It is always fun to find articles about Clay Aiken and his music.  It is especially fun when they are found in different places.  Both of the following articles have wonderful things to say about Clay and Tried and True.

TheaterMania is a site that reports on “Everything Broadway.”  On July 9th, Andy Propst wrote an article, reviewing 20 CD’s that are great summer listens.  Each of the albums are related in some way to Broadway entertainers.  Andy said the following about Tried & True:

On this exceedingly enjoyable collection of standards, Aiken’s vocals are not only smooth, they’re also powerhouse. Listeners will find Frankie Valli’s hit “You’re Good to Be True” is filled with a grand big band sound and that Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” is not only achingly melancholy in Aiken’s interpretation but also filled with a certain sad urgency. The world of musical theater is represented with a cover of “Mack the Knife” that is a grand tribute to the Bobby Darin interpretation of the Kurt Weill classic and a “What Kind of Fool Am I?” (from Stop the World…), which has a jazzy cocktail music swing feel.

To see the entire article, visit TheaterMania

The Boot is a Country site that discusses music and musicians.  The popular site is a part of AOL Music. On July 9th, Ashley Iasimone wrote an article on Clay.

Clay Aiken Recalls LeAnn Rimes Trumping His Nashville Dream

Since placing second on ‘American Idol’ back in 2003, Clay Aiken has been making a big name for himself in the pop world, but was he really meant for country?

Rather than working with modern Top 40 material on his latest album, ‘Tried and True,’ the singer delved into classic tunes from the ’50s, many of which his mother encouraged him to perform before he was famous. One album track in particular stands out to him: ‘Unchained Melody,’ written in 1955 but made a hit again when LeAnn Rimes covered it in 1997.

“‘Unchained Melody’ was a song that my mom always wanted me to sing. She always dreamed I would record it and be a big star because of it and go to Nashville and make it a big hit,” Clay tells The Boot. “And then LeAnn Rimes did the same song and recorded it, and had a big hit with it, so there went that dream! [laughs]“

Clay clearly paved his own way despite missing out on a Nashville-born career, but LeAnn isn’t the only country connection that he has. Thanks to his mom, a music lover who often sang to him and was even in a local band during Clay’s childhood, he was introduced to a lot of the standards that he wound up recording for ‘Tried and True.’ Besides his ‘Unchained Melody’ story, Clay also attaches early family memories to Conway Twitty’s 1958 single, ‘It’s Only Make Believe.’

“My mother also loved country music, so Conway Twitty was somebody that I remember specifically going to visit his house in Nashville, on the Nashville home tour. ‘Only Make Believe’ has a special place [to me], simply knowing that’s where we went on vacation when I was younger,” Clay says.

As for his musical influence on his own son, two-year-old Parker, Clay tells Popeater, “For the most part, around the house, we don’t have that much music playing. For some reason, I’m nervous to sing for him … My son doesn’t like to listen to me sing, but he enjoys listening to other people sing. Maybe kids just don’t like to hear their parents, ever! When they’re teenagers they don’t want to hear them, when they’re babies they don’t want to hear them sing. Maybe it’s just a genetic thing.”

THEBOOT is the link to visit the site.

It is always appropriate to leave comments at these sites.  This lets the author and the site know how much we appreciate news on Clay.

WPBT2 is the PBS station for South Florida.  They will be airing “Tried & True Live” on July 31st.  They just published the following article about Clay.  It includes a bio of him and also talks about the show. You can visit the site at WPBT

“American Idol” Alumnus Clay Aiken Sings His Favorite Songs From Earlier Eras; Linda Eder and Ruben Studdard Guest Star –

All it took was a few bars of an old Heatwave song and Clay Aiken was on his way.

“American Idol” viewers in January 2003 were taken by surprise when an unknown singer strode confidently into the audition room, announced to the judges that he was their choice and backed up that claim with an electrifying rendition of “Always and Forever,” which instantly caught the attention of millions watching at home. Many of them — like judge Randy Jackson — must have wondered, “Where is that voice coming from?”

After nine sold-out national tours, six million copies of his four chart-topping albums worldwide, numerous television appearances, a New York Times best-selling memoir, an auspicious Broadway debut in Monty Python’s Spamalot, extensive travels for UNICEF and the launch of his own successful foundation — The National Inclusion Project — Aiken brings his clarion voice, engaging personality and Southern charm in CLAY AIKEN: TRIED & TRUE – LIVE!, part of special programming airing in July 2010 on WPBT2. Special guests Linda Eder and Ruben Studdard join Aiken onstage.

Taped in Aiken’s hometown, Raleigh, North Carolina, before a wildly enthusiastic audience, Aiken brings his powerful vocals and uniquely personal interpretations to new arrangements of some of the most iconic songs ever written, including “Mack the Knife,” “It’s Impossible,” “Moon River,” “Misty,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Unchained Melody,” “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and a stellar duet with his special guest, Broadway star Linda Eder, on Roy Orbison’s classic lament, “Crying.”

Having grown up listening to this genre of music, Aiken says, “I wanted to do something that paid tribute to the Johnny Mathis, Perry Como and Andy Williams type of sound, because those artists sang really emotional material and did it wonderfully.” And there were the “tried and true” songs themselves, which Aiken finds “melodically appealing and beautiful.” He adds, “I’ve often joked with friends that I was born at the wrong time because the songs I like to sing are all from earlier eras. So performing this kind of music was an opportunity to just be myself.” Aiken’s new album, titled, appropriately, Tried & True, was released June 1.

Also appearing in the special is Aiken’s good friend and “American Idol” colleague Ruben Studdard. “To be able to share the stage with Ruben again is so exciting,” Aiken says. “He is such a talented artist.” In July, the two “American Idol” alumni will hit the road for their highly anticipated “Timeless Tour.”

To get an up-to-date list of the PBS stations that are showing the special, visit our PBS section.  It is updated each day.

On a different note………..wasn’t it fun seeing the list of fans that won Meet-And-Greets with Clay this summer??  Were you one of the lucky ones??