LOS ANGELES, Calif. (RCA Records) - The long wait for
Clay Aiken fans is over. RCA Records will release the singer's third album, "
A Thousand Different Ways" on
September 19th. The project, Aiken's first outing since 2004, combines 10 cover versions of well-known songs from the '70s, '80s and '90s with four brand-new songs.
The album is a follow-up to Aiken's debut set, "Measure of a Man," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and is certified triple-platinum, as well as the platinum-selling "Merry Christmas with Love," the best-selling holiday album of the 2004 season.
For Aiken, the new album's title has multiple meanings. "This is an album of love songs," he explains, "but they are about all different kinds of love. Romantic love, Friendship, Unconditional love. There are a thousand different kinds of love; a thousand different ways to tell someone you love them. And, on top of that, since so many of these songs are covers, it's realistic to say that many of them have been or could be sung a thousand different ways."
In fact, Aiken has put his own spin on some of the well-known songs he has recorded for his new album. "These are songs I heard growing up. I loved them then and I still love them today, but we decided to do them a little differently. They have new arrangements and we put our own style on some of them."
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "Here You Come Again," a No. 3 hit for Dolly Parton in 1978, stands out for Aiken. "I've always loved that song," he says. "But for this album, we didn't use a country arrangement. It's a ballad version now. Adam Anders produced the most amazing arrangement and I couldn't wait to sing it."
Aiken credits Chairman CEO BMG U.S., Clive Davis for coming up with the concept for the album. "When we first embarked on making an album, my executive producer Jaymes Foster and I started out with one or two covers, then we had three. We slowly discovered that it's harder these days to come by songs that are as superb as the songs that I grew up on. Based on that, it was Clive's brainchild that we take classic love songs of the last 30 years and pair them with four new songs. He is a man who not only knows music, but really has his finger on the pulse of what listeners want to hear."
Those who have come to expect Aiken to belt out a song won't be disappointed. The album shows off Aiken's vocals in a big way with songs like the Bad English hit "When I See You Smile" and Harry Nillsson's "Without You." But Aiken will surprise fans by singing in a more relaxed style on some tracks than they have heard before, showing a different, sexier side.
Aiken fans will also be glad to know he was personally involved with the selection of every track and that he participated in every aspect of the album. "For the first album, most of the songs were chosen ahead of time. I was less of a participant in the process. The second album was a Christmas album, so we naturally chose songs of the season. This new album has much more of me in it. Right from the beginning, Clive and Jaymes wanted to find songs that were right for me. Jaymes told me, "Stay in your lane, but remember it's okay to swerve a little and see where it takes you.' That's exactly what we did."
The following is a complete track listing for the much-anticipated "A Thousand Different Ways," including writer and producer credits:
RIGHT HERE WAITING
Originally recorded by: Richard Marx
Written by: Richard Marx / Produced by: John Fields
WHEN I SEE YOU SMILE
Originally recorded by: John Waite
Written by: Diane Warren / Produced by: John Fields
WITHOUT YOU
Originally recorded by: Badfinger and Then Harry Nilsson
Written by: William Collings, Thomas Evans, Michael Gibbins, Peter Ham,
and J.C. Molland
Produced by: John Fields
LONELY NO MORE
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Andreas Carlsson, Samuel Waermo, Mimmi Waermo & Clay Aiken
Produced by: Andreas Carlsson and Samuel Waermo
SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD
Originally recorded by: Elton John
Written by: Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Producer by: Per Magnusson & David Kreuger
EVERYTIME YOU GO AWAY
Originally recorded by: Paul Young
Written by: Daryl Hall
Produced by: Adam Anders
EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU)
Originally recorded by: Bryan Adams
Written by: Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen & Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Produced by: John Fields
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - Guest Vocals by Suzie McNeil
Originally recorded by: Foreigner
Written by: Michael Jones
Produced by: Russ Irwin, Marti Frederiksen & Charlton Pettus
THESE OPEN ARMS
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Jon Bon Jovi & Desmond Childs
Produced by: John Fields
BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME
Originally recorded by: Celine Dion
Written by: Diane Warren
Produced by: Eman
HERE YOU COME AGAIN
Originally recorded by: Dolly Parton
Written by: Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
EVERYTHING I HAVE - Featuring William Joseph on Piano
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Jeremy Bose
Arranged by: Jeremy Lubbock
A THOUSAND DAYS
(NEW SONG)
Written by: Christian Leuzzi, Aldo Nova & Emanuel Olsson
Produced by: John Fields
BROKEN WINGS
Originally recorded by: Mr. Mister
Written by: Richard Page, John Lang & Steve George
Produced by: Eman
