I dislike AI for the commercialism too. I caught Hicks while channelflipping a couple of weeks ago. I thought he was wonderful. Then Cowell said he said like a singer in any cocktail lounge in the country. Thus ended my AI viewing again.

That statement from the person who gave the world the Spice Girls can be translated easily: "How do I market something with intelligence and honesty, something so alien to mainstream sensibilities?" Apparently, Simon is prepared to make the best of it should Hicks win - he recently predicted that the Soul Patroller will win.

It's a great day when an activist progressive writes an article that a conservative Republican can agree with from the first word to the last. And it probably shouldn't be a surprise that the subject is music.

I'm tired of the phrases "she's another [fill-in-the-blank]" pop star, or "he'll sell records because he has 'the look'. I'm tired of the main criterion to become a cultural icon is to be rich, emaciated and stupid.

That's why I love Taylor Hicks. He isn't "another anybody". He's himself. When he sings a song, you know he's spending most of his time thinking about the words, and what they're trying to convey. And most of all, I like the feeling I get that his goal is to make his audience feel like they're having as good a time as he is. Win or lose, he's brought more smiles to my face than any other person I've seen on TV in a long, long time.

Tom

A great day, indeed, Mr. Wilson. Thanks for making mine.

Amazing, amazing article. And agreed 100% on all counts. I can't remember the last time I've been so invested in someone like this. Taylor better win next week. I know I'll be putting forth the votes.

I remember Taylor's audition. When he said that he was going to sing "A change is gonna come", I told my wife that there was no way he could pull it off. When he rattled off the first few bars, I hit the floor. The man can flat out sing. And while Katherine is very easy on the eyes, I will join the conspiracy theorists if she wins. Taylor is a better singer AND entertainer than Kat, and I suspect that he will draw a good chunk of Elliot's fans as well.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

I fell in love with Bo Bice at first song too. I'm still nuts for him! But Taylor's cool too.

I posted your article on the American Idol Message boards in Taylors folders... the people are going crazy over it... you have very eloquently put into words what so many of us feel. Thanks!

Oh wow... do you have a link for that?

I sure do... go check it out, check out all the love and all the kindred spirits. I hope you feel as much gratitude to them (the Soul Patrol!) as they feel to you...(there are 6 pages of posts and over 1000 views)
americanidol.com

Good god, that's friggin' overwhelming! Oh yeah, I feel much gratitude to each of them and also to you. Whoa. I have to collect my thoughts before making some sort of reply (which I suspect will consist of two very deeply felt words).

Y'know what? I love music.

Good article, NR...even though you know my feelings about Taylor. ;)

I'm with you on the commercialism, though. And like you, I was a reluctant AI fan, but have grown to love the show.

Thanks, Ms. Stone, but I do not love the show. I love Taylor. Mega difference.

I agree. Taylor has a great voice and presence, probably the best I've heard and seen from this competition since Kelly Clarkson. But....my 13 yr old niece, who is an avid follower of AI, kind of put things in her 13 yr old AI perspective when she said she didn't like Taylor because he looks like an old man, with grey hair and he's almost 30!! Based on her 13 yr old logic, she came to the conclusion that he doesn't have a good voice and that he will not win this competition. I really want her to be wrong this time and see talent prevail, but I think that there are more voters with her attitude then not.

Taylor Hicks is best friends with one of my buddies. They went to Auburn together, and Taylor was actually in Vegas with John (my friend) and a bunch of guys partying when they passed the American Idol auditions. After about an hour of ribbing Taylor saying, "you should try out for American Idol", and Taylor saying, "no...it's too much about 'pop'...they would never appreciate what i do", my buddy John finally asked Taylor, "so...are you just going to hang out in the trailer park and get high with Hardy (another friend of ours) for the rest of your life? I thought you were serious about music. What's the worst that can happen? They tell you 'no'?"

Finally, Taylor said he'd try out...none of us thought he'd seriously make any cut! This has been insane!

Thank goodness they only restrict the ages of contestants. You're right - there are teen viewers who won't vote for anyone much over 20. Not all youngsters think that way, though. My kids and my nieces and nephews, all under age 22, are solid for Taylor, especially since Chris didn't garner enough votes to remain in the competition). But even if they did see TH as being too old, there are millions of people past their teen years determined to see him take the prize. It's wild to encounter erstwhile Luddites and suddenly spry septuagenarians who are purchasing cellphones and learning how to text-message just so that they can maximize their voting success - and they're going through all this to show their support for Taylor. Don't underestimate the power of grateful people who have had their souls and spirits renewed by this man and his music.


I won't be surprised if the phone lines are jammed and we get a statistical dead heat... and heavens, I hope the producers (who reserve the legal right to choose the winner - check the AI fine print) don't pull something shady in the interest of wanting to keep teenyboppers happy.

Re: #16: Wow! How cool is that? Bo Bice, on the verge of moving from music, auditioned on a dare from his mother.

