Ruben Studdard Covers Close to You

[Mark-T]

The American Idol (Season Two?) champion has the song on his soon to be released disc. Listen on iTunes. It starts off pretty good, then seems to go astray. Maybe the full version redeems itself.

 

[Jamesj75]

As a Carpenters fan who becomes agitated whenever the Carpenters do not get deserved credit, I remember that season of Idol when Ruben Studdard sang "Superstar." Everyone (judges, etc.) mentioned how wonderful his interpretation was, and he said that he was covering a Luther Vandross song. Yes, Vandross did cover the song, too, but dare I say the definitive version was that by the Carpenters. Others have also sung "A Song for You" on that show, but you don't hear anything about the Carpenters. With regard to "Close to You," Studdard will probably say he is covering a Dionne Warwicke tune.

And don't get me started on Clay Aiken's version of "Solitaire"...

 

[Mark-T]

I do like Aiken's version of Solitaire. No one does it like Karen, though.

 

[Actorman]

Wow! I haven't heard the name Ruben Studdard in years. Was never a fan, but it's nice to hear that he's still able to leverage his "Idol" success and continue putting out music. The majority of the "Idols" seem to fade into obscurity within a few years. The only ones (I can think of) who have maintained any sort of true mainstream momentum are Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson, although Hudson is known more as an actress now. (And interestingly, Daughtry and Hudson didn't even make it to the finals.) Clay Aiken's popularity has fizzled out and despite a huge debut, Adam Lambert never quite exploded the way a lot predicted he would. I really like both of Phillip Phillips' singles so far ("Home" and "Gone, Gone, Gone") but time will tell if he can keep the hits coming.