Taylor Hicks – The Distance – Sneak Peek!

“19″ is kind of sad it reminded me of Pat Tilman who left Arizona Cardinals to fight for his country . He was killed in the ine of duty by friendly fire..

Trying to be unbiased here, I think I can do that. I dont think I will be using this CD as a doorstop.

The Distance—- not bad, not crazy about it.

Whats Right is Right—ICK

New Found Freedom—not bad, nice beat, snappin’ my fingers but could be all the chocolate i’ve been eating

Nineteen—–Oh yeahhhhh. I LOVE this one and I think it will be a decent “hit”. I like songs that tell a story. Maybe even GAC might like it.

Once Upon a Lover—-No, No, No.

***Seven Mile Breakdown—yes, yes, yes. Dear god I LOVE this one. ****

Maybe You Should— not bad. I dont hate it. I dont love it either.

Keeping It Real—-nice beat, cute. Might be the chocolate again.

Thats it so far, I have to go now but I really didnt think it was half bad. So far.

I might buy “Woman’s Got To Have It” for Elliott’s sake.

“Once Upon a Lover” caught my ear for some reason. It was a little “Doobie Brothers.”

I don’t know. Taylor’s voice seems strained.

Yes Gwen, I thought he sounded strained as well. Like too “perfect” or something I cant put my finger on. The only song I didnt hear that strain was in “Seven Mile Breakdown” where, for ME, he seemed like the Taylor i really like.

I’m listening to Nineteen. I love Taylor, so I was going to buy it anyway. This justifies it.

I love the grit on the CD!!! My favs – Seven mile breakdown (this song alone is worth the price of admission – f’n hawt), Keeping it Real (hah – love it), 19 (cried), Wedding Day Blue (so wrong but funny as hell, great hook too), Maybe you should (not bad).

I will be picking this one up for sure.

I wouldn’t have picked What’s Right as Right as the first single unless he was going for the most neutral song on the CD.

“Seven Mile Breakdown” makes me want to take off my clothes and run around naked. Taylor at his best – I LOVE it!

Wow!!! Love “Maybe I Should”. New favorite Taylor song! I can’t stop listening to it! I think it is so pretty! I also love “I live on a Battlefield”, “Wedding Day Blues” & “Woman’s Got to Have it”. Can’t wait to see these songs performed! Sure hope he comes back to Chicago soon. Hoping for more song videos, too!!

“Woman’s Got To Have It” with Elliot Yamin – OMG, smokey soul. It’s fabulous.

Don’t forget to go to the ‘part two’ page to hear the last three songs.

I’m at work and can’t wait til everyone leaves so I can check it out. I have heard WRIR, 19 and New Found Freedom, and The Distance. I am not much into New Found Freedom. 19 is not my cup of tea just because that type of song is not my favorite. The Distance seems pretty good. WRIR is growing on me. I have to really listen to songs more than once to know if I will really like them.

Taylor is always better when he is not trying too hard. He may just be a live performer and not a recording artist standout. Of course, once you hear him do some of these songs live the whole perception of the album can change for the better.

I’m absolutely taken by ‘Maybe You Should’. There are many others I really like too but this is the one I keep listening to over and over and over!

Keeping it honest..there are a couple of songs that are just meh for me…as there are on most CD’s I own, it’s not just this CD. LOL! But that sure doesn’t mean they won’t grow on me with a few more listens. But the ones I like are just perfect.

Well done Taylor! It’s nice to hear his voice is front center and not overpowered by the band or pro-tooled to death like many other artists.

In my opinion, I think there’s some ‘HIT’ potentials on this CD! YAY!

Thanks to the poster who revealed this gem last night. My lineup:

1. The Distance/What’s Right is Right (check out the video)
2. I Live on a Battlefield
3. New Found Freedom (as someone elsewhere said — this probably won’t be sung on AI) :twisted_wp: although it would be PERFECT in your face!!
4. Woman’s Gotta Have (Taylor and Elliott — sublime)
5. Maybe You Should – Heartbreak//// Nineteen — Heart tugging
6.7 Mile Breakdown – Vintage Taylor Hicks Southern Rocker
7. Once Upon a Lover — Spanish Kick is an interesting change for Taylor’s music
8. Wedding Day Blues – Sorta like “My Friend” fun song — Country Music – ditched man; getting even with his rival — Wedding Crasher all the way!

Thanks for the thread, MJ! :clap_tb:

I’m disappointed in this or maybe I was expecting more. The only songs I liked are Womanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Got To Have It, Once Upon A Lover, and What’s Right Is Right. The rest of it didn’t hold my attention. Not sure if I will buy it, at this point. It would make more sense to download what I like. I have a feeling the critics will not like this either, and I will definitely be interested in what they have to say.

