Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief. 

Being impossible to plop him solely into the pop genre, Hicks’s CD needed solid collaboration in order to build a realistic world around his already-molded signature sound and fortunately, he is now one of the Idols to have been successfully marketed.

The quality of this CD is superb, which enhances the overall richness of Hicks’s voice that has an unforced, naturally enjoyable timbre that comes from years of performing on the Birmingham club circuit. There are also many quirks, licks and signatures from musical legends Hicks has picked up over the years but unfortunately, adopting traits from performers who have done it right in the past can be frowned upon in the music industry. Personally, I see it as each of these traits representing an ingredient in Hicks’s unique musical recipe, and with this CD he’s managed to mix them together to serve up a brand new dish that I’ve found to be quite satisfying.

The album opens with the upbeat 80s-esque “Runaround” that gets listeners off to a hip-gyrating start. “Dream Myself Awake”, penned by Rob Thomas, surprisingly allows Hicks to pull off a pop song that will be great for radio airplay, which in itself is a major accomplishment since radio has not been kind to most idol winners in the past.

The moment “Heaven Knows” begins I’m transported to the old days when music was a beautiful experience. I instantly coined this to be my favorite upbeat song on the album but it has since been vying for that spot with ‘The Maze’, which I feel is more Hicks’s style as he goes for that ‘just different enough’ sound that could attract a new audience of listeners.

Unfortunately for me, “Give Me Tonight” did not make the ‘just different enough’ cut.

Though I am an avid Hicks fan, this is the song that starts me humming that little ditty from Sesame Street, ‘one of these things is not like the other…’ Taylor Hicks is no disco singer, but I do understand that any freshman music project (though this is Hicks’s third CD, it is his first on a major record label) strives to please everyone’s palette and while the song is well sung, it is simply ‘not Taylor’.

From Hicks independent CD Under the Radar he’s given us “Soul Thing” and “The Deal”. I loved the original recordings and now the ‘prettied up’ renditions as well. My favorite of the two is “The Deal”, this song instantly clears my head with a calming melody and lyrics that only prove Taylor Hicks was an accomplished artist way before his Season Five Idol jaunt plastered him all over the map.

Again introducing this generation to much-loved legends, “Wherever I Lay My Hat” lends the CD that old Marvin Gaye sound and even though this song has been recorded in most every genre, Hicks has only added another smooth rendition to the list. And while some may lament about “Places I’ve Been” being typical Diane Warren, I feel there’s a place in heaven for a songwriter who can successfully bring the sweet, vulnerable, romantic side of Taylor Hicks to the forefront without making him sound forced or cheesy. It is wonderful to hear a love song simply about ‘love’—pardon me for giving kudos to soppy-sweetness. I get the same vulnerable, tender vibe with the powerful ballad “Just To Feel That Way”…I know, I’m a sucker for soppy-sweetness. Sue me.

Catchy, gospel-feel “Gonna Move” comes pretty close to telling Hicks’s life story. I for one am glad he decided to express what he feels by taking the musical road and not selling real estate as his grandmother Joni suggested—can you imagine that horrible loss to the music world?

Lastly, Bryan Adams deserves a kiss hard on the mouth for handing the future classic “The Right Place” over to Hicks. If he were still here I’m sure Ray Charles would agree there could be no better pick to record this song originally penned for the legend himself.

I met up with Hicks in New York this December and contrary to the uninhibited energy the performer gives on stage, Taylor Hicks the man is quiet, a bit shy and a total gentleman. Usually rushed through throngs of fans with no time for one-on-ones, I captured a rare moment where he was able to kick back and talk with me for a few minutes. I remember imagining how he must feel to catapult from performing in honky-tonk steak and ales to the notoriety he experiences today, especially now that he has landed the number two spot on the Billboard 200 by selling almost 300,000 CDs during its first week of release—with no single from the album being circulated for radio airplay.  Top that off with his CD going gold only in its second week of release, having over 500,000 unit sales in the United States alone, and it makes Idol tyrant Simon Cowell’s comment—‘this is a guy who should be singing backgrounds, not in the spotlight’— completely irrelevant, doesn’t it?

The quick success of this CD is only the beginning for this 30-year old Birmingham native, whose dues-paying years are finally launching him into much-deserved success and respect in the music industry. And while listening to this CD, with its compelling lyrics and infectious beats, you can’t help but catch the spirit of ‘modern whomp’ that has become and will always remain, a signature of Taylor Hicks.