GOSHEN -- Taylor Hicks delivered a set full of old-school blues, modern soul and a few surprises Monday night in front of a packed grandstand at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.

Best known for winning Season 5 of "American Idol," Hicks gave props to his Soul Patrol fan base who dialed him to victory, but never mentioned the Fox show by name.

Instead, Hicks, dressed in a collared shirt and blue jeans, remained constantly in motion, delivering one high- energy number after another.

The 30-year-old Birmingham, Ala., native with the salt-and-pepper hair belted out eight of the 12 tracks on his major-label debut, "Taylor Hicks," tapped into some originals from his two pre-"Idol" independent releases ("In Your Time" and "Under the Radar"), and delighted the audience with his take on a few unlikely covers. Backed by a tight five-piece band, Hicks set the tone of the show with the originals "Soul Thing" and "Heart and Soul."

Hicks showcased his uncanny ability to slip deep inside a song, delivering each lyric as if it were his last, allowing every note to propel through him.

His early high note came when he poured on that intensity during "Just to Feel That Way," penned by Lindy Robbins, Jess Cates and Emanuel Kiriakou for Hicks' post-"Idol" record.

Hicks strutted, bounced and shook his way around the stage throughout his 90-minute set, going from "The Deal" and "Gonna Move" into "Heaven Knows" and "The Maze," in which he injected a few bars of the Marvin Gaye classic "Let's Get It On."

Some of Hicks' early originals, such as "Somehow" and "My Friend," fell short of the emotional energy that makes Hicks so appealing, but onstage he managed to elevate even these simple cuts.

After belting out "Hold on to Your Love," off "Under The Radar," he quipped, "You see, we can write songs."

The comment seemed to be a dig at the practice of hiring outside songwriters by his "American Idol," producers. Of the 12 tracks on "Taylor Hicks," for example, the singer penned just two cuts and collaborated on a third despite his proclivity for songwriting.

Hicks, however, also seemed grateful just to be in front of an audience, and still a bit humbled by his success.

"Thanks to you I've got a refrigerator magnet that I'm selling," Hicks said. "I was happy with the T-shirts. So thank you. Thanks for helping a guy sell a refrigerator magnet."

Hicks' set also came with a few surprises. He didn't sing his "American Idol" single, "Do I Make You Proud," which also was left off his record. He did, however, offer homespun covers of Traffic's "Medicated Goo" and The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down."

Hicks left the stage briefly after energetically performing "The Right Place" and "The Runaround," to slip into a fresh, white T-shirt before returning for his encore, another unexpected classic -- The Who's "Going Mobile." It was one of the rare instances when Hicks pulled out his harmonica, but it was well worth the wait.

The song was a fitting anthem for Hicks, who seemed so at ease onstage. While fans lingered on the track, Hicks was already on his tour bus, waiting to hit the road again.