Again, Taylor has more than one genre on this cd and again, I’m confused about his sound.

I like “I Live on a Battlefield.” Nick Lowe ftw! That will probably be the only one I buy. The album is kind of a mess, imo.

“Maybe I Should”, “Seven Mile Breakdown”, “Woman’s Got To Have It”, and “Nineteen” do it for me. You can be damn sure “New Found Freedom” will never be sung by Taylor on AI. I will be counting the days until I can also hear the 3 digital exclusives, especially “Hide Nor Hair”. It’s a good day in Taylorland!

Seven Mile Breakdown, Woman’s Gotta Have it, and Maybe You Should.

hell yes.

I like “Seven Mile Breakdown” and “I Live on a Battlefield”. “Woman’s Gotta Have It” with Elliot is awesome. “The Distance” is ok. The others I only listened to part of because I don’t have a lot of time right now and they didn’t catch me in the first few bars. I’ll listen later.

IMO this album is all Taylor…it is like he is saying “You aren’t going to pigeon hole me into a genre”

I love that there is such mix of genre/sounds/songs, but first and foremost you can hear his voice.

What I look forward to the most is seeing him perform these songs on the road… when he can let them evolve and grow…it will be one grand dancing, partying time!

:drunk_tb:

Now that I’ve composed myself Nineteen and 7 Mile Breakdown is what Taylor should be singing. He’s like a hybrid of 1970s Soul, 80′s country with a big dash of modern Country-Rock. It’s interesting and strange at the same time.

I sorta like Lover, but his voice seemed strained, but the song itself is solid. Maybe You Should…..dammit, that’s good. This one will get alot of play on my ipod. I really like this one. Keeping it Real is hysterical, Oh Shit, Taylor is calling people out!

Okay after listening to the first 8 tracks I am relieved. I was worried because the first three were just watered down Taylor. By Nineteen (where I totally lost it) it was obvious that this was the Taylor that I love. Much better than his idol cd. It’s a good cd.

Ok, now that I am finished I will rank them.

First the cream of the crop

Nineteen
Maybe You Should
I Live On a Battlefield
Woman’s Gotta Have it (I think R&B radio could play this) This is what he needs to do more of.
Seven Mile Breakdown
Wedding Day Blues (Taylor’s insane, but I love it!)

The the pretty good

Keeping it Real
The Distance
New Found Freedom
What Right is Right

The just okay dawg

Once Upon a Lover

All in all I have to say I like it. Certainly more indicative of what he can do. And I have to admit that I love his socially conscious songs because that is what I expect from Taylor.

Gotta go back and listen to Woman’s Gotta Have It!

Really disappointed. I think Taylor either needs to growl through his songs or write great lyrics. Unfortunately, he didn’t do either.

I like this one! Can’t wait to own it.

I like the smooth-voiced Taylor the best and there is a lot of that on here.

The duet with Elliot is sublime!!

That duet with Elliott and Maybe You Should are driving me insane. I want this now! Maybe you should is making me cry. So been there, done that, I can relate. It’s breaking my heart. I could so see a video from this one. And of course what eye candy a video with the bad boys of idol, El and Tay!

This CD is much, much better than his first post-AI CD. Musically I like it a lot, although I agree with what some others here have said about it being kind of all over the place. I’ll need to hear it all, straight through, before deciding if the mix works or just leaves me puzzled. I think it could work.

I love that his voice is featured and not swamped by that “wall of sound” in the earlier CD.

The lyrics, though–oh dear. On so many of these songs the lyrics are so clunky and trite and amateurish. It will be interesting to see which ones he gets a lyrics writing credit on, although I fear I could already guess. I don’t get how the same guy who wrote the sublime “Somehow” could put in years of performance and practice and learning and life experience and then come out with some of the stuff on this CD. I may have to develop the ability to enjoy the music and the sound of his voice while ignoring the words.

My favorites so far (one listen):
7 Mile Breakdown
Maybe You Should (now THAT’s a good lyric!)

