• POP
CLAY AIKEN
On My Way Here
RCA/19
**
Clay Aiken has a message for his Claymates, that odd cult following that maintains an obsessional devotion for the singer. On The Real Me, written by Natalie Grant, the American Idol runner-up sings, ``I'm tired of the song and dance / Living a charade / Always on parade / What a mess I've made of my existence / But you love me even now.''
Few pop stars come into a project with more baggage than Aiken. On My Way Here is only his second album of originals (he has released a poorly received covers album and a Christmas collection to follow his 2003 debut). Its title and tracks like The Real Me, Where I Draw the Line and Weight of the World tease that they might address some of the personal issues Aiken has battled to keep private in the wake of tabloid exposure.
Instead, On My Way Here trots out a raft of clichés on the ''What doesn't kill me makes me stronger'' variety and a preponderance of lush ballads that blend into one other for 12 songs.
What is undeniable, though, is the purity of Aiken's tenor, which gets its best showcase on record yet. The boy can sing, sometimes beautifully. On My Way Here paints him as a hopelessly square balladeer, a role he says he welcomes. If that makes him a less adventurous version of a '70s Barry Manilow, so be it. Aiken's new CD will be heard in a lot of car stereos this weekend on the way to Mother's Day brunches.
Pod Picks:Something About Us, On My Way Here.
-- HOWARD COHEN
• ROCKDEF LEPPARD
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
Bludgeon Riffola/Island
** ½
BRYAN ADAMS
11
Badman Limited
**
There are enough moments on touring mates' Def Leppard and Bryan Adams' new CDs to remind fans of their '80s heydays.
The selling point for Def Leppard's Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, named for the backstage area where the British band wrote tunes while on tour, is Nine Lives, which features an unlikely songwriting and vocal collaboration with country superstar Tim McGraw. Unlike Bon Jovi's recent patronizing attempts at venturing into country, Nine Lives doesn't court Nashville in desperation. It's a rather ordinary Def Leppard rocker. Much better are the '70s-quoting catchy glam rock of C'mon C'mon and the multilayered Love, which successfully recalls the glory days of Queen. All that is missing is producer Robert John ''Mutt'' Lange, who artfully helmed Def Lep's '80s pop-metal classics Pyromania and Hysteria. Still, Sparkle Lounge is the first listenable Def Leppard album since that era.
Lange, aka Mr. Shania Twain, does turn out for a couple new Bryan Adams tracks from the Canadian star's independently released CD (available, like the new Eagles CD, via Wal-Mart in an exclusive deal). Alas, these songs recall Adams' mushy '90s ballad period. Highlights Tonight We Have the Stars and the crunchy Oxygen recall the raspy rocker's Reckless youth but mostly, 11 disappointingly settles into a midtempo haze.
Pod Picks:C'mon C'mon, Love (Def Leppard); Tonight We Have the Stars (Adams).
-- HOWARD COHEN
Audio | Clay Aiken: 'Something About Us,' from the album 'On My Way Here'