When Taylor Hicks become the fifth "American Idol" champion in May, he was the TV juggernaut's most unusual winner yet.
Not because he was a prematurely graying 30-year-old with frantic dance moves and an odd habit of punctuating his sentences with "Soul Patrol!" but because he was a fully formed singer with a style developed from years of performing on the road.
If any "Idol" champ could hold his own against that daunting task of building a post-"Idol" debut album, it would be Hicks, right? Well, apparently not.
"Taylor Hicks" (RCA) doesn't give him much of a chance to show off his strong voice or his unique soul-patrol personality. It's choked with bland leftovers and ill-fitting covers that make it the latest in a line of "American Idol" alumni debut albums that are almost always disappointing.
The first single, "The Runaround," sounds like it was written for someone much younger, with its bridge of "I'm getting an A in Broken Hearts, I got my degree in Crying." They try to Taylor it up with horn flourishes and soulful back-up singers, but it really isn't worth the bother.
On "Dream Myself Awake," written by Rob Thomas, Hicks follows what must have been Thomas' guide vocals so closely that it sounds like he's doing an impersonation rather than a song. His cover of Marvin Gaye's "Wherever I Lay My Hat" sounds like it was recorded the first time he ever heard the song, with sloppy, uncomfortable phrasing and unsure vocals.
Part of the problem with "Taylor Hicks" is clearly the time crunch of finishing an album in less than six months while out on tour and maintaining an extremely busy public schedule. But the other part of the problem is that Hicks' keepers seem to have been trying to mold him into something he's not.
The best songs on the album are the ones Hicks wrote himself - the retro, bar-band soul of "Soul Thing" and the Bonnie Raitt-ish blues of "The Deal" - from his pre-"Idol" albums, along with "The Right Place," a soul ballad Bryan Adams co-wrote for the late Ray Charles.
With those promising songs, it's clear Hicks could rebound. And he doesn't have to look any further than the new album from season three winner Fantasia to find some inspiration.
On her hit-and-miss debut, "Free Yourself" (J), Fantasia seemed like she was searching for the right R&B style for her voice. On her new album, "Fantasia," she simply builds her own. [More...]
Listen to "Taylor Hicks" here
Listen to "Fantasia" here
SHAMELESS PLUG: USA Today's Edna Gundersen interviewed me about Hicks and the "American Idol" Season Five finalists. It's in USA Today today and online here
Fantasia takes a bit of Beyoncé flash, a bit of Mary J. Blige soul and her own keeping-it-real growl, laying the foundation for a leap from singer to budding superstar diva.
"Hood Boy," her current single, bridges old and new - with shimmering snippets from a Supremes sample and a remarkable entrance from OutKast's Big Boi. Missy Elliott contributes an Eastern-influenced dance number, "I'm Not That Type," and a pair of memorable ballads, the throwback soul of "Two Weeks Notice," which recalls Patti LaBelle circa 1982, and the thrilling, gospel-meets-street-savvy ballad "Bump What Ya Friends Say" that lets Fantasia show off her vocals a bit.
Fantasia knows when to step aside, letting the "Baby Makin' Hips" groove play out like the cousin to Beyoncé's "Freakum Dress," but she also knows when to rev up the drama, as she does on the slow-burning ballad "I Nominate You" and the grand Diane Warren-penned self-empowerment ballad "I Feel Beautiful."
Add it all up and "Fantasia" becomes a bold statement of an artist who knows exactly where she is going and has the talent to get there.
It's a support system that every "American Idol" champ should get - and one they usually do, if they somehow make it to a second album. ("Fantasia," Grade: B+; "Taylor Hicks," Grade: C.)
Comments (1)
I LOVE FANASIA