Search - Tribute to Clay Aiken :: String Quart Tribute to Clay Aiken

String trio sells CDs with Clay's name & thin tune versions

Mantisdolphin | 02/20/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I think this "tribute" is unfortunate in that it strikes me as a bit of a farce or parody. Without Clay's vocals, without his charm, warmth, and sensitivity suffusing the lyrics and hinting at emotional color, the pop tunes themselves, reduced to two or three string instrument lines, are thin, shadowy stuff. The tunes of course were penned by some of the best song writers in the business. So the "tribute" is really less to Clay--much less--than it is to the veritable army of highly regarded song writers who were fortunate enough to get their songs recorded by Clay (for Clay's double and probably eventually triple platinum CD).I'm a man who likes Clay's singing quite a bit. I also like instrumental music, particularly piano music, string quartets, and piano and string duos, trios, etc. And I'm tempted to buy a copy of this--but then, what for? The purchase hardly benefits Clay or the Bubel/Aiken foundation. If you buy it, buy a used copy. The tunes are but faint echoes of what you hear on MOAM, and do you want a true tribute to Clay or a tribute to the recording industry's best go-to song writers--which is really a tribute to Clive Davis's organizational and administrative capacities. I love Clay's voice and personality. Clive Davis's company or adiministrative abilities? Not really."

Poor attempt

Jaclyn | spokane, Wa | 09/16/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Ok...let me point out I am NOT a fan of clay aiken, nor do I own any music related to him...I am a rocker myself, but my sister made me hear this. I am however a musician; a violinist in fact. Therefore, my input has a bit of validity. The music played, while in tune, and much above a typical high school ORCHESTRA, however it lacks feeling. The music is played, but not felt. You hear it and recall the songs, but you just don't connect with it. While Clay isnt my favorite person in the world, the guy has a damn good voice, and a ton of feeling in his music. This CD is just emotionless, and also a huge waste of time that could be spent listening to Def Leppard,lol."

Yeah, I've only listened to the samples...

Jaclyn | 03/02/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"...but it's enough to make me know not to buy this CD. Like some of the other posters, I'm also a musician. I'm 25 and I've been a cellist since I was 10. The musicians-- poor things-- sound like high schoolers. And, in fact, I've actually heard better high school performances. The CD sounds like it was recorded in a high school, too-- too echoey and NO sound balance. The cello is way too loud. It's only an accompaniment and it sometimes drowns the melody.Moreover, the compositions seem amateur. Cellos almost never get the melody, and that's something we live with. Sometimes we get great harmony. Here, however, it's like the cello was designed to replace the drum machine, with nothing but repetitive rhythms on the same note. I used to play like that-- when I was in middle school and was practicing from the rhythm exercise book!I'm no Yo-Yo Ma, but I'd be embarrassed to play this arrangement this poorly.The original accompaniments on the show and on the CD itself are much nicer."