Blake Lewis' Top 10 Influential Albums

Season six 'American Idol' alum Blake Lewis joins us this week as our guest blogger, revealing his favorite records -- most having an influence on his second studio album, 'Heartbreak on Vinyl' (released Oct. 6). From the BT-inspired electronic pulses to the poppy Depeche Mode melodies, the songs on Lewis' sophomore album tackle the hardships of a break-up (which Lewis refers to as his rendition of Maroon 5's 'Songs About Jane'). Be sure to check out his picks, which show his intrinsic love for '80s, pop, indie and electronic music.

This is really tough for me!!!!!!!!!!! How can I pick 10? I have hundreds. I get inspired so easily by so many great artists out there.

Okay here is goes...
10
'Songs About Jane'
This gritty, sexy, jazzy, melodic album always makes me want to be in front of a great audience and really let it out on the mic. I met Maroon 5 the week Songs About Jane came out and had been listening to them for a couple months before. I had never really been this excited to see a show, at that point in time. I met them and gave them a CD of mine and within 10 minutes they called and invited me on there bus. We became friends that night and they would always call me when they came to town. They let me sing their music when I got onto American Idol and I'm am forever thankful for it. This record mean a great deal to me for many reasons. This was, to me, the first record that had a really musical pop quality, that en-captured the Michael Jackson sound I had been missing for years. 'Sunday Morning' is one of my all time favorite melodies and song to sing. Cheers!
Maroon Five Songs About Jane

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