American Idol Finalist Bo Bice Releases Debut Album "The Real Thing"  12/5/05

Bo Bice 'American Idol' Finalist Releases Debut Album, 'The Real Thing,' On December 13; Title Track is New Single

Multiple TV Appearances Scheduled; CMT Airs One-Hour Bice Special on Jan. 13

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bo Bice, "American Idol" fourth season finalist, will release his much-anticipated debut album, "The Real Thing," on 19 Recordings/RCA Records on Dec. 13. Produced by Clive Davis, the album teams Bice with Chad Kroeger, Richie Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi, Ben Moody, John Shanks, and Swedish producer Max Martin. "It's so cool to be surrounded by people like that," says the singer from Birmingham, Alabama. "You just feel grateful every day."

There will be two editions of "The Real Thing." In addition to a regular CD, there will be a DualDisc version with bonus material, including three extra songs written by Bice. The DualDisc version will include the full album in enhanced stereo; a 22-minute video of "A Day in the Life" of Bo; an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Bo in the studio, at promo appearances, photo shoots and meeting his fans; the three bonus audio tracks "Cinnamon & Novocaine," "Sinner in a Sin" and "Whiskey, Women and Time"; and acoustic performances of "Changing for the Better," "Whisky, Women and Time," "Sinner in a Sin" and "Papillon."

Bo will support the release of "The Real Thing" with multiple television appearances, including "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" (Dec. 5), "The Billboard Music Awards" (Dec. 6), "The Today Show" and "Live With Regis and Kelly" (both Dec. 9), Ellen (Dec. 13), "The Tony Danza Show" (Dec. 15), "The Early Show" (Dec. 16), "The Radio Music Awards (Dec. 19) and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (Dec. 20).

On Dec. 11, the Oxygen Network will air "A Holiday Custom Concert Special -- Featuring Bo Bice and Special Guests." He'll wrap up the year with a one- hour special, "In the Moment With Bo Bice," airing Jan. 13, 2006 on CMT.

There will be three opportunities for Bo's fans to watch him perform live. The fans are invited to watch Bo give an outdoor performance at Rockefeller Center for the Dec. 9 appearance on "The Today Show." They can also attend the taping of the Oxygen Network special in New York on Dec. 7. and on Dec. 20, fans can watch Bo perform live on the outdoor set of Jimmy Kimmel's show.

"Bo Bice is indeed 'the real thing'," says Clive Davis, Chairman CEO BMG U.S. "The album's title is so very accurate in not only reflecting its first single but also the extent of who and what Bo and his talent represent."

The tracks on Bo's debut album include:

"The Real Thing" (written by Kara DioGuardi and Marti Frederiksen; produced by Marti Frederiksen). "That's an incredible tune," says Bo. "I had a great time recording it with Marti. He's just like me, a laid-back cat, pretty mellow. We started working between 10am and lunch and would go for 12 hours and just had fun." Dioguardi adds, "It's about a man saying to a woman, 'I know you have these feelings and I know you're not saying them and it looks like you want to say them.'"

"You're Everything" (written by Chad Kroeger; produced by Chad Kroeger and Joey Moi). "Chad and Joey are great guys," says Bo. "Chad brought an incredible song to the table. I love the tune. I met the guys in New York, hung out for a minute, and we started recording."

"U Make Me Better" (written by Martin Sandberg and Lukasz Gottwald; produced by Max Martin). "Max and Dr. Luke were a lot of fun to work with. Max has some major league hits and he's real genuine and humble. Max and I are kindred spirits; we got each other right away," says Bo.

"Nothing Without You" (written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and John Shanks; produced by John Shanks). "John and I are both guitar freaks," says Bo. "I met Richie Sambora when we did 'The Tonight Show' together last June. He pitched a song to Clive." John Shanks adds, "Bo steps up to the mic and gives you a great performance from the get-go." Shanks had been working with Jon and Richie on Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day" album. "We had been saving this song and I told Jon and Richie we should see if Bo liked it," Shanks explains. "It's a modern pop-rock song. The hook says that all of this means nothing without you. I can go through life but without sharing it with someone you love, it's meaningless."

"My World" (written by Mitch Allan and John Allen; produced by Ben Moody). "That song is on the poppier end of the spectrum," says Bo. Moody calls Bo, "the real deal," adding, "He can stand there with an acoustic guitar and play classic rock tunes for an hour and you'll never lose interest ... the guy is just a star!"

"Remember Me" (written by Kara DioGuardi and Marti Frederiksen; produced by Marti Frederiksen). "That's one of my favorites," Bo enthuses. "Marti and Kara wrote it for me. I've played it live several times because it's such a cool song." DioGuardi elaborates, "It's about a love that's gone bad. It says now that we're done and I'm crushed, don't ever forget me. It's a plea to be remembered even though things have gone bad."

"Hold On to Me" (written by Jess Cates, Dennis Matkosky and Lindy Robbins; produced by John Shanks). "That's another song from the poppier side," says Bo. Shanks adds, "I kept it in the same vibe as 'Nothing Without You' so there would be a sonic consistency on the album. I'm the kind of producer who listens to the demo and honors it by taking the best elements and being respectful to the writers who worked so hard on the song, and try to make it into a hit record."

"Lie ... It's All Right" (written by Martin Sandberg and Lukasz Gottwald; produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald). "It's a real heavy pop tune," says Bo.

"It's My Life" (written by Cliff Magness, Kara DioGuardi and Bo Bice; produced by Cliff Magness). "Cliff and I wrote some of it and then we brought in Kara to help us round off some corners," Bo recalls. "Cliff and I had been talking about how weird and crazy life was and that we just move along and try to enjoy every moment of it." DioGuardi adds, "When we were writing for Bo we concentrated on channeling his emotions -- the strain, the angst, the release. All the things he did on 'American Idol' that made him so great."

"Willing to Try" (written by John Shanks and Richie Sambora; produced by John Shanks). "It's so cool to have someone like Richie that I've admired my entire life write a song because they saw you and were inspired by you," says Bo. Shanks confirms, "We wrote that especially for Bo. It has elements of Otis Redding, giving Bo a chance to stretch out in a more soulful way. The lyrics are about the obstacles of relationships and that through adversity, you're willing to try even though it's easy to give up."

"Valley of Angels" (written by Bo Bice and Cliff Magness; produced by Cliff Magness). "It's a very introspective tune I wrote several years ago," Bo explains. "It's about finding inner peace. I had one of my old guitars in the studio and was warming up with this song when Cliff asked me what the song was. It was incomplete, so Cliff wrote an instrumental bridge and I put some lyrics over his bridge." 

SOURCE RCA Records

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