Taylor Hicks ready to go 'The Distance' with new CD

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Ask Taylor Hicks where home is these days and here's what he says: "My heart is in Birmingham and my home is on my contour pillow. That's the one thing I travel with, because you never know what you're going to get."

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If you've seen Taylor Hicks in "Grease," you'll know that his Teen Angel character plummets down from the heavens in a giant ice-cream cone.

The Hoover native, 32, also has earned fame for his flamboyant dance moves, Ray Charles dip and shout-outs to fans in the Soul Patrol.

But Hicks has a serious side. He harbors earnest notions about relationships. His social conscience, although well developed, isn't worn on his sleeve. And he certainly downplayed his gravitas on "American Idol," as viewers spluttered and squealed over the prematurely gray hair and purple velvet jacket.

Is there a Taylor Hicks known by few, except for his family, his band and his intimates? That guy, Hicks says, is the one who'll release an 11-track CD on Tuesday, "The Distance."



"I think, for me, this particular project was to convey the message that I'm a songwriter and a storyteller," he says. "I wanted people to understand the styles and influences I've had as an artist. My voice is the common thread that takes listeners on a journey."

Watch the video for "What's Right Is Right," the first single from "The Distance," and you'll see what Hicks means. It was designed to be moody, mature and romantic, set in the smoky bars and snowy streets of Chicago. The action unfolds like a vintage movie, buoyed by Hicks' dig-into-the-emotions vocals.

"I wanted to create that alone, James Dean feel, and get across my point of what true love is," Hicks says. "There's a couple with something to overcome, an obstacle. But when you know it's real, what happens with one person happens with another. It also brings out the idea that there might be a little bit of longing for true love in me. I know true, real love is out there."

Stop swooning, ladies, and turn your attention to other songs on the disc, such as the title track and "Nineteen." Although the messages aren't overt, Hicks makes references to a global worldview, to war and peace, and to the ways people with political and cultural differences might come together.

Stylistically, he's taking a few risks, as well, delving into Latin music with "Once a Lover" and gospel with "New Found Freedom." Hicks has writing credits on seven cuts of "The Distance," and bonus tracks tucked into three special editions are likely to give him a few more.

Producer Simon Climie, who's worked with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Michael McDonald, was a major collaborator. Climie wrote "What's Right Is Right" with Dennis Morgan, for example, played guitar on "The Distance" and brought in musicians he felt would be in tune with Hicks' aesthetic.

"We did a lot of preproduction in the south of France, where his home is," Hicks says. "Simon knows about the voice; he knows soul singers. He knows players who could get the point across. We had a vision for each of these songs, and a really good working relationship. I wanted a very earthy, organic sound. He understood where I came from."


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Taylor Hicks says he's still interested in opening a nightclub at The Forge, an entertainment district planned for downtown Birmingham. The $40 million project by Performa Entertainment Real Estate has been downsized and delayed because of financing problems. "I plan on being a part of it when it does come to fruition," Hicks says. "I plan on being involved and hope it grows legs."

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Hicks says his former mentor, California bluesman Keb' Mo,' served as "musical spiritual adviser" for the record. Nashville singer-songwriter Gary Nicholson offered his skills and advice, as well.

"I asked myself: Who are your muses, who are your gurus from a musical and personal standpoint? Keb' Mo' was the first and Gary Nicholson was the second," Hicks says. "They understood who I was before the 'American Idol' experience. I wanted to go back and let them direct me. They helped me to find songs and songwriters. They were the two best people who could draw it out of me."

Hicks reached back to his Alabama roots, as well, writing and arranging with Alan Little of Huntsville and Auburn's Wynn Christian, singer-guitarist of Spoonful James.

Birmingham foodies with a taste for barbecue may have seen Hicks at Golden Rule during the first six months of 2008, going over songs and mentally preparing for the disc. Other inspiration came on the fairways and greens of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.


"I've been living and breathing these songs since January of last year," Hicks says. "It took six or seven months to get the creative juices flowing. Broadway and 'Grease' took me away to New York, and then we recorded from September to December. I would take gaps, write, do shows, record. In the end, I probably had 30 to 50 songs to choose from, so you put 'em all on a big board and you pick."

Although Hicks says he had offers for several record deals, he opted to form his own label, Modern Whomp, and release "The Distance" with distribution from Artist2Market. After his "American Idol" win in 2006, Hicks had a short-lived contract with Arista Records and released one self-titled CD that way.

"I think it's fitting for me to ultimately live out on the edge, living and dying by the pen and creating as much drive and ambition as I can," he says. "I think I know who I am as an artist and what's best for me. I went through some uncertain territory, not having a label, and now I'm on a really solid career path."

One benefit to controlling his material is that Hicks can place his songs wherever he chooses and package them at will. Case in point: He's traveling on the national tour of "Grease" and singing "What's Right Is Right" at the end of each performance. (The tour will stop here on Sept. 22-27 at the BJCC Concert Hall, courtesy of Broadway Across America -- Birmingham.)

"It's like a mini-concert within a Broadway performance," Hicks says. "It's added value for the 'Grease'-goer and a very innovative and cutting-edge way to be an entertainer."

Moreover, Hicks has has scheduled nightclub dates for specific cities while he's touring with the musical, and will showcase material from "The Distance" when his acting duties are over for the night.

"I'm going out in the country and be a three-headed monster," he says. "There's the theater role, the musician and two different kinds of shows. It's going to be a little bit exhausting, doing eight shows per week with 'Grease,' but it's going to be really cool. This is the blue-collar mentality I've always had about performing."

Workaholic tendencies? Maybe. Hicks admits that he might have extended the track listings on "The Distance," but his packed professional schedule demanded otherwise.

"I needed to go to sleep, then I had to go get in the ice-cream cone," he says. "But really, I'm so happy with this record, I could play it at Steak & Ale for the rest of my life."