Way Here." The message of the lyrics -- how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults -- struck such a deep chord with Aiken that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection. To musically represent the album's lyrical theme, Aiken and Foster enlisted Grammy-Award winning British songwriter and producer Kipper, who has worked with Sting, Chris Botti, and Julia Fordham.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 94 more reviews...
 Three and 1/2 stars May 13, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
There are some recording artists whose fans are so intense that it is genuinely difficult to ascertain whether or not a given album is any good based on customer reviews. I find this to be the case with Clay Aiken. Some fans are so rabidly loyal, anything less than a five star review will elicit concern and suspicion, or worst case, hatred and venom.
My wife is a huge Aiken fan, but I daresay she is not as big of a fan as some posting here. We have Clay Aiken magnets on our refrigerator. I buy all of his albums for her. As a surprise this past December, I took her to his Christmas concert. She loved it, while I found it pleasant but a tad boring for my tastes (he stood virtually motionless behind the microphone the entire show). For Christmas, I bought her a plane ticket to New York City and tickets to Spamalot so she could see his Broadway debut with a girlfriend. So she very much loves Clay Aiken, and I support and indulge this habit.
But were she to put an honest review for this album on this site, she would likely be lambasted as a "hater" or psychoanalyzed with suspicion. So I am posting the review she verbally told me last night, so her Amazon ratings will not suffer, but that her opinion might make it out there to other Clay fans who may wish to read an objective opinion on this recent album.
Last night, I asked her if she had listened to this new album all the way through. "Many, many times," she replied. "OK," I said, "so be honest. Five stars is like, The Beatles' 'Abbey Road' -- what does this album rank? Honestly." She paused. "Honestly? Maybe three or four stars."
I asked her if Clay had yet to record an album where the material matched his talent, nuance for nuance. "No." Such was the case with this album. Several pleasant songs, all around good to listen to, but nothing that made her crawl out of her skin the way I witnessed when AI season 2 was on the air. I'm telling you, there were weeks when I would just stare at the TV and say, "Damn, that kid is good," and she would have goosebumps rolling over her arms. But with this album? Not that level of joy for the listner, at least in her case.
In other words, there are true Clay fans out there who want to hear him belt out those spine tingling notes, those mega ballads, those chill-inducing tones the way only he can, time and time again, the way we did on AI. But in studio, for whatever reason, we just don't seem to have heard it.
This should not be misconstrued as people who are "haters," or "not listening to the same album" as others. Rather, it is people who have heard glimpses of an unspeakably amazing talent, and wished a studio would find material that matched it. We have not. And for my wife to say this album ranks at "Three, maybe four stars" does not make her a "hater." It makes her a realist. Not in the category of fans who discouraged her from ordering a reuben at the restaurant before one of his concerts (I'm not making this up -- the ladies looked at her and said, "You don't order THAT," because Reuben Studdard had beaten Clay in season 2).
But she is smart enough not to post her honest opinion here for fear the die-hard fans will retaliate against her, as has happened to others here.
All that being said, three-and-a-half stars is likely a fair assessment of this album from a true fan. As her husband, I will happily take the heat/hatred for this review. And I will also continue to buy all things Aiken for my wonderful wife, who I hope will someday tell me, "THIS album is FIVE STARS -- HONESTLY!" When that day comes, I will be the first to post the review. And I'll know it's time to buy two copies of that album -- one for her and one for me.
 Clay's back May 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My mom discovered Clay not from American Idol, but from his Christmas album. Then, she bought the other albums, Measure of a Man, and later, A Thousand Different Ways. She told me that she frequently listened to the Christmas one year round because she liked it better. Measure of a Man was okay, and she really didn't like A Thousand Different Ways. I heard it, and I know what she was saying. He seemed to have lost his soul in that album. I know it was a hard time for him.
I was at Barnes and Noble, looking for a Mother's Day gift, and I ran across this CD quite by chance. I didn't even know he had put a new one out. I thought it was worth risking it being as soulless as A Thousand Different Ways. My mom listened to it once, and came in from her car (where she listens to her CDs mostly) after coming home from church with a huge smile on her face. "Clay's back," is what she told me.
