Clayton's Time Has Come to Shine

This spring was my final semester of college, and so I did not expect that I would find any time in my busy schedule to devote to American Idol. Besides, I figured, it won’t be much good the second time around. And then there was Clayton. When he walked into that audition looking for all the world like the nerdiest guy on the planet and flummoxed the judges with his powerhouse voice, I cheered. “No way he’ll make it through,” I thought. “But I hope he does.” And after his Top 32 performance, coupled with the biographical information I’d managed to track down, I was utterly hooked.

This from a gal who has spent her life listening to Simon and Garfunkel, John Denver, Billy Joel, Gordon Lightfoot, Dan Fogelberg, The Irish Rovers, Don McLean… you get the picture. I suddenly knew exactly how those screeching Beatle-maniacs felt. I believe Clay is the most refreshing voice to come out of my generation in my experience, and his out-of-this-world voice is only half the story. It is his personality – his faith, his devotion to children, his compassion, his sense of humor, etc. – that seals the deal. This guy is one of a kind. Please pardon my gushing.

As I glued myself to the television week after week, I entertained the whimsy that perhaps Clay would sing what is perhaps my favorite song, Bridge Over Troubled Water. It would certainly be a good fit, but I’d never heard Simon and Garfunkel on American Idol and didn’t expect to. When he belted that one out on the final night, I think the whole neighborhood heard me squeal. I was similarly thrilled to hear that he would be recording this song for his single.

Clay does a super job with Bridge, though this is a very different version than Simon and Garfunkel’s. In all honesty, I do prefer that version. Art’s vocals are absolutely transcendent, the orchestration is gorgeous, and I love the buildup of the verses from sadness to anger to triumph. The triumph is present throughout, but it remains shrouded until the third verse. Clay is jubilant throughout, maintaining a consistent loud and joyous tone. Even louder, however, is the choir, and while this provides power and some nice harmony and makes the song very hymn-like, the chorus of voices has a tendency to drown Clay out. This is problematic for a song that is supposed to be showcasing Clay’s voice; I wish they would have toned the choir down just a tad. Nonetheless, the track sounds terrific, and it’s very gratifying to see this song I love so much topping the charts once more.

When I first heard This is the Night, I thought, “Hm, this sounds like A Moment Like This all over again.” And while the two songs do seem to be saying pretty much the same thing, I guess I don’t mind all that much. Clay really throws himself into the song, and he actually gives it a lot more dynamic variation than he gives Bridge. The background is a lot more balanced on this song, and Clay’s voice is never obscured by anything else. He does an especially nice job towards the end, when he begins the chorus again in a very soft voice with minimal accompaniment, only to switch to full blast a couple lines later. Very nice.

Clay has certainly come out a winner in this competition, and I can’t wait to listen to his full album. No matter what, I am certain he has a long and successful career ahead of him. Nicely done, Clayton.