Clay Aiken

A Thousand Different Ways is an appropriate title because on first listen you can't help but think, "How many thousands of covers are they going to throw at this guy?" American Idol is over -- let's hear some originals! Aiken's take on Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" and his Bacharach-esque spin on Dolly's classic "Here You Come Again" make for some of the disc's better moments. But seriously: no more covers.

Like flunking out of a junior college, making an album this soul-suckingly awful must have
taken some hard work. Aiken and his handlers didn't just pick out any old Celine Dion or
Bryan Adams song -- they went straight to the bottom of the well and chose "Because You
Loved Me" and "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)." Toss in some Richard Marx, a flute and a
cheesy symphony and you've got the worst episode of American Idol ever.