Some are born to greatness, the legend goes, some acquire greatness, and still others have greatness thrust upon them. For Birmingham, Alabama’s favorite son, whose self-titled new album on Arista Records, Taylor Hicks, is the penultimate year-end release of 2006, it has been a case of all three. After a lifetime steeped in the blues and soul and R&B of his native Southern heroes – Ray Charles, Otis Redding, James Brown, Sam Cooke, to name a few – Taylor’s artistry was reaffirmed and validated in no uncertain terms this past year, as he won the fifth season of FOX’s American Idol.

Signed to Arista Records by the label’s founder, Clive Davis, BMG U.S. Chairman & CEO, emphatically underscored Taylor’s breakthrough. “Taylor has to really move to the next step and show he is a recording artist that can compete with the best,” said Davis. “He is charismatic and soulful at the same time, and already knows how to use his stage presence in a very winning fashion.”

In addition to bringing some strong new material into Taylor’s repertoire, Davis was also responsible for hooking up the singer with two-time Grammy Award-winning producer Matt Serletic. His multi-platinum track record with matchbox twenty & Rob Thomas, Santana, Willie Nelson, Courtney Love, and others made Serletic the perfect choice for the project.

Taylor’s dedication to roots music resounds throughout his new album, from the opening feel-good up-tempo groove of “The Runaround,” the dramatic ballad “Just To Feel That Way,” and the heartfelt closing number, “The Right Place,” which was originally written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance for Ray Charles to record before his death. Taylor considers it an honor to have had the opportunity to make this song his own.

The spirit of Ray Charles permeates the TAYLOR HICKS album, most notably on “Heaven Knows,” whose instrumental passages pays homage to Ray’s “What’d I Say” and Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar,” the Motown classic written by Smokey Robinson. The album’s next track, “Gonna Move,” comes from another personal favorite of Taylor’s, the late San Francisco-based blind singer-songwriter Paul Pena, the highly-regarded composer of Steve Miller’s “Jet Airliner.” It is followed by another nod to Marvin Gaye, “Wherever I Lay My Hat,” co-written back in 1963 with Motown staff writers Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield. Virtually every new song on the album was ‘Taylor-made’ for the artist, starting with “Dream Myself Awake,” which was written by Rob Thomas and presented to Clive Davis, who kept it aside for Taylor. “Give Me Tonight,” was co-written by Taylor and Serletic with Matt’s friend Kevin Kadish. Hitmaker supreme Diane Warren contributed “Places I’ve Been.”

“The Maze” was written by the same duo who penned Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” And Taylor’s fans will be delighted to hear that he has re-recorded new versions of self penned “Soul Thing” and “The Deal,” two songs that previously appeared on his second indie album Under the Radar, released prior to AI.

Serletic recruited the crème de la crème A-list of L.A.’s most experienced session players, rhythm sections, and brass musicians for the sessions, which took place in October-November 2006. “I’m thrilled to work with Taylor,” Serletic said. “He is a phenomenal vocalist and an experienced artist… Though practically a household name, Taylor will be revealing an exciting new facet of his talent with this project.”

The feeling was mutual: “He truly gets where I am coming from,” Taylor said, “and I completely respect his smarts in the studio and as a real song person. It’s not easy to make a record expedi¬ently without sacrificing integrity and aesthetic in the production, songwriting and performance worlds. I really think Matt and I have the right chemistry and we have some amazing players supporting me and the songs.”