[Capt. Jake]

Actually, Barry Manilow is the precise comparison that comes to mind. I watched for the first time tonight and thought Clay's voice to be much more impressive. Maybe I missed something.

[republicandiva]

An interesting aside..the lady that's the main vocal coach for AI was Barry Manilow's backup singer for most of his career. Saw part of an interview with her not too long ago.

But will disagree with you about Clay. His voice has the potential, and with a little fine tuning, could easily be a force in the pop world. Remember, with the exception of Elton John, Manilow and Mathis had hits that were totally "out of sync" with the pop culture of their time...and the name of the show is 'AMERICAN IDOL'...not 'POP IDOL.' Since when is American music only geared to the MTV crowd?