Taylor Hicks offers a track-by-track commentary on his self-titled disc, set for release Tuesday on the Arista label:

 1. "The Runaround" by Loren Gold and James Renald: "That song, for me, is throwing a lot of stuff together. It's got about 10 different genres of music. There's a Cajun beat, a doo-wop background, call and response, a soul sound and a pop bridge. The lyrics are simple, but they connect with the listener. It's like what Sam Cooke and Otis Redding used to do. It's old school and modern."

 2. "Dream Myself Awake" by Rob Thomas: "Rob Thomas is a great songwriter. He sent me that song, and I just connected with it. It's a modern soulful ballad. How could I turn that down?"

 3. "Heaven Knows" by Cory Rooney, Makeba Riddick, Kara DioGuardi, Matt Serletic, Ray Charles, Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, Robert Rogers and Marvin Tarplin: "It's soul-rap. It's funky. I think it's close to the funkiest tune on the album. It's really cool."

 4. "Gonna Move" by Paul Pena: "The funkiest song on the album. If you can't dance to it, something's wrong with you."

 5. "Wherever I Lay my Hat" by Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield: "As soon as I heard it, I just knew it was right for me. I liked it. It struck a chord. It really meant something to me."

 6. "Give Me Tonight" by Kevin Kadish, Brandon Jane, Leah Crutchfield, Taylor Hicks, Kara DioGuardi and Matt Serletic: "That's a collaboration. That's a funk, modern-soul, feel-good song. We weren't all in the same room when we wrote it. They'd send me the song and I'd add a verse. But it worked."

 7. "Just to Feel That Way" by Lindy Robbins, Jess Cates and Emanuel Kiriakou: "It's a pop-rock ballad. It's really cool. I can really feel the emotions in that song. I also like the way it's written."

 8. "The Maze" by Scott Cutler and Anne Preven: "It's a groovy, soulful song. And I guess you can say it's romantic. All of these songs can be baby-making songs, depending on how and where you make love."

 9. "Places I've Been" by Diane Warren: "It's recorded very simply, with a vocal and piano. That's the way I first heard it when it was sent to me. I'd never listened to Diane Warren, but it's a song that really connected with me."

 10. "Soul Thing" by Taylor Hicks: "It's probably the song that's most come to life for me. I've recorded it before, but now I had more utensils and more time to spend. My utensils are crazy now; they allow me to paint a better picture, and paint more of the picture."

 11. "The Deal" by Taylor Hicks: "That's a funky soul tune from the vault, from `Under the Radar.' It's one of my stronger songs on that album, with a groove thread. I wanted to give it more attention."

 12. "The Right Place" by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance: "I knew right off the bat, this was a good song for me. I couldn't turn that down. Bryan sang it on the demo and I'm gonna thank him for it one day."

 13. "Hell of a Day" by Taylor Hicks (bonus track, Wal-Mart edition): "That's an extra. I've performed it live in Birmingham many times, but this is a new version. I'm glad to get another original on the album."

 14. "Do I Make You Proud" by Tracy Ackerman, Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson (bonus track, digital download): "Well, that's a label thing. It's not on the album."