I listened to it, and I agree. His songs have soul and heart in it again. It's one of those intangible things that are there, but you can't really place your finger on what "it" is. But it's back in this CD. I don't have any of Clay's other albums on my iPod, but when I heard this one, I fell in love with it too. It was a gift for my mom, but I had to listen to it too. It's a wonderful album for any collection.
The Mature Adult Clay May 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I love this album because the subject matter is mature and Clays choice of the songs for this CD shows how much he has matured and that voice has also matured beautifully. I loved the way he sang the songs on AI2 and his Jukebox Tour and thoroughly enjoyed his fun songs on his latest tour. But he is almost 30 years old and he wants to sing songs that have meaning to him at this time in his life and songs he enjoys singing. This album is wonderful for its lyrics, its production and of course that voice. His voice doesn't get lost in the production, it stands out as it should. Just like Sinatra I will purchase anything Clay puts out because I enjoy his voice and his way with a song. Somewhat sadly we all have to grow up and thats what Clay is doing. He can't just stay as he looked and sing what he sang on AI2. This is really a fabulous albums. Like some have stated you may have to listen to it a few times but you will soon get it. And I bet you will play it over and over.
This is a good album from Clay Aiken May 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I love this new disc from Clay Aiken. My favorite track is "Ashes". This is an upbeat hopeful song about overcoming adversity. "On My Way Here" is a very personal song about the highlights and low points of Clay's life. His vocals are so heartfelt here. I also like the song "Love All Alone". The violin playing is so pretty on this romantic track. I am not a religious person, but I think the track "Grace Of God" is lovely. This song is about having faith and hope even though bad things happen in the world. "Weight Of The World" is a song about dealing with the pressures of life. I like the musical arrangements of this track a lot. The piano playing and electric guitar playing are very good here. "Where I Draw The Line" is a track about feeling scared about getting hurt in a romantic relationship again. "The Real Me" is a touching song. Clay's vocals are accompanied well by goregous piano playing here. I really like the lyrics of these two tracks. This is a very enjoyable album from this talented singer from North Carolina.
THIS should have been his second album May 13, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
(This is especially for those who have listened to the CD once or twice, and made up their mind it's not to their liking.)
After my second time through this CD, I was prepared to give it a thoroughly sub-par review. Other than the title track and "Lover All Alone", nothing really grabbed me. However, I *wanted* to be grabbed, so I gave the CD another chance.
Clunk. Nothing.
After my fifth run through, I was ready to call it quits, especially as I found myself skipping through the songs, not even giving them a proper listening, to get from "On My Way Here" to "Lover All Alone". I did call it quits for a few days, then found that I was humming a tune in my head that I couldn't quite place. After driving myself insane for a day or so, I finally recognized it as "Something About Us". So I pulled out my iPod, played the song, and was a bit dumbfounded. Was this the same thing I skipped through a few days ago? Indeed it was. And yet now (or then) as I listened to the song, I thought it was one of the most gorgeous love songs I'd ever heard. Clay's voice was sublime, as he caressed each word, each phrase, with a tenderness I don't think I've heard before from him.
Well, that meant I had to give the entire CD another listening, and when I did so, it clicked. I "got it", though I'm not sure what it was that I was missing before. I wasn't expecting him to recreate Measure of a Man, and was hoping this wasn't another A Thousand Different Ways (sorry, I didn't like that one, save for "Lover All Alone"; someone of Clay's stature shouldn't be singing remakes on their second studio--non-holiday release).
So for me, the sixth time was the charm. It's obvious that Clay has given up aspirations of being a hugely successful POP artist and is singing to his fan base. That's perfectly fine--a performer can entertain (and enrapture) his audience without trying to score the next big #1 single.
I'm glad I gave it that sixth shot. It's had many more listens since then.
Clay's given us a beautiful album, and I'm already looking forward to more.
EDIT: I listened to it this morning (5/13) and now I even like the songs that weren't my favorites--in other words, I like the entire CD. This is truly a stellar offering, and I'm glad I gave it a second shot. (Thankfully, the other guys at the gym around me didn't know that I was listening to Clay Aiken while exercising. I doubt he gets much play on guys' iPods, especially at the gym!)
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