I don’t like any politic’s in my music and Taylor has done that so NO THANKS TAYLOR.

not a taylor hicks fan, but wow on woman’s gotta have it, I love Elliott and his soulful voice, it’s like he takes over that song.. Taylor’s trying to hit those notes was horrendous, Elliott owned on that song! Elliott has to get on the national radar somehow, I mean like performing on award shows-etc not just radio hits, but I know radio hits is what turns into those type of opportunitues… his voice can’t go to waste to the large population, they have no clue how good he is b/c “wait for you” didn’t really show off his voice

yeah i think i’ll pass…

a big WTF @ once upon a lover

WDB is alright but like on his first cd (post-idol) i’m not at all impressed with the vocals

I tried to listen but I’m at work and I have little earbuds – the sound is so loud it’s blowing out my earbuds. The volume on my PC is all the way down & the songs won’t let me adjust the volume, so I have to wait. I’ve heard 19 before & I think it’s a nice song that a lot of folks will really like. It’s sort of too country for me, but it’s fine for the type of song it is. WRIR is growing on me, but I have to believe there is something better there that should have been released as the single.

Taylor said this was not going to be a one genre album. If you like one genre and one genre only, then pass on this.

IMO & IMO only, I love it. I “liked” his post AI cd but this one trumps it.
He’s pulling no punches, not bowing down to anyone (one of the great advantages for going indy and having your own label, thank goodness) and if you’re looking for the sweet innocent AI Taylor, then again not the album for you. His voice is not being drowned out by big instruments unlike the last one; his voice is the thread thru the album. I believe he will receive more favorable reviews w/ this album.

Again, only IMO …… LoL

So good to finally hear this! Taylor’s voice is front and center, and that alone makes it better than his last one. The only songs I don’t like at all are “New Found Freedom” and “Once Upon A Lover.” “The Distance” isn’t my favorite but I think the message could make it popular in this day and age.

But once you hit “7 Mile Breakdown”, I think the cd picks up incredibly. To my ear each song is better than the last one. “Wedding Day Blues” made me laugh and Elliott and Taylor sound fantastic together on “Woman’s Got To Have It.”

I’ve already ordered this and can’t wait until it gets here!

Don’t forget the 3 exclusive bonus tracks ……………….

Walmart, Target and unsure of the 3rd are offering them.

Elliott sounds great on the one track.

Seven Mile Breakdown is ALL Taylor and its exactly what he should be singing. Its a whiskey voiced song and its down and just dirty enough for me.

The growls, the raspy voice…its what I have been waiting for. I dont know who wrote that but Taylor should do more by that person. Its a good CD, its not great but its darn good.

I just listened to “Woman’s Got To Have it” and thats verrrrry good. That one just might make the adult contemporary charts. E sounds maaaahvelous!

Their voices mix very very well.

Im a Taylor fan so I will buy the CD. If I wasnt a loyal fan I would definitely download Seven Mile Breakdown and the E duet for sure.

I think he did good. It is odd that the beginning of the CD is a little shaky IMO but it gets much much better. When I heard that POS that was his first CD I was horrified. Not so with this one, I like it a lot.

Im crazy about Seven Mile Breakdown which will now be known as SMB.

it seems more of a singer/songwriter indy album to me. i think for people who do not own a lot of that….probably not going to like it or get it. since 90% of my music collection is folk/singer-songwriters….i have a LOT of story songs….and mixed genres. this cd reminds me in tone of Ellis Paul’s American Jukebox Fables…which also had a great war song…some poltics…some driviing rock folk and then some country and folk ballads. these albums are not made for radio….so if you are expecting it you will be dissapointed. they are made, usually, to convey something.

I think he did good. It is odd that the beginning of the CD is a little shaky IMO but it gets much much better.

I agree totally with that. Of to listen to Maybe You Should. That song got to me.

Dingo
Seven Mile Breakdown is a song Taylor has been singing for years. It was written by Wynn Christian , a guy in Spoonful James, who was in a band with Taylor at Auburn. They have played together for years and Wynn appeared in Taylor’s concert in Dothan. One advantage of living down south is Taylor’s old bandmembers sometime join him at concerts and without fail they are always great singing with Taylor.

I think one reason 7 Mile Breakdown works so well on the cd is Taylor is very comfortable with it and has probably sung it so many ways so many times he knows what works and what doesn’t.

I remember Taylor saying with this cd he really wanted to live with the songs for a while prior to recording them but somehow I think with Taylor it takes a lot of time performing them live before he gets them to where they need to be. Perhaps Taylor should tour the album THEN record it.

Folk, couldn’t agree w/ you more.

Hicks! Thanks for that piece of info on SMB and that explains very well why I love this song which I had never heard in my life. I was drawn to it instantly and he should get that guy to write more of that kind of song. I think its fabulous.

