Steadfast
Released March 26, 2012. Steadfast revisits the best of 2010’s release Tried And True, featuring selected cuts from that record alongside a newly recorded, original song, “Bring Back My Love.” Rounding out the disc are thoughtful covers of Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” and Connie Francis’, “Who’s Sorry Now.” Steadfast is an extension of the journey Clay Aiken began when he recorded Tried And True interpreting some of his all-time favorite songs from the ’50s and ’60s that he grew up listening to as a child. After putting some distance between himself and the release of Tried And True, he realized his emotional connection with the music remained so strong he felt compelled to return to the album and highlight the tracks he was most proud of.

1. There’s A Kind Of Hush
2. Bring Back My Love
3. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
4. Crying
5. It’s Only Make Believe
6. Misty
7. Unchained Melody
8. It’s Impossible
9. Who’s Sorry Now
10. Moon River

Tried & True
Released June 1, 2010. Clay Aiken has never sounded more at home than he does singing the lushly arranged classics on his fifth studio album Tried and True — his first album for Decca Records. The bulk of the album is made up of songs from the ’50s and ’60s that Aiken grew up listening to as a child in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Disc: 1

1. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
2. What Kind of Fool Am I?
3. It’s Only Make Believe
4. Misty
5. Mack The Knife
6. It’s Impossible
7. Unchained Melody
8. Suspicious Minds
9. Crying
10. There’s a Kind of Hush
11. Moon River

Disc: 2 (If you purchase the CD/DVD Deluxe edition)

1. Build Me Up Buttercup – Live [DVD]
2. Bonus Material [DVD]

Bonus Tracks:

1. Who’s Sorry Now (CD/DVD Deluxe edition)
2. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (CD/DVD Deluxe edition)
3. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (iTunes exclusive)

Playlist: The Very Best of Clay Aiken
Released March 31, 2009, “Playlist: The Very Best of Clay Aiken” is a compilation of tracks chosen from Clay’s catalog to date. It is an interesting mix that includes the single “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as well as “On The Wings of Love” from the album “American Idol Season 2: All Time Classic American Love Songs” which is no longer in print.

1. Ashes (Nichole Nordeman, Mark Hammond)
2. A Thousand Days (Christian Leuzzi, Aldo Nova, Emanuel Olsson)
3. The Way (Steve Morales, Enrique Iglesias, Kara DioGuardi, David Siegel)
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Paul Simon)
5. On My Way Here (Ryan Tedder, Hunter Davis, Chris Faulk)
6. This Is The Night (Chris Braide, Gary Burr, Aldo Nova)
7. Solitaire (Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody)
8. Here You Come Again (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil)
9. Measure Of A Man (Steve Morales, Cathy Dennis, David Siegel)
10. The Real Me (Natalie Grant)
11. Something About Us (Michael O’Brien, Scotty Wilbanks, Regie Hamm)
12. Invisible (Chris Braide, Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child)
13. On The Wings of Love (Jeffrey Osbourne, Peter Schless)
14. Mary, Did You Know (Mark Lowry)

On My Way Here
Released on May 6, 2008, “On My Way Here” is the fourth full length studio album released by Clay Aiken. Mark ‘Kipper’ Eldridge is the producer and Jaymes Foster the executive producer.The title track, “On My Way Here”, written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder along with Hunter Davis and Chris Faulk, was the first single released. The song is about how the lessons we learn growing up shape us into the adults we become. This struck a chord with Aiken and the song became the inspiration for the album’s theme.This album of both ballads and pop-rock is an eclectic mix of styles and tempos. The last track “Lover All Alone”, originally available as an iTunes bonus with Aiken’s “A Thousand Different Ways” album, was produced by Emanuel Kiriakou.

1. “On My Way Here” (Ryan Tedder, Hunter Davis, Chris Faulk)
2. “Ashes” (Nichole Nordeman, Mark Hammond)
3. “Everything I Don’t Need” (Kipper, Judie Tzuke, James Morrison)
4. “Something About Us” (Michael O’Brien, Scotty Wilbanks, Regie Hamm)
5. “Falling” (Martin Hansen, Magnus Kaxe, Fred Alexander)
6. “Where I Draw the Line” (Jeremy Bose, Clint Lagerberg, Jason Walker)
7. “The Real Me” (Natalie Grant)
8. “Weight of the World” (Franne Golde, Kasia Livingston, Henrik Korpi, Mathias Wollo)
9. “As Long as We’re Here” (Jan Buckingham, Rebecca Lynn-Howard)
10. “Sacrificial Love” (Carl Falk, Sharon Vaughn, Didrik Thott)
11. “Grace of God” (Mads Hauge, Don Mescall)
12. “Lover All Alone” (Clay Aiken, David Foster)

Bonus tracks

• “Forget I Ever Knew You” (Greg Critchley) (Wal-Mart exclusive)
• “It’s In Everyone Of Us” (David Pomeranz) (iTunes exclusive when pre-ordered)

All Is Well
A Christmas EP released November 28, 2006. Originally an exclusive for Walmart, the album was made available on iTunes in December 2007. It is unusual for an extended play (EP) disc to chart or have its sales tracked; however, “All Is Well” debuted at #54 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums chart.

