With the finale of this year’s American Idol competition counting down just a couple of weeks away, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the music of Taylor Hicks, last year’s Idol.
Taylor’s first release was a single, with “Do I Make You Proud?” on one side and “Takin’ It to the Streets” on the other. You’ll recall that “Do I Make You Proud?” is the song chosen for both Taylor and first runner-up Katherine McPhee to sing, and the winner would record it. (And he did!) I didn’t find it to be at all his style, but he did sing it well. “Takin’ It to the Streets” is a cry out to humanity to be more aware of each other. If you’re concerned about your children hearing swear words in music, this song does contain the expression “living hell,” but in this case, it’s a description of living on the streets, and is used more as a description than a curse word. This single was released in June of 2006, just a month after winning the title.
The first full-length album by Taylor, this in December of 2006, was a self-named album with a combination of ballads, blues, and soul. I found it a little heavy on the ballads and would have liked to see more of the soul he brought to the stage during the competition, but he still performed competently. Tracks on this album include a Fifties-style song “The Runaround,” as well as “Heaven Knows,” “Gonna Move,” “Wherever I Lay My Hat,” “The Maze,” “The Right Place,” “Soul Thing,” “Dream Myself Awake,” “Just to Feel that Way,” and “The Deal.” One song uses the expression “living hell” a couple of times, so you’ll want to make a judgment call on that one for your family, and I did find the track “Give Me Tonight” a little bit suggestive, but again, that may be just me. You can listen to all these songs at the Amazon.com link before you buy it, a wonderful way to make sure you like it before you make the investment.
I hope Taylor’s next album will showcase more of his soul singing – that’s really what won him the competition. At any rate, he’s a good singer and regardless of what the song is, he brings it across well.
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