Awesome info, thank you.

i liked the duet. seven mile breakdown. maybe you should. 19.

ok…to bring in a comparison…cause, well it is just eerily similar in concept not sound…

ellis pauls Kiss the Sun (a song for Pat Tillman).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReT98rIGJNk&feature=related

eta: it is a live performance and the whole end of the song is improvised…so not the actual end lyrics.

but….as a point…this dude does not have a perfect voice (nor does taylor) and yet he is never on radio (except some cool stations) and he wins a TON of awards. sometimes, selling units is just a way to buy a bigger house:)

With ‘WGHI’ some are saying Elliotts voice is better on this song. I think that is what Taylor wanted to do. If you remember, Taylor has always been so complimentary of Elliotts voice and I think he wanted it showcased and have him (Taylor) take the back seat on this one.

Being the avid, and I mean avid, Taylor Hicks fan I am this is going to be a little difficult to say but I am coming to the realization that perhaps Taylor is primarily a phenomonal live performer and an adequate but not extraordinary recording artist. On “Woman’s gotta have it” I have to agree that Elliot’s vocals are better. At the same time I can almost guarantee in a live performance of that song Taylor would wipe the floor with Elliot(meaning no disrespect to Elliot). It may be the confidence Taylor feels in a live performance or the fact that after singing it with the same band over and over throughout a tour he just keeps getting better.

That being said I like the cd ok. For me nothing on it that hit me like The Right Place on the firsat cd but overall the cd is probably better. That being said after seeing Taylor perform the last cd live I love a lot of the songs.

I hear it Folk and yes its the same type of song. I like storytellers.

As for the duet, you cant compare the voices IMO, E’s is pure and near perfect and T’s is smoke and whiskey laden. I think they complimented one anothers voice on that tune. Im liking it more and more. Two very distinctive voices for sure.

if people are still hanging on to taylor being a radio hit artist….i think that shipped sailed long ago. the reality is he is a singer songwrite who likes to perform to mid sized crowds. it is not a bad thing you know.

Dingo – since you haven’t had the PLEASURE of seeing much of “bar Taylor” — here’s a utube of Taylor and Wynn Christian doing a mixture of songs — one of which is Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad. There voices together are unbelieveable. I might be able to find SMB later today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFQKGNvOdxQ&feature=related

off topic….but i am posting this link for dingo…cause she will love it….others may link thru of course:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjYDj1j136k&feature=related

click thru to hurricane angel….if you like storytelling songs:)

Nice to see all the Elliott love. I appreciate the fact that Taylor put that old school duet on the album. Elliott trying for the Top 40 career is a mixed bag since he won’t put covers like this on his own album.Yet this is where he really shines. Taylor and Melinda have the advantage of not even trying to get their stuff on Top 40. I mean that seriously.

It would be great if Taylor and Elliott got a chance to perform the duet live somewhere.

I did get one listen through in with several interruptions here at work. (Why do people keep coming in my cube when I have my earbuds in?) Quick first impression is that it is a big improvement over the first CD. Songs in the 2nd half of the list are stronger than the first half. He does hit several genres but that’s fine by me. On several songs there was something here and there – sometimes lyrics, phrasing, or instrumentation – that struck a familiar chord as in early Elton John. Not sure which ones – I’d have to listen more closely to notice which songs that did. Some also had a definite 70′s bend. I’m not into R&B but the duet w/ Elliott was great and if they had any sense they would perform that together on Idol. Look how well Jordin did with a duet.

Nineteen was done by a band called Waycross a few years back. Don’t know if it did well or not.

http://www.cmt.com/videos/waycross/163833/nineteen.jhtml

Ahhhhhh Folk, thats a heart breaker as well as a hope anthem. Thank you. Im a “wordy” person. I like the words I think better than the music sometimes or at least it makes me pay attention to the music. I love James Taylor for the same reason, he’s a pretty good storyteller.

Jules, thanks for that vid. Now I know who that Wynn guy is. Taylor needs to stick like glue to him.

I agree with Folk that there likely wont be any radio tunes or hits but I dont know, the duet just might find its way. If it does I believe it will be largely due to E. I think maybe he can make people who would not otherwise even think to do so, listen to Taylor as well.

Im just an older woman who loves music and like/loves Taylor. My intensity to the man has waned but I still love his voice and this CD I hope will be followed by more in the vein of Seven Mile Breakdown.

I know nothing of the music world except for what I like.

ok last one dingo…will make you cry:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGwMD8HoOkE&feature=related

personally, i thought taylor was great in concert. i enjoy the smaller settings.

they should do the duet on idol. would be cool.

dingo…imagine a taylor/normund duet:)

Folk, songs can and often do make me cry and many of the people in here now and in the past have turned me on to artists I had never heard of and I in turn did the same with my friends. I had a good year and a half run in here with people, good people turning me on to music.