Mr. Sean, do me a favor, please: Have your buddy pass on a message to anyone who can get it to TH. Let him know that plenty of people get it, and boy oh boy, do we appreciate what he does.

Natalie,
I thought you might also enjoy this thread. I started it way way back in I think February and it must have struck a cord, its admissions of addictions by the older crowd... very cute.
Jeff

Jeff, I couldn't get that link to load, maybe there is a problem with the site? Anyway, please make all future links active as per Blogcritics protocol. Thanks.

Ms. Davis, so glad I had a few minutes before I go out to work (again, yesterday 15 hour marathon). You have put together the best article on Taylor I have read to date. I am so pleased you went forth and did this - great timing, great words. Taylor puts his soul out through songs, you put yours out in your writing. How fortunate for The Soulman to have your talents create this testimony for his talents.

Groove on Ms. Davis, and Groove on Soulman!

Groove on, Ms. Richardson. (Why do I feel like I'm sitting in Wayne's Aurora basement?)

Thanks for the kind words and don't work too hard today.

Excellent.

Why do I feel like I'm sitting in Wayne's Aurora basement? Because Ms. Davis it's a cool, way groovy place. Party Time!

I'm off "hi ho hi ho it's off to work I go..." (minus dwarves, although I could use a few)

Dwarves are better equipped to handle those 15-hour days than mere humans. Yes, it's work time; the soul shakedown party will have to wait.

Thank you for writing on this. In the spin that continues this week in an attempt to undermine TH using police reports, bad titles ("TH high-strung"), etc. I think you articulate well what there is to like about Taylor.

His Under the Radar = phenomenal. I will be voting and encourage ev eryone to do so - phone or text. With just hundreds of thousands separating winners from losers each year, it's important to vote and send a message.

TH deserves to be heard. His win will confuse some, but send a message to the slick music producers out there that it's time for a return to honest music.

Bingo.

The only thing I like about the whole AI promotion is Kat. Without her I'd have dropped the show long long time ago.

Best American Idol Spoof of ALL TIME:

Then I would imagine you are very proud of her, as you should be. Whatever happens, Ms. McPhee should go far.

Viva Taylor Hicks!

help! i'm being asphixiated under a smug cloud generated by taylor hicks fans, the "soul patrol," "serious, intelligent, educated nonconformists" who know "honest music" when they smell it. yes, they're right and they're righteous about their musical tastes. they reject the plastic and phony. they drive hybrids and belive in george clooney -- wait, am i trapped an episode of south park?

Sorry to hear about your respiratory difficulties. Logic suggests finding a place where you can breathe more easily. Peace, sir or madam.

but where shall i run, where shall i hide, as the smug cloud threatens to block out the sun in all of north america, thus countering any possible positive effects it might have in plugging the hole in the ozone. maybe, just maybe, if all of you are willing to concede that your musical tastes are not the end all and be all, the most sophisticated, the most savvy, the ONE TRUE FAITH, maybe you can save our planet!

Oh, please, Mr./Ms. Buttercookie (I suspect it's a particular Mr. going incognito, which makes me wonder about courage and all, but then again, had this particular Mr. used his real name, I hever would have had the singular privilege of enduring his slam). No one intimated that Kat and Elliott and Chris fans don't have taste and smarts and savvy - only that some don't get what many people feel feel for Taylor and why. I could argue all day about the obvious taste and knowledge of scads of smart people who rooted for Elliott Yamin and the discerning folks who appreciated Kat's and Paris' Broadway- and jazz-influenced performances throughout the contest.

And the mention of me being "ostensibly a reasonably serious, intelligent, educated nonconformist with an eclectic musical taste that only flirts with that of the mainstream" is all about taking a shot at myself.

The piece serves to explain and , perhaps, persuade. My assumption is that if you have a favorite, it's because you feel about their music the way I feel about Taylor's - or at least that there is some sort of similar emotional component to the thing. I certainly hope your fave's music gives you a great feeling.

This article is not designed to insult anyone: I say Kat doesn't appeal to me, and she doesn't. But I also say she's talented. Elliott is way talented; he just didn't light fires for me. He's a star and I recognize that, whether he's my number one or not. So if I express my deep feelings for Taylor Hicks' music, that somehow means I am smug and that I am slagging those who don't share what I am feeling? No, it doesn't, because what you accuse me of simply is untrue.

Seriously, if you aren't persuaded to like Taylor, that's fine. I'm just making my case to you, a person I assume is at least as musically in the know as this fan. I wish you and your favorite all good luck in any event. Now, go somewhere and breathe. Purplish blue is not your color.

Now: To Taylor voters, this just came from the AI TH board

I'm just going to say this flat out: If Taylor somehow loses the vote next week, AI's crediblility (such as it is) will be totally out the window. Let me explain..... For AI to have credibility, the average Joe Schmoe (like me) has to feel that his votes count as much as anyone else's. I vote exclusively from land lines. If there's even a whiff that "text voting" is the deciding factor this presents the idea that you have to hook up with their main sponsor for your vote to really count or you're "sorry out of luck". It wouldn't take much of that kind of talk to put a dent in the ratings. Solution? MORE LINES AND MORE TIME TO VOTE. I hope AI is listening. ALL THE WAY TAYLOR.