1. “All Is Well” (Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick)
2. “Christmas Waltz” (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne)
3. “O Come O Come Emmanuel”
4. “My Grown-Up Christmas List”(David Foster, Linda Thompson-Jenner)

A Thousand Different Ways
The third studio album by Clay Aiken. The album, which was executive produced by Jaymes Foster, consists of ten covers and four new songs. It was released by RCA on September 19, 2006. The first single was “Without You” and the second, “A Thousand Days.” Writers of the four new songs (“These Open Arms”, “Lonely No More”, “A Thousand Days” and “Everything I Have”) include Jon Bon Jovi, Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson, Jeremy Bose, Aldo Nova, Samuel Waermo, Mimmi Waermo and Clay Aiken.Available at the time of release only through iTunes as a bonus cut when the complete album is downloaded, was a fifth new song titled “Lover All Alone.” Clay Aiken wrote the lyrics and David Foster wrote the music. “Lover All Alone” was subsequently included in the album “On My Way Here.” “Broken Wings” is the last cut on the album and an original poem written by Erin Taylor was woven throughout the lyrics. The last line of this poem which is also the last line added to the song lyrics became the album title.

1. “Right Here Waiting”
2. “Lonely No More”
3. “Without You”
4. “Every Time You Go Away”
5. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”
6. “When I See You Smile”
7. “A Thousand Days”
8. “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”
9. “Because You Loved Me”
10. “I Want To Know What Love Is”
11. “These Open Arms”
12. “Here You Come Again”
13. “Everything I Have”
14. “Broken Wings”

Bonus tracks

• “Lover All Alone” (iTunes Exclusive; album-only download)
• “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (K-Mart Exclusive; limited time download)

Merry Christmas with Love
Clay Aiken’s first Christmas album, released on November 16, 2004. It was certified platinum and was recognized by Billboard as the Best Selling Christian Album of 2005.

1. “O Holy Night”
2. “Winter Wonderland”
3. “Silent Night”
4. Medley: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”/”O Come All Ye Faithful”
5. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
6. “Mary, Did You Know?”
7. “Joy to the World”
8. “The Christmas Song”
9. “Don’t Save It All for Christmas Day”
10. “Merry Christmas with Love”
11. “Sleigh Ride”
12. “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”

Measure of a Man
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 #1 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. It received a Multi-Platinum certification November 17, 2003.

1. “Invisible” (Chris Braide, Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child)
2. “I Will Carry You” (Lindy Robbins, Dennis Matkosky, Jess Cates)
3. “The Way” (Steve Morales, Enrique Iglesias, Kara DioGuardi, David Siegel)
4. “When You Say You Love Me” (Darren Hayes, Rick Nowels)
5. “No More Sad Songs” (Jimmy Harry, Wayne Hector, Sheppard Solomon)
6. “Run To Me” (Chris Braide, Gary Burr, Desmond Child)
7. “Shine” (Lindy Robbins, Pete Gordeno, Reed Vertelney)
8. “I Survived You” (Ty Lacy, Jess Cates, Jeff Franzel)
9. “This Is the Night” (bonus cut) (Chris Braide, Gary Burr, Aldo Nova)
10. “Perfect Day” (Jimmy Harry, Danielle Brisebois, Sheppard Solomon)
11. “Measure Of A Man” (Steve Morales, Cathy Dennis, David Siegel)
12. “Touch” (David Eriksen, Cathy Dennis)

Notes:

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.

A Clay Aiken Christmas“A Clay Aiken Christmas” aired in December 2004. It featured an unusual production deconstructing the illusion of a seamless TV show by showing cast and crew interacting and moving about between songs. Highlights include “Christmas Waltz”; “Merry Christmas with Love”; a lovely “Mary Did You Know”; and a fun “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” the last shared with Barry Manilow and Yolanda Adams.  Manilow performs a medley, and Adams delivers with her pop-gospel turn of “O Holy Night.” There is a scene featuring the performers talking about unusual gifts, and the finale finds Aiken, Manilow and Adams bringing down the house with “Because It’s Christmas (For All the Children).”