The vid you just sent me to was sent to me a while back in a montage of the devastation of the Katrina Hurricane and I wept through the whole damn thing. Between the song and the video footage of the agony people were going through, I cracked like a 2 dollar vase.

I have not had the delight of seeing Taylor in person yet. Crowds freak me out and he has not been close enough to where I live. In other words, unless he happens to play the bar 3 doors down from me, I probably wont be seeing him.

LOLOLOL at Taylor/Normund.

Bwahahahahahahahaha! I’ll be laughin’ over that for a few minutes.

I love Taylor’s voice on this cd. That is what I have always wanted to hear. I love all the songs. As the cd was playing, I would think, Oh this is my favorite. Then the next one would play and I would say, Oh, this is my favorite. So for now, I don’t have a favorite. They are all my favorite. And I like the first cd too. My favorite on that one is ‘Right Place’.

My favorite on the first one was “Places I’ve been”. Im such a loser.

On this one its Seven Mile Breakdown. Lets hope Im not such a loser this time.

if people are still hanging on to taylor being a radio hit artistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.i think that shipped sailed long ago. the reality is he is a singer songwrite who likes to perform to mid sized crowds. it is not a bad thing you know.

I’d have to agree. I think the odds of Taylor having a radio hit are slim to none. If I had to guess, not knowing him personally and all, I’d say that he’ll never make radio friendly music. From his influences and what we know of his musical tastes, it’s just seems unlikely.

I like most of what I’ve listened to of this cd so far. I’ll have to let it marinate a little before I pick a favorite.

And, I’m totally behind the idea of seeing Elliott & Taylor do that duet on Idol. That would be some fun TV right there.

Love Woman’s Got to Have It and quite a few tracks on the CD. I’m buying it.

MJ, thank you, thank you, thank you! Eee!!!! Just first impressions (at work – I’m really supposed to be workin’…)

Seven Mile Breakdown – yes baby! That’s right in my strike zone! More like this please!

Keepin it Real – reminds me a little of Delbert McClinton and I like it! Fun and I’ll bet this is a hoot done live!

Nineteen – I heard this one before. I’m not big on message-y country songs, but I really like Taylor’s voice on this.

The Distance – I like this one, a little message-y but I like Taylor’s voice on this.

New Found Freedom – Philadelphia Freedom? That’s what is reminds me of. I’ll have to give this a full listen before I’m sure of it.

Once Upon a Lover – This is surprising, wouldn’t have imagined Taylor singing it, but it works!

Maybe You Should – This is too slow for me, but maybe just for the mood I’m in right now.

Whats Right is Right – This is the one that suits my “workspace” needs at the moment, heh. I do like this for evening listening and when I want to chill.

ETA:

Gah! There’s a second page!

Woman’s Got to Have It is … mercy, mercy, mercy. So, so hot! Those boys sound fab together.

Wedding Day Blues – oh, my. Acoustic blues and Taylor’s voice. Oh yes!

I Live on a Battlefield – Oh I like this too.

Yes, Taylor – I will buy your CD.

Phew! Now back to paper-pushing…

Welcome back Taylor. Fabulous album. A little bit country, and a whole lot of soul. I love an artist who can tell a story and Taylor does just that. As this wonderful review says the duet is a master miracle and should be performed live on stage.

Waiting eagerly for my album.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1490822/review_of_the_distance_new_album_by_pg2.html?cat=33

Taylor will be performing on Ellen Tues 3/10

http://www.myrocketscience.com/

I have no illusions that this album will set the charts on fire or be played on radio stations everywhere. I am certain he would like to sell a decent number of copies and maybe make another CD possible. That is my fondest hope, too.

One of the things I LIKE about Taylor’s CD’s is the variety of music and styles. All the songs have his soulful core, but he doesn’t do albums that sound like one song, cut up into 12 or 13 pieces. This is my favorite thing about the choices he makes for his CD’s — even the less than stellar “Taylor Hicks” had a lot of variety on it.

What I am feeling positive about is this one, save for a few songs, made a quick, positive impression on me. I always take that as a good sign that a CD is going to get a lot of plays at least in my music world.

Taylor does wipe the floor with Woman’s Gotta Have It (live). He also kills you with Hide Nor Hair…Hawt. Hawt. Hawt. I’m partial to Maybe You Should, Battlefield, and Seven Mile Breakdown. Very pleased with the CD. Excellent musicainship and better vocal/music balance than TH. I Like What’s Right is Right and the video. Looking forward to another video! I think Taylor will get significantly more air time this time around. He is personally visiting radio stations and meeting folks and his charm will win hearts and plays. Loved hearing Elliot but like upthread Taylor smokes this song live. I enjoy hearing the different genres.

