I was like you....never had seen American Idol, but had heard of Clay just through the news.
Then the night of his Christmas TV special, I just happened across his show while changing channels. Decided to stop and see what he was about. What a pleasant surprise! He's got a great voice, and the entire TV show was the best thing I've seen on TV in months. Very clean, great songs, great singers.
Yes, I'm really impressed with Clay's voice. I plan on getting his Christmas CD through I-Tunes.
I'm not that crazy about his "pop" CD's. His voice is just too good---he should leave that crummy-sounding music alone and just sing classier stuff, like the Standards from the 40's, or Broadway, or maybe try jazz. I think his voice fits those genres much better. Few "pop" songs nowadays are quality enough for great singers, except for maybe the slow songs.
I'm going to watch his career with interest. The pop music field is so full of scumbags, you'd have to wonder how he'll survive.
My wife and I have been Clay fans since his AI audition. Love his voice. And it's an added bonus that when his record label wanted to dirty up his music to broaden his appeal, he declined, basically saying that's not what God gave him the gift for. How rare is THAT?
I listened to the Christmas CD a few nights ago via On Demand, but I think I'll go ahead and buy the disc.
MM
P.S. I was also excited to see that he's moved beyond Fox; the Christmas special was on NBC. Where's Ruben?