Measure Of A Man

Personnel includes: Clay Aiken (vocals); Clif Magness (acoustic & electric guitars, piano, keyboards, bass, programming, background vocals); Marcus Englof (acoustic guitar, keyboards, programming); Esbjern Ehrwall (acoustic guitar); Andreas Carlsson (guitar, background vocals); Dan Warner, Eric Bazilian (guitar); Doug Emery (piano); Samuel Waermo (keyboards, percussion, programming); Thomas Blindberg (bass); Lee Levin, Tim Klassen, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Chris Willis, Chris Braide (background vocals).
Producers include: Clif Magness, Desmond Child, Rick Knowles, Steve Morales.
A genuine pop culture phenomenon who unexpectedly transcended the instant fame granted by his second-place finish in the AMERICAN IDOL competition, Clay Aiken made a decidedly un-hip media figure, often looking and sounding more like George Bush's nerdy, Andrew Lloyd Weber-loving nephew than a sexy or dangerous rocker. Perhaps not surprisingly, Aiken (with the help of uber-producer/record-company mogul Clive Davis), has crafted what sounds like the first-ever secular contemporary Christian album.
With an utter lack of pretense and genuine feel-good vibe worthy of the best work of Newsong or Steven Curtis Chapman, MEASURE OF A MAN is a pristinely produced, relaxed-sounding showcase for Aiken's gorgeously clear and unaffected vocal style. On solid pop songs like "Shine" and the McCartney-esque "Perfect Day," the retiring Southern singer communicates his songs in a pure, direct fashion that, by virtue of its appealing simplicity, manages in short order to project more soul than a CD rack full of gut-busting Michael Bolton histrionics. A defining moment in the mainstream pop genre, MEASURE OF A MAN bridges the generation gap between teens and their parents with comforting consistency and a refreshing lack of flash.