Pop Culture Buzz

GRADE: C+

I am not ashamed to say that I voted for Taylor Hicks so many times on “American Idol” that my cell phone bill was $50 higher than normal. I knew from the get go he was going to win the top spot. I think his energy is infectious and his voice is unique and real. He also has the rugged good looks and of course a great voice, to be a star. It is refreshing to have an artist like him out there in pop culture.

Now with that said, I am a little let down by his new c.d. “Taylor Hicks”. Maybe I need to listen to it a bit more because so far it is just o.k. It is not the infectious triumph that Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” was, but it is much better than Fantasia’s first album and Carrie Underwood’s as well. I will definately give this disc a few more listens and it is good enough to put into a random mix while driving, but it is not a perfect album.

I really like “Runaround” it is a perfect single for his first c.d. and it is catchy enough. “Heaven Knows” is another fun ditty, but sounds familiar to “Runaround”. The best song on the disc is “Give Me Tonight”, followed by “Gonna Move”. If the rest of the c.d. used the same bluesy, raw funk as these tunes maybe the c.d. would have scored higher in my book, but it ended up as your basic pop album with soul. It is very polished material, it’s just not the amazing c.d. I was hoping for.

This c.d. is after all another “American Idol” creation and once Hicks is able to have full creative control we won’t get to actually see what he has to fully offer. He has the talent and persona to become as successful as John Mayer. There is a un-tapped market out there for this kind of soul music. A youthful spin and the raw talent that Hicks has could mean that in the future he could come out with some exceptional work. As a fan, I will be one of the first to purchase his sophomore effort and see if he has the chops to stick around.

Below is a clip of Taylor Hicks performing “The Runaround”. It is a pretty cute performance and his voice is pitch perfect.