¡viva la graham!

After a faulty start with his debut album, Audio Day Dream, Blake Lewis was unceremoniously dropped from Arista records last month. Lead single “Break Anotha” didn’t make as much of an impact as anticipated, and even a performance slot on American Idol (see below) didn’t really help the underrated second single, “How Many Words” (which, on a personal note, really strikes a nerve with me at the moment).

Despite the setbacks, top-notch remixes of the track — most notably the Dave Aude Club mix — have ensured success on the dance charts. Unfortunately the prospects of a proper video are slim to none, and plans for future singles from the album have been scrapped. Maybe if Arista would have truly gotten behind the project for the long haul — Lewis might have been a reality star, but he’s also a new artist as well — things would have gone differently. Interestingly enough, the break-up theme of “How Many Words” also applies to Blake’s professional relationship with his label.

Since we don’t have a promo clip, check out Lewis’ live peformance of the song from a few months back. Fingers crossed this isn’t the last we hear from Blake.