At first listen, I can say that I like this CD. And I am glad he was able to go forward and offer something that sounds, whether one likes it or not, true blue to his own nature and tastes. It just sounds and feels authentically “Taylor” so I am very happy for him.

I don’t know how far the CD will go but it doesn’t matter. There will always be an audience, I think, for this type of old school southern country/soul sound. Even if the CD sounds like it was buried in a time capsule and just rediscovered, that’s kind of interesting too because it stands for something all the way.

The one song that sticks in my head most of all is Wedding Day Blues. It’s quirky and funny and bluegrassy and tells a story and is impeccably arranged. I think it will be a real hoot as a video and can be a sneaky kind of hit. It’s the one song on the CD that sounds 100% timeless and fresh to me.

The beginning of Keeping It Real sounds a lot like Achy Breaky Heart to me ….. anyone else think that?

Anywho, I do like the album, much better than the first one. The only song I don’t like particularly is What’s Right is Right because that phrase “what’s right is right” somehow doesn’t go with the rest of the lyrics of that songv (to me). Maybe You Should is a favorite right now for me.

I will definitely buy this CD.

I love this CD and the quality of Taylor Hicks voice as he leads us on a musical journey. He reaches the depth of his mystic in not only showing his humorous side but also the serious side that touches our soul. Nineteen has a tremendous delivery and stirs many memories in our hearts. He dares not to be a cookie cutter performer, but is reaching out to entertain us in more than one genre. I will buy the CD as soon as it comes out and hope there will be more videos like What’s Right Is Right. May this see him reaching new heights in the entertainment world! :clap_tb: :clap_tb:

Definitely Achy Breaky Heart- That has been said on several different Taylor sites. I can’t believe no one on the production end would have caught the similiarities but perhaps this is Taylor’s new low cost PR. If the Billy Ray Cyrus people call him on it it will hit all the media and people will listen to it and then the whole cd. Incredibly unique marketing plan!!!

^^^Didn’t know that had been mentioned at other sites hicksaholic. I just know it’s the first thing I thought of right off the bat! LOL, to “incredibly unique marketing plan” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great post “toffee”. Well said!

I am really enjoying reading this thread, and all of the opinions.

We all have our likes and dislikes about what “type” of music we enjoy personally, but Taylors “voice” really shines in most of these songs.

The music and the delivery of the lyrics, makes me cry, reflect, laugh, or want to get up and dance. I really LOVE all of that rolled up into one CD.

Very nice, Taylor!

**LOOK OUT FOR “HIDE NOR HAIR”** as a bonus track. It’s AMAZING live, and I am looking forward to the CD version.

“My verdict later!”

Well MJ, it’s later now, so what’s your verdict????

:smoke_tb:

me too mj! But listen to it at least 2 times before you decide. It does change a little on the second listen I think.

pretty good Gumbo…….

I think Taylor threw it all out there to see what if any would stick. He’s got soul, rock, country, gospel, storytelling, novelty, duet. Did I miss any genre?

I am so happy and relieved to hear Seven Mile Breakdown and Wedding Day Blues. Blues meets bluegrass on WDB. I love it and canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait to crank it up later on. These two songs are ones that, if I heard on the radio and had never heard of Taylor Hicks, I would be asking “who is that singer?” Here is the guy that I heard on that January evening. His true musical and cultural identity burn thru. Loving that lead guitarist and keyboardist too.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know how commercially successful or viable he will become, but a couple of potentials at least to my ears are Love is a Battlefield and Nineteen. And as cheesy as it is, the uplifting lyrics of New Found Freedom might grab a few ears.

Keeping It Real kind of reminded me of “She Caught the Katy”. Btw, Elliott sounded fantastic as usual, he and the backup singers harmonized so beautifully.

Btw, Elliott sounded fantastic as usual, he and the backup singers harmonized so beautifully.

The singer that harmonized so beautifully with Elliott was Taylor.

I was a little concerned about Taylor’s new release but not now as I think it’s more than I could have hoped for. I love Taylor’s unique voice, the one you recognise without being told who it is. I love singers like Taylor, David Cook and now Adam Lambert, who have lots of vocal talent, and the element known as carisma and the take a risk element. They all also write and play music. I have to admit that Taylor’s my first Idol love and this music keeps him at the top of the list. Love Love Love it.

oops, too late to edit previous post, should have been “I Live on a Battlefield”

First impression, Love, Love, Love, the second half of the CD. The first five songs seem like they’re not as heartfelt. My FAVORITE song is defineity Maybe You Should-it totally reminds me of Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me with a little bit of Sam Cook thrown in. Why such a dichotomy between the 1st five songs and the last seven. It seems like two different CDs. Anyone feeling the same way???

