Adam Lambert of American Idol Doesn't Compare w/The Genius of Taylor Hicks

The problem with Adam is that he's a fake. Taylor is the real deal. And please, stop with the screaming, Adam... you're hurting my delicate ears. This was Taylor's signature song on American Idol which ultimately let to his victory in Season 5. He sang with soul. You did not. Just keepin' it real. And oh yea, Taylor a LOT cuter than you.

Play That Funky Music by Adam Lambert


Play That Funky Music by Taylor Hicks

Taylor Hicks - The Ultimate Musician's Musician on New Album

The brilliant reviews keep a-coming in for The Distance, the new Taylor Hicks album. This Blogscritic Review has some wonderful insights into the man and his music in the following piece. Enjoy and feel free to discuss your interpretation of the album, the music or the review.




Music Review: TAYLOR HICKS - THE DISTANCE

Written by The Other Chad
Published March 31, 2009

These days everyone seems all too eager to beat up on Taylor Hicks. Many people have forgotten the reasons why he won the ultra-competitive fifth season of American Idol. His victory has been written off as some kind of accident, as if he wasn't a great performer. To the naysayers, I say this: he was, and still is, a fantastically talented singer/songwriter. That much is in obvious evidence on The Distance, Hicks' newly released second album.

At its best, The Distance makes up for the shortcomings of 2006's Taylor Hicks, which was released shortly after his Idol win. The earlier album, though not without shining moments, was the result of a production team unsympathetic to Hicks' strengths.

Now, with producer Simon Climie on board, we can hear Hicks' as nature intended — no synths, drum programming, or ill-advised Ray Charles samples (all of which were heard on the debut). The Distance isn't as raw as it could've been, with some too-smooth production on a few tracks, but by and large this album should put to rest doubts about Hicks' skills. At least for those who give it a fair shot.

The first half of the album aims to cover as much stylistic ground as reasonably possible. The title track, the first of seven Hicks' songwriting credits, is a slice of heartland rock that wouldn't sound out of place on a John Mellencamp album. A non-partisan plea for setting aside political differences in favor of working towards a common goal, "The Distance" is a great opener and a highlight of the album.

From there on, the mood shifts frequently, touching on soul ("What's Right Is Right"), funky pop ("New Found Freedom"), country ("Nineteen"), and Latin rhythms ("Once Upon A Lover"). "Nineteen" would make an especially good choice as a future single, with its timely theme of paying tribute to a fallen soldier. Hicks' powerful reading of this song might help it find a home on the Country charts.

With "Seven Mile Breakdown," Hicks' is in his element. He tears through this bluesy number with passionate conviction. "Maybe You Should," a ballad co-written by Hicks and Mike Reid (who wrote the classic "I Can't Make You Love Me"), is even better. This somber ode to a failed relationship stands out as the single best track on the album. The vocal is absolutely restrained, yet it conveys his resigned heartbreak vividly. In a recent interview, Hicks said he considers this one of his best songs. He has every reason to be proud of it.

There are bonus tracks available on The Distance, depending on where it's purchased from. The iTunes version contains a cover of the funk classic "Yes We Can." This song, written by Allen Toussaint and first recorded by Lee Dorsey way back in 1970, is the weakest of the three available exclusives. Hicks offers up a strangely dispassionate interpretation that won't make anyone forget the Pointer Sister's definitive version from 1973.

Much better is the Wal-Mart bonus, a cover of a largely forgotten Ray Charles hit, "Hide Nor Hair." It's a fun song that allows Hicks to pay tribute to his hero. Best of all is the Target exclusive, a stellar reading of Foy Vance's "Indiscriminate Act Of Kindness." This seven minute, sparsely arranged tune displays the full range of Hicks' vocal skills.

Though the sales figures haven't been particularly strong so far, it should be noted that The Distance is an independent release. Without much promotion the album is struggling to gain attention. Keep in mind though that this time last year many were declaring Hicks' career dead in the water. He lost his record contract and was all but abandoned by Idol.

Yet since then, he's played to sold-out theaters on Broadway and all around the country in Grease, released an excellent compilation of pre-Idol recordings (Early Works), and now has a new album on Billboard's Top Ten Independent chart. As he sings in one of The Distance's best tracks, "I live on a battlefield."

Taylor Hicks is a survivor and is obviously bound and determined to continue earning a living doing what's in his blood: making music.

Another Four Star Review for the New Taylor Hicks Album!

