Taylor Hicks

The least you can say about Taylor Hicks is that he's not like prior American Idol champs: he already had almost a decade of gigging in bars when he won the fifth season in 2006, complete with songwriting experience, an ability to play harmonica and guitar, and a pair of self-released albums. On his major-label debut, the Silver Fox settles in a plush, comfortable sound framed by vintage-sounding soul and R&B, as well as classic rock--it's comfort food for the ears. The one thing that's not here is Hicks's first single, "Do I Make You Proud." Other than that, the songs are a well-balanced mix of oldies (Marvin Gaye's "Wherever I Lay My Hat"), newbies that sound like oldies (Rob Thomas's "Dream Myself Awake," Bryan Adams's "The Right Place"), the obligatory Diane Warren ballad ("Places I've Been"), and some party-fun anthems ("The Runaround," "Heaven Knows"). This last track actually is one of two paying tribute to Hicks's patron saint, Ray Charles--it references the piano riff from "What'd I Say," while "The Right Place" was originally written for Charles. Clearly, there are worse people to look up to. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Taylor Hicks's much-anticipated major-label debut is being released on December 5, 2006.

More Idol Releases

Katharine McPhee
Daughtry
Fantasia

Customer Reviews:

Eclectic Mix of Taylor
Great CD, songs for every mood, has some jumpy fun tunes and some serious soul, very pleased with the end product - not like the POP releases we are used to on American Idol, this CD will reach many other non "POP" music lovers, thank goodness. Highly recommend!
--2006-12-18

Taylor Hicks Wins Once Again
You never really know what an Idol's first album is going to sound like. Most previous winners and runners-up did not seem to have a real good sense of their musical direction, and their debut albums lacked cohesion. Not so with winner #5. Taylor has said that he was already "formed," and had been thinking about making this album for years. For the most part, I think he won the battle. Taylor Hicks is a funky, soulful mix of old-school brass and sass, and there isn't a bad track on it.

What's interesting about this album is that the more I listen to it, the better I like it. Songs that I was somewhat lukewarm about on the first run-through have now moved up to the top of my list. I love "Gonna Move" and "Wherever I Lay My Hat," and "Places I've Been" can move me to tears. "Give Me Tonight" never fails to get me up and dancing (wherever possible) and "The Right Place" still gives me goosebumps. "Heaven Knows" kicks butt!

I love the new recordings of "Soul Thing" and "The Deal," and while I am still not a total convert, can't seem to get "The Runaround" out of my brain. "Dream Myself Awake" and "The Maze" are the only two cuts that I would have swapped out - maybe for a new version of "The Fall" and "Hell of a Day," which only appears on the special edition sold by one of the "big box" stores.

I rarely give a CD five stars, and while this album is not perfect, Taylor earned top ranking from me for being able to put together a quality album in just six weeks. He stood fast, and while there are certainly some compromises reflected in the track selection, I think he won the battle. I've heard the debut albums of all previous winners and runners-up, and I feel confident declaring Taylor's album the best debut Idol album ever. Now get out there and buy a copy!!!
--2006-12-17

Promising, but not the Big One
Ever since his first goofy appearances on American Idol, I've really wanted this guy to succeed. In a depressing era of alt-rock, jam bands, celebrity divas, and hip-hop, Taylor Hicks (like John Mayer, Corinne Bailey Rae, and a very few others) seems to be aiming to bring melody and feeling back to American pop music. He really puts his heart--and amazing vocal gifts--into most of the songs on this new CD. I particularly like his self-penned "The Deal," the Diane Warren song "Places I've Been," and, best of all, the funky "Give Me Tonight." I'm glad I wasn't driving when I first heard the latter number, with its infectious groove, urgency, and call-and-response singing. It seems to have "pop hit" written all over it. Which causes me to wonder why it wasn't the lead cut on the CD. I'm sure that other cuts will grow on me. What I'm missing is a great power ballad in the mold of Rascal Flatts' "Bless the Broken Road" or a bit of Southern nostalgia like Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis"--songs that, to me, would fit Taylor to a T. I'm looking forward to Mr. Hicks' next CD.
--2006-12-17

Vanilla Ice Cream
Wow- how uneventful! This album is a major disappointment, reminds me of an office karaoke party. Some song standouts include "Give me Tonight" and "The Right Place", but otherwise just plain vanilla. I liked him alot on American Idol and was really looking forward to his debut album, hopefully he will not disappoint on the next one.
--2006-12-17

Not Disappointed!!!
I have to ask, why so many sad faces? I think Taylor is pretty lucky. He got a better debut CD than both the winner and runner-up of seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4. Other than Carrie Underwood, her debut CD turned out really well. Taylor has the most well-rounded and cohesive Idol debut album. I think this CD puts Taylor in the best position to make a giant leap forward on his sophomore album. It's apparent that he actually has more options than people really give him credit for. I was particularly impressed with the more Pop/Rock of "Just to Fell That Way." Because Taylor's got the gritty soulful vocals, it makes that song extra special. I could actually listen to him doing a whole album of the Bruce Springsteen kind of stuff. He did "Dancing in the Dark" on American Idol and I thought that was a good match for his voice. While another option is him continuing to do more of his own homegrown material like "The Deal" which is one of my favorites. And then there's the funkier stuff like "Give Me Tonight." Taylor's debut CD definitely satisfies both the need for it to be commercial and artistic. There's no filler. I agree that his album can stand alone outside of American Idol. It just seems like a normal record. But I think people need to realize that had Taylor signed an Arista record contract the regular way, based on his own material, then more of it would have been included on the CD. But since he got it by way of a TV competition, then the record label is going to have more say on the first CD. That's how it's been for all of the idol albums. Until they can prove that they're star material, then this is how it works. So people should keep that in mind before they start bashing. Sure it may not be everything that you wanted, but is any album the all and everything? Nothing is perfect, there's always room for improvement. I would enjoy this great debut CD for now and worry about what it should have and could have been later.
--2006-12-17

- Arista