OK, finally got to sit and listen w/o people bugging me. First off, I was very hopeful that What’s Right is Right would be the worst song on the CD, and as much as I love Taylor and I’ve listened to the song about a zillion times, and it has grown on me, I’ve liked ALL of these songs FAR more on the very FIRST listen. I want to know who picks his single? That was not a good pick.

The Distance – Sounds like something Bob Seger might sing. I do like political songs, so that does not bother me in the least. It showed that it was produced by Clapton’s producer, as I got a similar feel from it that I do from other songs of the late 60′s early 70s. Liked it.

WRIR – whatever

New Found Freedom – I, too, thought “Philadelphia Freedom” from the very first notes. I kept expecting those gospel singers from the Idol finale to show up. I’m not big on gospel, it was a little long, but it sounded good.

19 – I do not like country music, but for the type of story song that it is, he did a really nice rendition, and I think it could do well on country radio.

Once Upon a Lover – I really like this. At first listen, it seems that Taylor is trying to sing too high, but it gets lower as it goes. I like the salsa tempo. I like how the title is repeated as a “hook” in the song.

7 Mile Breakdown – Truly the highlight of the CD, IMO. Totally Taylor in his element – the perfect vehicle for him. Again, if THIS was released as the single, he’d be singing it live on all the shows coming up. And this is a song he FEELS. Too bad they went with WRIR. Love the southern rock/blues. Wish it was as long as NFF.

Maybe You Should – Here is the James Taylor feel he was talking about in his interviews. It’s nice, sweet. Doesn’t blow me away, but miles better than many things on the first CD.

Keeping it Real – Fun boogie woogie. I see what you mean about achy breaky heart. Fun concert party song.

I live on a battlefield – he sounds good – a little R&B at front, which I don’t like, but I do like how it picks up tempo towards the end.

Wedding Day Blues – I like the acoustic feel & the bluegrass/southern rock sound again. It’s a more fun story song than 19, that’s for sure, and it sounds to me, again, like early Elton John – from Honky Chateau or Madman Across the Water time period. I also like it because it tells my story quite nicely only my stupid husband did NOT stop the wedding and didn’t realize his regret until the next day & it took my 9 months to get out of that marriage and get the right guy. He even caught my garter, but did he stop the wedding? No….

WGTHI – I don’t care for the talking at the start, but that goes to my non-interest in R&B styling. That said, they sound great together & they should do this on Idol together, and they really blow it out of the ballpark.

I’ve never thought Taylor would be a huge radio star – I think he’s doing what he wants to do & this set of songs is way better than the last set, so I’m happy.

OK, finally got to sit and listen w/o people bugging me. First off, I was very hopeful that What’s Right is Right would be the worst song on the CD, and as much as I love Taylor and I’ve listened to the song about a zillion times, and it has grown on me, I’ve liked ALL of these songs FAR more on the very FIRST listen. I want to know who picks his single? That was not a good pick.

The Distance – Sounds like something Bob Seger might sing. I do like political songs, so that does not bother me in the least. It showed that it was produced by Clapton’s producer, as I got a similar feel from it that I do from other songs of the late 60′s early 70s. Liked it.

WRIR – whatever

New Found Freedom – I, too, thought “Philadelphia Freedom” from the very first notes. I kept expecting those gospel singers from the Idol finale to show up. I’m not big on gospel, it was a little long, but it sounded good.

19 – I do not like country music, but for the type of story song that it is, he did a really nice rendition, and I think it could do well on country radio.

Once Upon a Lover – I really like this. At first listen, it seems that Taylor is trying to sing too high, but it gets lower as it goes. I like the salsa tempo. I like how the title is repeated as a “hook” in the song.

7 Mile Breakdown – Truly the highlight of the CD, IMO. Totally Taylor in his element – the perfect vehicle for him. Again, if THIS was released as the single, he’d be singing it live on all the shows coming up. And this is a song he FEELS. Too bad they went with WRIR. Love the southern rock/blues. Wish it was as long as NFF.

Maybe You Should – Here is the James Taylor feel he was talking about in his interviews. It’s nice, sweet. Doesn’t blow me away, but miles better than many things on the first CD.

Keeping it Real – Fun boogie woogie. I see what you mean about achy breaky heart. Fun concert party song.