Here's yet another awesome review for Taylor's new album "The Distance" from a music blog called "popyoularity". Enjoy!

The Distance

4/5 stars (fyi - she gave Kelly Clarkson's crappy album 3.5 stars)

For some music artists there is no life after being dropped by their record label. This is not the case for Taylor Hicks, whose latest album The Distance reaches out to a broad audience and holds its own in the music scene.

Although Hicks had to rely on his own label, Modern Whomp Records, to release this record, it has not held him back. The record is a delivery of country, pop, soft rock and some blue grass tunes. Always setting himself apart from mainstream artists for not succumbing to the modern sound of electronic beats, and instead opting for a large instrumental backing, in his music Hicks’ voice is almost a breath of fresh air.

The record is sure to be a favorite for love tunes such as “Once Upon A Lover” which reflects upon the wanting of a past lover. The track begins with a slow rhythmic piano tune and works its way to a fast paced instrumental song amplified by the trumpet. While many songs on the album are based around love and relationships there are tunes of loss, hardship, and the war of 9/11, which are sure to be well received by the American public. “Nineteen” is a song about an average American teenage solider driven to war by the tragedies of 9/11. With lyrics such as “he’s somebody’s son, in a hole with a gun, in a foreign land, trying to hold onto his American dream,” “Nineteen” is sure to hit home to the patriotic of America, that are an older generation making up a core part of his demographic. Hicks is the second Idol to record a song about the average American, the other being Carrie Underwood’s “All American Girl.”

The most memorable tracks on the album include “What’s Right is Right” (which is the first single off the record) and “I Live On A Battlefield,” because of their catchy lyrics and beat. Both songs will have you clapping and swaying to the music. Hicks allows you to get lost in lyrics such as “all around there is desolation, scenes of a devastation, of a love been torn apart,” and fast paced guitar, drum and piano arrangements.

If you are in the mood to lose yourself to music in a raw form, then give the record a try. The Distance is a record sure to be loved by current and former Hicks fans known as the “Soul Patrol” and to possibly gain new fans for its pure vocal styling and old school sound.

+Juliette Elchuk

San Francisco Welcomes Taylor Hicks & The Cast of Grease!

The San Francisco Examiner wrote a beautiful piece about Taylor and the touring company of 'Grease' that will be opening in city by the bay Tuesday evening. The show will continue through April 19, so if you haven't picked up your ticket yet, now's the time! Taylor will be singing his new single, "What's Right Is Right" each night, live, after the encore. On April 14, Taylor will also be doing a club date at the Cafe du Nord to promote his new album The Distance. Check their website for more information about tickets.

Winning top honors on “American Idol” may have been heaven-sent, but from the looks of it, the blessings keep flowing for Taylor Hicks.

The 2006 “Idol” winner spreads his wings as the Teen Angel in a robust reinvention of one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time. That would be “Grease,” which comes to life at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco this week.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for me to study and understand great musical theater,” Hicks says of the show. He says the most difficult part of his learning curve was absorbing the creative rhythms of actors and actresses in general.

The revered show, which first hit Broadway in 1972, became one of the longest-running productions until “A Chorus Line” made a splash. But it’s always been heralded for its concept: star-crossed lovers (and their teen milieu) cherish rock ’n’ roll as the country craves a move out of 1950s conformity and social conservatism.

Still, even “Grease” has had to evolve with 21st-century touches. Hoping to use the distinctly one-of-a-kind rocket fuel that only reality television offers (read: mass exposure), this Broadway revamp was born from NBC’s ratings winner “Grease: You’re The One That I Want” in 2007.

Roughly 90 million viewers tuned in to the competition series, voting for their favorite performers to play lead characters Sandy and Danny. When all the dust settled, the reincarnated “Grease” also came loaded with songs from the 1978 hit movie it spawned.

For Hicks, the role couldn’t come at a better time. After nabbing top “Idol” honors in 2006, he was thrust into the spotlight and expected to produce musical miracles. He may have done that with his distinct bluesy style, but critics wondered if any “Idol” winner could reach the heights of Kelly Clarkson.

Some creative reshuffling took place after the release of Hicks’ self-titled first CD. He chucked Arista Records and went solo, producing his latest outing, “The Distance,” on his own. It just hit stores.

“Doing it on my own basically forced me to start over from scratch,” Hicks says. “And I had a great amount of time to reflect deeply on what I wanted to put on the record. The musicians on the album are basically Eric Clapton’s road band, so, for me, it was a dream come true.”
It wouldn’t be the first, and certainly not the last, he says.

