Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Clay Aiken
“Tried and True”

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 (duet with Linda Eder)
10. There’s a Kind of Hush
11. Moon River

Seven years after placing second to Ruben Studdard on American Idol, Clay Aiken is back where he started, singing cover songs like “Moon River” and “Mack the Knife.”

And that doesn’t bother him one bit, according to an interview published earlier this week by Reuters. In fact, Clay says it’s more “true to who I am” than the career path he wound up taking after that show.

On Tuesday, Clay’s fifth full-length studio album and first in more than two years hit stores. It’s called “Tried and True.” And if you’re expecting pop star Clay, whose 2003 debut album sold close to 3 million copies, you’re in for a disappointment.

“Tried and True” is about classics, not pop songs. Not that these songs weren’t popular at one time. All of them were — decades ago.

The most current song on the album is “It’s Impossible,” a hit for Perry Como back in 1971. The rest hail from the 1950s and 1960s. I guess the old 45 RPM on the back cover should have been the first clue this CD wasn’t going to be chock full of new material.

Highlights include “There’s a Kind of Hush” (a hit for Herman’s Hermits in the mid-’60s) and “Unchained Melody,” a song Clay actually performed on Idol.

Lowlights … well, I think I could have done without a Clay Aiken version of “Suspicious Minds” since the song has been done so often and so well.

Of course, it’s not like this is Clay’s first cover album. He released a Christmas CD in 2004 that was highly successful. Two years later, he released “A Thousand Different Ways,” made up mostly of covers, albeit more current songs like “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You.”

My guess is that “Tried and True” is going to appeal to loyal Clay fans (there are still Claymates out there, you know) and few others, meaning his trend of declining album sales might continue.

But for those in the mood for a little nostalgia, there’s always the “Timeless” tour, featuring a reunion of Clay and fellow season two finalist Ruben Studdard.

The tour stops at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster on Aug. 8. A promo for the show says Clay and Ruben will be “performing their renditions of classic hits from the past five decades, with several duets and special surprises throughout the show.”

Go here for ticket information.

And you can listen to “Tried and True” to put you in the mood.

Grade: C.