TAYLOR Hicks, the gangly, gray-haired singer who seduced more than 30 million TV viewers this spring as the winner of "American Idol," is goofy like a fox.
The 30-year-old Hicks, whose self-titled major-label debut arrives Tuesday, explains how he crushed the competition - including pretty runner-up, 23-year-old Katharine McPhee. It wasn't his ridiculous but lovable dance moves or his good-ol'-boy persona. He even admits he wasn't the best singer in the competition.
"I won because all I did was sleep, eat and breathe music - nothing came at the expense of the music," he says. "I have focus, and I don't just mean when I was on 'American Idol.' My focus goes back to when I was a struggling songwriter and performer."
Hicks first struggled in the juke joints around his home in Birmingham, Ala., and in the seaside bars along Florida's Gulf Coast. In those pre-"Idol" years, he managed to knock out a couple of indie albums and resigned himself to the rolling-stone life of a traveling musician.
On "Taylor Hicks," he gives the hand-to-mike existence of band life a nod with a heartfelt cover of the early Marvin Gaye composition "Wherever I Lay My Hat." But all that devotion to craft hasn't done much for Hicks with the chicks.
"Trying to balance the music with a personal relationship has been tough on me over the years," he says. Even with his newfound fame and the groupies that we all think go with it, he says, "It's going to get even tougher on me before the day comes when I can settle down with the right girl."
He also laments that he can't get a dog, because he's moving out of his apartment.
"I'm as close you can get to a traveling musical gypsy, and that's all I ever wanted," he says. "For now, it's about my career. Being a performer comes first."
When asked if his newfound success is everything he though it would be, Hicks didn't hesitate.
"It's been a whole lot of work. The learning curve has gotten larger. I've got a lot to learn about recording and performing besides what I already know."
Part of what he already knows comes from his musical heroes, such as the late Ray Charles.
"Ray Charles is my foundation, my musical base," he says. "His music is where I start, and I branch off from there. He showed how a singer has to connect to the music emotionally and give the music energy."
Hicks says that energy is the hallmark of his album, and the lack of that kind of enthusiasm "might be what's wrong with most pop music today." He adds, "I hope my energy and positive musical influence comes across on this album."
They do. There's also a sense of spontaneity to the album, which Hicks attributes to recording the disc in just six weeks. "That's all, six weeks, and I wasn't careless putting it together. I put my best foot forward."
He defends the use of heavy string orchestration on some tracks, saying "it worked in the studio."
"When I do these songs live, a little less orchestration will sound like more. My voice is what carries the album, and I'm very satisfied with it. I really think I connected with every song. When people listen, they're going to say 'That's Taylor Hicks singing.'"
NEVER AN IDLE 'IDOL' By DAN AQUILANTE - New York Post Online Edition: Seven
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