Taylor Hicks is a true artist

must confess, dear readers, that I am not enamored with the American Idol phenomenon. I used to work in the music business (managed a mid-level rock band, I'd rather not mention names) and I just never thought Idol was more than amateur hour.

Taylor Hicks intrigued me, however, because he couldn't fit the American Idol paradigm less if he tried. He stands out - for all the right reasons. His voice has a gruff, lived-in quality that perfectly suits the material he obviously loves. He possess an intense, focused stage presence - when he sings a song, he truly means it. Friends of mine sold me on Mr. Hicks via early recordings he released independently prior to his victorious run on Idol. Anyone who has doubts about his artistic validity needs to check out his stirring performance of "Georgia On My Mind" (the closing track on his first independent release, "In Your Time"). Throughout it's 7-minute-plus duration, Mr. Hicks displays a truly impressive array of emotion and power. His 2005 CD, "Under the Radar," is even better - seven original songs that demonstrate a lot of songwriting maturity from 1997's "In Your Time."

It should be noted that his major label debut, "Taylor Hicks," is not really in line with those earlier recordings. I'm sure most of the differences can be chalked up to making him "more commercial." There is a glossy, over-produced sheen to this album that is (thankfully) not present on "In Your Time" and "Under the Radar." As a musician, Mr. Hicks is a capable rhythm guitarist and a fine harmonica player - though you wouldn't know it from this album. His musicianship is limited to a couple of cameo appearances from his harmonica. As for Mr. Hicks the songwriter, he is restricted to a pair of rerecordings carried over from "Under the Radar."
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000IY04S6/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?%5Fencoding=UTF8&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R1D9ANM69Q1I5I

I like this one. And she or he is spot on.
~tyg

I love it when someone really "gets" Taylor. I have all his recordings both before and after idol and I must say his "Georgia On My Mind" is definitely unique. I actually like both of his prior cds to idol better than the one he made with J Records although I have 3 on that cd that I really like.

Thank you for posting this interesting article.

I tell people all the time that if they truly want a dead tyg, get a hold of Tay and Jeff and tell them to play Georgia when I'm nearby and see how quickly I melt into a puddle of some liquid that shall remain nameless because this is a gen board and I must behave. :) Go me - self moderating and stuff.
~tyg

:waveing: Hi Tyggy!
Now that would really be interesting to see. Clean up on isle 3.. oh wait.. Im not cleaning THAT up...
Trys to revive Tyggy but then she sees them again and nods back off... Sorry Tyg your on your own.. lol