“There’s good chemistry between the musicians and me and right now,” he says. “Artistically, I am right where I want to be with the record.”

Overall, Hicks believes perseverance and believing in himself pulled him through all along. And San Francisco may pull him farther, actually. In addition to some good local reviews he’s received from the new album, Hicks is set to perform at Café Du Nord on April 14.

In the meantime, rock ’n’ roll, still here to stay, should keep Hicks — and “Grease” fans — thoroughly happy through spring.

Taylor Hicks - Passion and Sincerity Sprinkle New Album!

Taylor received one of the best albums reviews to date by Artist Direct . Feel free to re-post this recap because it hits the nail directly on the head as to the beauty and artistry of "The Distance". If you haven't bought a copy yet, or two, or three (different bonus tracks on the Target, Walmart and ITunes exclusives) , run, don't walk, and pick it up!

Album Reviews: The Distance by Taylor Hicks

Refusing to commit to a location is Taylor Hicks' M.O. on The Distance. The salt-and-pepper haired winner of American Idol, Season Five, has parted ways with J and Arista, the labels that handle the recording contracts of theIdols, but that hasn't razzled, shaken or knocked Hicks off his game. The husky crooner dabbles in pop, blues, country, soul, gospel, Latin and classic rock throughout the whole of The Distance. He's even a balladeer commenting on the Iraq War on the album. By avoiding the trappings of "genre-fication," Hicks is able to be everything to everyone and that's the cultural touchstone upon which American Idol is able to succeed.

Thankfully, Hicks' smoky voice is the reason he avoids being another chunk of manufactured grist for the Idol mill. There's a passion and a sincerity that laces his vocals and while some of the songs are standard, verse-chorus-verse numbers, replete with hearty, back up female vocals to support Hicks' ultra-manly vox, the album never comes across as overly cooked or processed. Hicks' is a bit too real for that and whether that's his saving grace or his downfall remains to be seen, a decision that will be handed down by his public.

The Distance opens with a heartfelt title track that could be about a lover or family members while "Nineteen" ponders the plight of military servicemen. "New Found Freedom" is a positive, life-affirming anthem that basks in the glow of, well, life in general, while “Once Upon a Lover” is infused with Latin, semi-tropical percussion and guitars. Fellow Idol Elliot Yamin pops up on album closer, the funked out duet "Woman's Got to Have It," while "What's Right is Right" resonates with a bit of pop-country twang. The dapper Hicks has the pipes and the ability to plant roots across multiple genres. He's a jack of all trades and actually masters the sounds of the styles he is working in. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

— Amy Sciarretto
03.19.09

Taylor Hicks - Young Hollywood Video!

Can this man get any HOTTER? Get him on the cover of GQ quick!

Taylor Hicks Talks Comparisons To Danny Gokey

There may not ever be another leader of the Soul Patrol, but season five "American Idol" champ Taylor Hicks says he doesn't mind being compared to Danny Gokey, the bespectacled season seven fan favorite.

"Well, I'd like think I was just a little bit better dancer," Hicks joked recently to AccessHollywood.com's correspondent Laura "Dish of Salt" Saltman backstage at a taping of Fox Reality Channel's "American Idol Extra."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'American Idol' Season 8 Top 13
Gokey earned high praise from judge Simon Cowell but failed to win any points with his dance moves while performing Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." last week.

Hicks believes it's Gokey's loss of his wife (just months before the audition) that is shaping him as a singer.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Former 'American Idols'
"He has a distinctive voice and I think it's because of the pain and the loss. Over time experiences show up when you sing as far as when you hear tone. I think that's the reason why he is doing so well."

As for his staying power in the competition Hicks says, "I think he has got a shot to win."

And he offers this advice to Danny, "I think when you are on Idol you have to just go out there with this reckless abandonment. You have to go out there and lay it all out," he said. "You have to dance. You have to sing. You have to move across the stage. People want to see you move. They want to see you go out into the crowd. I think performance is just as big as the vocals."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Taylor Hicks USO Concert
Hicks can be seen in an upcoming episode of "American Idol Extra" performing "What's Right Is Right," the brand new single off his sophomore album, "The Distance." The album hit stores March 10.

Hicks can also be seen in the national tour of "Grease" as Teen Angel through May 2009.

SOURCE