His music probably won’t attract many of the young ladies who fell for his Southern charm and cuddly-handsome looks as he won the "American Idol" title. Instead, it’ll grab listeners who turn up their radios when Michael McDonald’s "What a Fool Believes" or Rod Stewart’s "Downtown Train" starts playing.

"Hicks" is stocked with material that fits snugly into the scheme of a guy who wants to get rich and famous as a singer of manufactured blue-eyed R&B/soul: Marvin Gaye’s "Wherever I Left My Hat" and "Heaven Knows," an "original" that samples tunes by Ray Charles and Smokey Robinson. Hicks wrote two of the 12 numbers here, and though they fit in inconspicuously, they don’t arrive till the end — right before the Bryan Adams cover.

Producer Matt Serletic changes the dynamics enough — from warm ballads to horn-fortified soul-rockers — to keep the vibe from staying too constant and static. Serletic has experience working with another pop singer who has tried (too hard) to express his urban groove and Southern-fried soul: Rob Thomas (who also wrote a song here). Hicks, though, wisely remains in his own skin, keeping it real — which means good enough to entertain anyone not expecting the second coming of Otis Redding.