I love a good mystery,
but I never saw the clue.
Quote:
If it's going
to be a theme, do I want it to be favorite love songs?
I don’t think that
was an arbitrary choice of words.
I’ve been wondering
today if Clay --- or RCA --- decided on that theme a number of months ago.
Did he plan to deliver predominantly original songs or have some “favorite”
covers all along, or was that an idea suggested by the label??
I decided to look
at the clues.
- Six months ago,
on August 2, 2005, Clay talked about his new album in his OFC blog and
said (paraphrasing) that he was thrilled with how the CD was beginning
to sound, that he and Jaymes Foster had spent several months finding songs
that were “great” and were meaningful to Clay. He even teased that he’d
chosen a name for CD, but he wasn’t going to tell us yet.
- On September 26,
he wrote that, in regards to “the forthcoming studio album,” he might have
some exciting and possibly surprising news to tell fans in the next few
weeks.
- On November 1,
as reported by Ed Condran in The Oregonian, Clay said “There are a couple
of different ways we can go. I've recorded some traditional Top 40, minus
the hip-hop, some adult contemporary and some covers. If it's going to
be a theme, do I want it to be favorite love songs? The good thing is that
the songs are recorded. The only way I'll record more is if our theme is
Mongolian polka.”
- On November 4,
Carolyn Lamberson of the Eugene Oregon Register-Guard quoted Clay as saying,
"We've conceptualized and recorded songs that would fit on four different
albums. We have so much material now, which is great because last time
I did an album we had such a short amount of time, it was like I sang these
songs and that's what I did and when I was done we put out an album. And
now we have four and five albums worth of material. We just have to figure
out exactly what to do with it."
- On December 18,
Matt Ehlers wrote in the News & Observer that Clay “was taking charge
of his life and career” and was “ready to call his own tunes.” He wrote
that “Aiken uses Raleigh radio parlance to describe his disappointment
with the marketing of the first album, which didn't get as much airplay
as he thought it could have...”
- At that time, Clay
said “"I've got people falling into the right places, where at one time,
everybody just wanted to have their hands everywhere. And since that's
happening, I'm feeling a little more empowered to make decisions for myself."
- Ehlers continued,
“But he's determined to release an album different from the first,” adding
“He's still going around with the record company about it, but he's firm.”
- On January 30 and
31, in a series of blogs, Clay wrote that news was coming “QUITE soon”
and suggested we “open (our) minds and prepare for something different.”
- The current issue
of Entertainment Weekly reports, “according to an RCA spokesman, he'll
be hitting the studio in March -- with an eye toward a May release date
-- and is sorting through potential materiaal now, which includes both original
tunes and ‘lots of covers.’ "
- And on February
14, Clay’s blog includes a possible hint, the words ALL and LOVE SONGS
in capital letters.
Now, Clay is as given
to hyperbole as I am, but it’s been three and a half months since he said
that the songs were recorded. It’s not his first CD, so he knew he’d still
have tweaking to do and maybe a song or two to add, but it sounds like
he believed he had largely finished the album back in November.
Things change. I
don’t know what Clay has in mind for his career, but I would really like
to hear it. I’ve been delighted at many of his choices and amazed at his
rate of growth. Going back to the demos, there are just a handful of songs
that Clay has ever recorded or performed that I don’t care for, so I think
it is likely that I will find something worthwhile in anything he records,
Though fantasy covers and song styles are a fun game for me, I am not concerned
about my choices for Clay. I want him to have a chance to follow his vision,
to experiment as he would choose, to have a chance to fail or succeed on
his terms, to express what is important to his mind and heart.
I found it interesting
that of all of the songs that were tested last summer, fans were specifically
asked about their reaction to 1000 Days. Back for More was performed every
night, but 1KD was tested for twice as long as Tears Run Dry and Just You.
I couldn’t tell if that was because Clay and Co. were more sure of the
other songs or if 1KD was a later addition that used the tour as a workshop.
Love the song or hate it, I found it fascinating how deeply Clay dug into
that performance.
I don’t know what
Clay wants for this CD, at least not as specifically as the choice of songs,
but I can see that he wanted to make a statement of his own with it, take
greater control of his career and make sure it didn’t falter. According
to Ehler, Clay said "I'd like to have the respect of the people I work
with," with the writer indicating specifically management and record-label
types. "I'm not saying I don't. But I don't know that I do."
Ehlers added, “He's
getting there, though. He feels more confident.”
I don’t want to make
too much of these statements, but I don’t want to dismiss them, either.
Like Clay, I want
his record label to respect him. I hope and pray they do.
He says he is excited
and happy. If that is true, then I am excited and happy for him. Time for
me to look forward without fear.
Clay makes it easy
for me to embrace love. If he has chosen this theme for his album, I suspect
he’d sing of love in its myriad guises.
One of my favorite
albums of the 80s is ABC’s “The Lexicon of Love”, an album of love songs
with passion and bite and heart break --- and a hell of a good beat.
Albums with themes
can be very, very good, if there is a magical confluence of artist and
material. That’s going to be essential here for Clay’s album to succeed.
There are so many
different kinds of love songs. Here are just a few:
James Taylor’s
“Copperline” (love of home)
Sting’s “Fragile”
(compassionate love)
Garth Brooks’
“We Shall Be Free” (love of humanity)
Don Henley’s “Boys
of Summer” (romantic love)
They can have
a driving beat, be raw, reckless, passionate, ecstatic, intimate, devastated:
U2’s “New Years
Day” and “Two Hearts Beat As One”
The Beatles’ “Got
to Get You Into My Life”
Chris Isaak’s
“Don’t Make Me Dream About You”
kd lang’s “Pulling
Back the Reins”
Stevie Wonder’s
“As”
Melissa Etheridge’s
“Come To My Window”
I hope the songs
are compelling. I hope they are unforgettable. I hope the CD tells a story
that people long to hear. I hope Clay will be very pleased with it, in
the end.
I know it will beautifully
sung. I know how Clay’s voice touches me deeply. I know there will be a
performance that will move me to tears.
Again and again,
despite the odds and without a logical reason why, Clay endures and overcomes.
Faith.
I suspect he just
might find a way to triumph, once again.
***
~berkeleylovesourclay
