Measure of a Man is the debut album by American singer Clay Aiken. It was released on October 14, 2003, through RCA Records, five months after the conclusion of the second season of American Idol, in which he finished as the runner-up. Executive produced by Clive Davis, Aiken worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Desmond Child, David Eriksen, Steve Mac, Clif Magness, James McMillan, Steve Morales, and Rick Nowels.
Critical reception towards Measure of a Man ranged from strongly positive to scathingly negative. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 613,000 copies in its first week. In November 2003, Measure of a Man was certified
double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was supported by three singles: "Invisible", ""The Way"/"Solitaire", and "I Will Carry You".
Promotion
"Invisible" was released as the first single from Measure of a Man. It was initially released as a promo-only single in September 2003, and only became available as digital downloads much later. The song peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary and at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on January 6, 2004. It was later certified gold for digital downloads by the RIAA on March 31, 2006. A music video for "Invisible", directed by Diane Martel, was shot in Hollywood at Hollywood & Highland, a major outdoor shopping center and tourist attraction, where Aiken invited 800 fans to be part of the crowd scene in the video. "The Way"/"Solitaire" was released as the album second single on March 16, 2004. "The Way" peaked at number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. A music video for the song was again directed by Martel. "I Will Carry You," the third single from Measure of a Man, peaked at number 25 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.
Critical reception
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AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that "Clay's earnest delivery—somewhat sweet and expertly coached—gives these songs a bit of innocence and believability, but the slickness of the whole enterprise overshadows his voice, particularly because his voice isn't all that remarkable on record [..] Even so, it's perfectly suited for this safe MOR album, and while none of the songs really catch hold, it doesn't matter since the sound of the record is pleasant and perfect for radio."
|Best Selling Single
|"This Is The Night"
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Commercial performance
Measure of a Man debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 613,000 copies in its first week. This became Aiken's first US number one debut. In its second week, the album remained at number one on the chart, selling an additional 225,000 copies. In its fourth week, the album fell to number eight on the chart, selling 113,000 copies, bringing its four-week total to 1.1 million copies. On November 17, 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over two million copies.
Track listing
Personnel
Performers and musicians
- Clay Aiken – vocals, backing vocals (12)
- Doug Emery – acoustic piano (1, 6), keyboards (6), programming (6), string arrangements (6)
- Marcus Engölf – keyboards (1), programming (1), acoustic guitars (1)
- Samuel Waermö – keyboards (1), programming (1), percussion (1)
- Clif Magness – acoustic piano (2, 5, 7, 8, 10), keyboards (2, 5, 7, 8, 10), programming (2, 5, 7, 8, 10), acoustic guitars (2, 5, 7, 8, 10), electric guitars (2, 5, 7, 8, 10), bass (2, 5, 7, 8, 10), backing vocals (2, 7, 10), arrangements (2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
- David Siegel – keyboards (3, 11)
- Charles Judge – keyboards (4)
- Greg Kurstin – keyboards (4)
- Rick Nowels – keyboards (4), acoustic guitars (4), bouzouki (4), arrangements (4)
- David Arch – keyboards (9)
- Steve Mac – keyboards (9)
- David Eriksen – keyboard programming (12), drum programming (12), arrangements (12)
- Martin Sjølie – additional keyboards (12)
- Esbjörn Öhrwall – acoustic guitars (1)
- Eric Bazilian – guitars (1)
- Andreas Carlsson – guitars (1), backing vocals (1)
- Dan Warner – guitars (1, 6), acoustic guitars (3), electric guitars (3, 11), bass (6)
- Tim Pierce – guitars (4)
- Fridrik Karlsson – guitars (9)
- Eivind Aarset – guitars (12)
- Børge Petersen-Øverleir – guitars (12)
- Thomas Blindberg – bass (1)
- Chris Garcia – bass (4)
- John Pierce – bass (4)
- Steve Pearce – bass (9)
- Lee Levin – drums (1, 6)
- Tim Klassen – drums (2, 5)
- Wayne Rodrigues – drums (4), programming (4)
- Josh Freese – drums (7, 8, 10)
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (9)
- Frank Ricotti – percussion (9)
- Rune Arnesen – percussion (12)
- Christopher Glansdorp – cello (6)
- Steve Morales – arrangements (3, 11)
- Chris Braide – backing vocals (1)
- Chris Willis – backing vocals (1, 6)
- Heath Burgett – backing vocals (3)
- Marc Nelson – backing vocals (3)
- Maria Vidal – backing vocals (4)
- Danielle Brisebois – backing vocals (5, 8)
- Håkon Iverson – backing vocals (12)
- Marian Lisland – backing vocals (12)
Production
- Clive Davis – album producer
- Stephen Ferrera – A&R
- Desmond Child – producer (1, 6)
- Clif Magness – producer (2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
- Steve Morales – producer (3, 11)
- Rick Nowels – producer (4)
- David Eriksen – producer (12)
- Brian Coleman – production manager (1, 6)
- Kristin Johnson – production coordinator (4)
- Tara Saremi – production manager (4)
- Frank Harkins – art direction
- Kevin Hess – photography
- Simon Fuller – management
Technical
- Joe Yannace – mastering at Hit Factory Mastering (New York, NY)
- Carlos Alvarez – recording (1, 6)
- Eric Bazilian – recording (1)
- Marcus Engölf – recording (1)
- Jules Gondar – recording (1, 6)
- Craig Lozowick – recording (1, 6)
- Samuel Waermö – recording (1)
- Clif Magness – engineer (2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
- Shane Stoner – recording (3, 11)
- Chris Garcia – recording (4)
- Kieran Menzies – recording (4)
- Alan Veucasovic – recording (4)
- Chris Laws – recording (9)
- Robin Sellars – recording (9)
- David Eriksen – recording (12)
- Richard Wilkinson – recording (12)
- Bob Clearmountain – mixing (1, 2, 5–10)
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (3)
- Manny Marroquin – mixing (4)
- Andy Zulla – mixing (11)
- Niklas Flyckt – mixing (12)
- Conrad Golding – assistant engineer (1)
- Orlando Hall – assistant engineer (1, 6)
- James Harley – assistant engineer (1, 6)
- Greg Landon – assistant engineer (1, 6)
- Sean Samaroo – assistant engineer (1, 6)
- Kevin Harp – assistant mix engineer (1, 6, 9)
- Fox Phelps – assistant engineer (2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
- Cesar Ramirez – assistant engineer (2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
- Jesse Rogg – assistant engineer (4)
- Daniel Pursey – assistant engineer (9)
- Jason Rankins – assistant engineer (9)
- Martin Sjølie – assistant engineer (12)
- Jonas Östman – assistant mix engineer (12)
- Ed Williams – additional lead vocal engineer (3), recording (11)
- Cameron Webb – additional editing (2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
- Gustavo Celis – Pro Tools editing (3)
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly performance for Measure of a Man
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2003–2004)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
| 9
|-
! scope="row"| Singaporean Albums (RIAS)
| 1
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2003 year-end performance for Measure of a Man
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2003)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 53
|-
! scope="row"|Worldwide Albums (IFPI)
|27
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2004 year-end performance for Measure of a Man
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2004)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 43
|}