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RSSTaylor Hicks Duets with Elliot Yamin on New Record
Mar 10
Music Album Reviews, American Idol Comments Off
Neither Taylor Hicks nor Elliot Yamin, both American Idol disciples with marginal post-Idol career success, are exactly what you would call sex symbols. But maybe it was a smooth move for Hicks to invite Yamin to sing on the new album, The Distance, which goes on sale today.
The duet, loftily titled Woman’s Got to Have It, is a high-energy Prince-esque barnburner complete with a spoken word intro. “You got make her feel it every time boy” Hicks sings. This just sweeps me back in time to the legendary Celine Dion/Barbra Streisand duet Tell Him. Well, both gentlemen can sing, at least.
Before I hit play on The Distance, I would have guessed that Hicks was heading into gospel, Christian rock territory on the new set. I wasn’t completely wrong, though Hicks isn’t quite as blatantly playing to the Christian crowd like say, Jessica Simpson’s foray into God’s country. This is closer to soul music, but the kind where dirrty is hinted at more than expressed directly, and almost every song could be a jilted love story.
Certainly Hicks, American Idol’s inexplicable season 5 champion, has had little success as a straight-up jazz or rock musician. Now he’s found a balance between the jazz sound he favors, a rock flavor, and a sprinkle of gospel harmonies. Nothing here screams “mainstream” but it’s a respectable release for diehard fans. It’s just not going to catch fire like former Idol alum Kelly Clarkson’s new album, also released today. For as badly overproduced as Clarkson’s album was, at least the songs were catchy. You won’t find yourself singing anything from The Distance tomorrow.
From the opening, it would be understandable if you mistake The Distance for a Christian rock album. The first three tracks, the title track and the song New Found Freedom especially, are those kind of songs that could be about lovers, or someone in love with God, depending on your interpretation. After that, (and after sitting through the putrid track Nineteen) the rest of the album falls into a comfortable groove of jazzy rock that made Hicks, yes I said this already – inexplicably, a household name.
The best way to enjoy a Taylor Hicks album is, apparently, to ignore the lyrical confusion and just sit back and absorb the vibe. A song like Seven Mile Breakdown works way better if you don’t think about what he’s singing about, as does the languid, piano-heavy Maybe You Should. On the other hand, Wedding Day Blues, written with the same formula, is flat and weirdly disturbing to listen to even if you ignore the words.
Hicks’ album needs a better mix of tracks to find total success. There is no sustained energy from start to finish, no catchy tunes hidden at the end as a saving grace. Trust me, only Hicks’ true fans got to have this one.