Taylor gets high? Sean, that has brought him one notch down in my book; I still hope he wins though. I love everything else about him.

Let he or she who is without sin...

To quote Jewels Richardson, groove on, Soulman.

Get your groove on with this site Soul-Patrol Soul tunes, Sam Cooke. Good stuff.
A change is gonna come and his name is Taylor Hicks.
Peace.

Oh, that's awesome. Sam Cooke sends me, and Taylor does too, Taylor does too, Taylor does too... Thanks for sharing the link. The tuneage (via Realaudio streaming, folks) is scintillating.

I'm also featuring Taylor tunes throughout the weekend via my Last.fm page... so far this morning, we've gone thru Neil Young, Bob Marley, Living Colour, U2, Peter Tosh and k.d. lang... After my Cooke break, it's back to the Clash. Then off to the library with my son and then, we'll get into Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks Band, some REM and Eva Cassidy, and assorted protest music. Tonight, I'll play the Grateful Dead's Dead Set (or maybe Dozin' at the Knick, dunno yet) in its entirety. All has been and will continue to be intervowen with a heavy rotation - once every two hours each - of TH's "Soul Thing," "Heart and Soul," and "Hell of a Day." (At the library, I'll be using the broadband connection to grab some more Tay tunes to air.)

It's a Taylor Hicks weekend at Grateful Dread. (You can't know how hilarious that sounds to me...)

Go Soul Patrol!

Natalie,
that was one of the better AI reviews/columns I've seen. If Taylor does win and it accomplishes what you hope in terms of "changing" imposed popular taste, that would be great.

I'm a bit more cynical about it, but I have no problem with Taylor winning and getting the exposure even as a fan of the inner-geek Broadway girl.

Being an inner-geek Broadway girl myself - though one who appreciates soul and authenticity over pure technique - I quite understand, Mr. Chancelucky. If that was complimentary, thanks.

NR Davis

reply to # 16,I don't believe that story at all.In fact Taylor was in New Orleans for a wedding the night before Katrina hit,he could not get a flight out to B'ham so he hired a taxi
to drive him to Monroe,La. for $400.00,There he caught a flight to Las Vegas and his audition.He was not in Vegas partying.It was Taylor's brother Sean that encouraged him to try out for AI.He was supposed to audition in Memphis but did not get called.So he rushed to Las Vegas and thank God he made it.The rest is history.And to post #34 please do not believe people trying to discredit Taylor.Thank you Natalie for a wonderfully well written article.

Thanks for the info Sandy. I'm a Taylor fan all the way. Just bugs me when anyone thinks it's cool to get high. Get high on life, though mine's a little low right now.

Just found a link to Taylor's booking agency page. It includes his repertoire of originals and covers along with audio! I'm listening to Tay's rendition of "Georgie on My Mind" right now, and all I can say is WHOO!

direct link to "Georgia"

It's all over but the voting now...

Taylor rocked the house and even made something wonderful out of the horrible original single with which AI saddled him (something no previous Idol contestant has been able to do with those embarrassingly cheesy wastes of time - for the love of god, Fremantle Media and 19E: Hire decent songwriters!). When Simon declared at show's end that the likely and deserving winner is Hicks... well, let's just say I was really pleased, esp. considering Simon voted NO after Taylor's audition. Takes a big person to admit when he or she is wrong.

Of course, counting chickens... VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE TAYLOR!

Wow, you guys ~ I'm glad I found this site. GREAT article, by the way. I've been a die-hard idol fan since the end of the first season, and this year I'm doing my master's degree (in commercial music, of all things), so I've taped every episode of AI (ironically, I've been in a "Pop Music Analysis" seminar every Tuesday night!), but I haven't had the time to pick a favorite this year... Until now. Taylor's original stuff is unbelieveably good. I'm totally hooked. I didn't "get him" until I caught that link to his album and started listening... now I've bought the album and I'm a total Taylor freak.
...and, yah, I voted tonight.

His originals, particularly "Soul Thing" and "Heart and Soul" are quite good. I'm so glad you checked out the stuff. And I suspect you'll hear good news tonight.

Congrats, this article was picked for one of this week's Ed Picks. Keep up the good work.

Thank you. (And yes, he made me proud.)

Thank you, America. Taylor Hicks is a breath of fresh air -- a classic example that the American Dream is most certainly alive. Taylor, ya'll made me very proud!

I was raised listening to heart wrenching, moving, and soulful tunes sung by legends such as Mr. Ray Charles and Mr. Joe Cocker. The music of today has lost a lot of that personal feeling which pierces the heart and takes you on a journey. However, as long as Taylor Hicks is around, soul is here to stay. From the first time I watched him perform I connected with him as a person, but was won over by his voice and his mere stage presence. In my eyes, he is the American Idol.

Actually, he is in FACT the American Idol. Whoo!