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Josh Groban, Clay Aiken and Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys

May 6-12, 2008

By Kurt B. Reighley
Special to MSN Music

Josh Groban, Clay Aiken, Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys ... this year, Mother's Day seems to fall at the tail of Skinny White Dude Week. Not to suggest that any of this week's spotlight artists are mama's boys.

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Love him or loathe him, there is no denying the awesome popularity of Josh Groban. (How many times per pledge drive does your local PBS affiliate air one of his TV specials?) Heck, he racked up the best-selling CD of 2007 -- with a Christmas album, no less. Josh routinely sells out huge venues, like Salt Lake City's 15,000 seat EnergySolutions Arena. His new DVD/CD combo, "Awake Live," preserves his show there from Aug. 28, 2007. The third live DVD from the young star with the operatic voice and wavy locks preserves the entirety of the 100-minute concert, including his hits "You Raise Me Up," "You Are Loved," and "February Song," plus behind-the-scenes footage; the nine-track CD cherry picks highlights from that program, including "Pearls," a duet with Benin-born, Paris-based world music star Angélique Kidjo.

Groban is still wet behind the ears compared with Neil Diamond; while the former turned 27 this year, the latter marks 2008 with the release of his 27th album. Like its 2005 predecessor, "12 Songs," the stripped-down "Home Before Dark" was produced by legendary maverick Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer). Joining them in the studio were Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, plus indie rock mainstay Matt Sweeney (Chavez). The first single, "Pretty Amazing Grace," marries the made-for-radio pop sensibilities of his early work with a stark, confessional element reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, while Natalie Maines of Dixie Chicks (another Rubin production alumnus) lends her pipes to "Another Day (That Time Forgot)." Speaking of voices, Diamond's hasn't lost its luster; at 67, he sounds as gripping as ever.

Even though he was born in America, Scott Walker never had much impact on his home turf. The closest the enigmatic rocker ever got to a U.S. hit was the 1966 art-pop gem "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)," by the Walker Brothers. But his melodramatic style influenced generations of inventive British artists, including David Bowie and Julian Cope. Walker's latest disciple of note is Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, who took a break from his better-known outfit to cut "The Age of the Understatement," co-written and co-sung with his pal Miles Kane of the Rascals, and credited to the Last Shadow Puppets. With its fast-moving, martial snares (played by producer James Ford) and Spanish guitars, the title track whips up wide-screen excitement, while the pointed "My Mistakes Were Made for You" boasts top notes of Ennio Morricone and Duane Eddy. Adding to the majesty of the 12-song set are string arrangements by Owen Pallett, who has worked with Arcade Fire and Beirut, and records under the moniker Final Fantasy.

After an album of covers and the ubiquitous Christmas disc, Clay Aiken finally delivers his first set of original material since his No. 1 2003 debut, "Measure of a Man." "On My Way Here" charts lessons learned during the 29-year-old Raleigh, N.C., singer's professional arc over the past five years, from his ascendancy on the second season of "American Idol" and authoring a best-selling autobiography, to his recent Broadway run in "Spamalot." Aiken made the 12-song disc -- while simultaneously appearing in the hit musical -- under the eye of Grammy Award-winning British producer Kipper (Sting, Chris Botti), while Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic composed the sweeping title track.

New York singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw -- the man responsible for "I Don't Want to Be," the theme to "One Tree Hill" -- took some cues from a different "American Idol" veteran for his second album; Howard Benson, who previously worked on the No. 1 debut by Daughtry, produced his self-titled sophomore set. The follow-up to DeGraw's 2003 studio debut, "Chariot," boasts a dozen new originals by the multi-instrumentalist. Like many of his earlier fan favorites, songs such as "Young Love," "Next to Me," and his current hit, "In Love With a Girl," emphasize themes of love and relationships, while the overall sound of the disc moves in more of an edgy rock direction. 

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