Idol Albums

So now that Fall/Winter is upon we're getting a slew of Idol albums that are arriving just in time for Christmas. Some will probably be good, some will probably be not so good and maybe some will even be great. I have heard some of the albums (or clips of albums) and singles and have some thoughts. Here I go...

Clay Aiken - A Thousand Different Ways - At first I had no desire to buy this CD. When Clay was on the show I was a die-hard Clay fan. He had a great voice, a great stage presence and it was always a highlight to watch him perform. When he lost to Ruben I was shocked but I went ahead and bought his CD anyway. It was pretty underwhelming. I bought his Christmas album and enjoyed that a lot more but by that time I had really began to lose my interest in him. So when this CD was announced I didn't really care about it and told myself I was done with Clay. But then I heard the entire CD on AOL and really liked it. It turns out that I don't really care for anything original that Clay does but love his cover versions of songs. He always make old songs sound new. I think it worked for this album and I went ahead and bought it. This is my favorite Clay album so far. So if you're a fan of Clay doing cover songs then this is the one for you.

Kellie Pickler - Small Town Girl - I'm a fan of country but I wasn't a fan of Kellie when she was on the show. She doesn't really know how to sing well and had no sense of what she could/couldn't do. It was painful watching her move from genre to genre each week. I was curious to see what her album would sound like. Well, I heard it this morning (again, on AOL) and I am not all that excited about it. First of all, this girl is COUNTRY. She's not like Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Shania Twain country. She's more like Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn country. She has a full twang and everything. Her voice tends to be a little annoying because of that twang. The songs are no where near as good as what Carrie has on her CD so it feels as if this CD is mostly just filler for something better later on. Her first single "Red High Heels" is catchy and fun but I don't really see it making a big wave in country (nor will the rest of her CD).

Ayla Brown - Forward - Probably one of the worst CD covers ever, this album is actually a surprise. I was surprised that Ayla got a record deal (and so quickly too) considering her vocals weren't shown too much. But I heard clips of the entire album and her voice sounds really good on it. The songs are standard pop but she sounds amazing. I think this CD is a good start towards a career but she really needs to be signed to a real label and have some real songwriters working with her. It's a good start.

Ace Young - Scattered - I've just heard this single from his supposedly forthcoming album. I think this song is pretty standard guy pop but he sounds great on it. The song fits him perfectly, it's got a nice catchy beat and he even slips his falsetto into it. I think it's a great first track from Ace and if the rest of his album sounds like this I think he'll sell really well.

Daughtry - Chris Daughtry's band "Daughtry" has released clips of 4 songs from their upcoming album next month. Chris was very smart to not take the Fuel gig and hold out for a label to allow him do his own stuff. And from what I've heard he's made the right decision. The clips that I've heard sound like they can be on the radio right now. There's a Nickelback or Matchbox 20 feel to it but I think radio might actually respond to what they are putting out. Chris should have a good start to a career once this is released.