After that initial, spirit-lifting audition, market-focused Simon Cowell didn't want to send Soul Man, as I called him then, on to the next competition round in Hollywood, but I knew. Win or lose, this was my guy. If there is any reason to thank Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, it's that they overruled the attitudinal Brit and gave my guy his golden ticket.
All these weeks later, my guy, Birmingham, AL's Taylor Hicks, is in the finals. His competition - and beating her will be no slam-dunk - is Los Angeles' Katharine McPhee, a stunningly pretty 21-year-old with a pretty, well-coached voice. The woman has true ability and lots of fans, but over the season, she has given inconsistent performances dotted with ridiculously oversung diva songs and her unfortunate tendency to sing while kneeling (which the little boys no doubt love and for which many certainly will reward her with votes).
Yes, Katharine McPhee can sing well, but I feel no connection with her. She suffers from a sad malady: Even during songs that perfectly showcase her voice, I get no sense that she feels anything she sings. Which, to me, is practically a sin: Without emotion, music can't communicate or entertain and has no point. I see McPhee headlining a Broadway musical someday, which is a fine and admirable artisitc pursuit, but not the area of American Idol. An Idol should be able to generate heat, and sadly, the so-called "McPheever" leaves me ice-cold.
Hicks, however, is hot. He croons, growls, purrs and wails with grit and feeling, lighting soul fires in his wake. He infuses every song he sings with heart and unvarnished emotion and performs accordingly. He dances with honest abandon during an uptempo, joyful piece - and when he takes on a tender ballad, every word from his mouth resonates with meaning that pierces the mind and feeds the spirit.
Many people can't or don't appreciate Taylor Hicks. Well, to get him, you have to understand: It's a soul thing. And that is one of the primary reasons why he should be the American Idol.
What's real? What's true? What really counts? Who knows these days? Reporters make it up as they go along, government intelligence is untrustworthy, people value what's trendy and superficial, and lying and cheating are damnably accepted parts of modern life in far too many circles. When Taylor Hicks sings, there is no confusion, no question. That's because he sings what he feels. He sings truth.
It's almost unimaginable that Hicks is perceived by many as the frontrunner in the race for the AI crown, but try to picture it: Wouldn't it be wild to see a big-time American TV show select someone who isn't a cookie-cutter pop-star type, someone who is the genuine article and offers something real and raw, someone who has worked hard to realize a for-most-of-us-impossible dream, someone with actual artistic vision?
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Justene
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.
2 - NR Davis
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.
3 - Tom Wilson
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
4 - NR Davis
A great day, indeed, Mr. Wilson. Thanks for making mine.
5 - Michelle
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.
6 - Fred
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.
7 - NR Davis
So let it be written, so let it be done.
8 - Layla
I fell in love with Bo Bice at first song too. I'm still nuts for him! But Taylor's cool too.
9 - Jeff
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!
10 - NR Davis
Oh wow... do you have a link for that?
11 - Jeff
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
12 - NR Davis
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.
13 - chantal stone
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.
14 - NR Davis
Thanks, Ms. Stone, but I do not love the show. I love Taylor. Mega difference.
15 - rob
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.
16 - sean
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!
17 - NR Davis
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.
18 - NR Davis
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.
19 - Jeff
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
20 - Christopher Rose
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.
21 - Jewels
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!
22 - NR Davis
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.
23 - Jewels
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)
24 - NR Davis
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.
25 - s-girl
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.