I live on a battlefield – he sounds good – a little R&B at front, which I don’t like, but I do like how it picks up tempo towards the end.

Wedding Day Blues – I like the acoustic feel & the bluegrass/southern rock sound again. It’s a more fun story song than 19, that’s for sure, and it sounds to me, again, like early Elton John – from Honky Chateau or Madman Across the Water time period. I also like it because it tells my story quite nicely only my stupid husband did NOT stop the wedding and didn’t realize his regret until the next day & it took my 9 months to get out of that marriage and get the right guy. He even caught my garter, but did he stop the wedding? No….

WGTHI – I don’t care for the talking at the start, but that goes to my non-interest in R&B styling. That said, they sound great together & they should do this on Idol together, and they really blow it out of the ballpark.

I’ve never thought Taylor would be a huge radio star – I think he’s doing what he wants to do & this set of songs is way better than the last set, so I’m happy.

I had a duplicate post but it won’t let me edit it. Sorry.

I waited all frikkin day to get home and listen to this on the ole headphones. My my my Tay you have done well all on your own. I totally agree with all of you about Seven Mile Breakdown - what a perfect song for Taylor that is. Maybe You Should is just beautiful and should be the next single. I Live On a Battlefield has the best lyrics on the album and he sounds great on it too. I am a happy camper. And how great is it to heat Taylor and Elliot duet on Woman’s Got to Have It? That preamble Taylor does is sexy hot! Elliot sounds amazing as usual. I’ll take this duet over vanilla voices any day..can you say best R&B vocal for a duo or group? If there is any justice at all. And Wedding Day Blues…woo! Did I mention I’m a happy camper?? There are about two I don’t really care for, but the rest is pure bliss.

Definitely don’t expect Top 40 airplay for him, but, I do think some of these Southern Rock & Country flavored songs could make it to Country radio. Not being a fan of Country music, the first listen threw me. After a couple more runs through the list, I realized most of them are more Southern Rock/Soul/Blues, than Country. “Nineteen” is the only one I find just too sad to listen to a lot. I do like Senor Taylor, too! Looking forward to the bonus songs & booklet notes.

Wow, even the songs on here are polarizing.

I LOVE “Once Upon a Lover”, but don’t care for “Maybe You Should”. I’ve tried listening to the latter several times, but I just don’t get the appeal. Sorry. But I did love “The Right Place” from the previous album.

I don’t care for “Seven Mile Breakdown”à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ yetà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ either, but I haven’t listened to it often yet. Maybe it’ll grow on me.

My next favorite would be the title track.

I think the critics will bash the mess of genres, what they’ll see as a lack of cohesion. But as a Taylor fan, I loved the variety. He really sounds more comfortable here than singing the MoR adult contemporary songs on his Idol album.

I love it!

At first glance, the songs appear to be all over the place, genre-wise (or is that ‘generically’?) But I really think the sound is more cohesive than on TH. And I’m not just talking about the singing – which is definitely a common thread – but also the outstanding instrumentation. The trumpet punch on one song mirrors the fiddle on another, on another the sax, etc. Guitars are fantastic. Musically, this is a winner.

Gotta say that Once upon a Lover is my favorite, but then I’m a sucker for the Latin beat, the trumpet, the smooth transition into the higher range (falsetto), the Spanish guitar….

Gotta say that Once upon a Lover is my favorite, but then Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a sucker for the Latin beat, the trumpet, the smooth transition into the higher range (falsetto), the Spanish guitarà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

Yay! A bit more love for Once Upon a Lover too. The falsettos did it for me; I think he does the best falsettos out of any Idol contestant. I don’t notice the strain in his voice that everyone else brings up; I always thought he was more strained on TH.

Dingo, if you’re around…. here is a YouTube of Taylor performing Seven Mile Breakdown with Wynn Christian and Spoonful James. It’s from Ona’s Music Room, Birmingham, AL; May 10, 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR_dyXEVGQM&eurl=

P.S. I’m on the Once Upon A Lover train, too. I lurve a latin beat and Spanish guitar, and Taylor’s flavor with this one.

Hey dingo if you are still around I want you to see “Abraham Martin and John from Orange Beach with Taylor but I don’t have the link. It was with Jon Cook from his old band and they are beyond great together!! I will try to find someone with the link.

Happy to see the Taylor has come out with a new CD that has some decent songs on it. I am a Taylor fan, but find it hard at times to get into his music. I agree with some of the other comments that it will be difficult for Taylor to get air play for the songs. They just don’t have the mass appeal I wish they did. However, “Whats Right is Right” has a good chance of making it on the charts if it gets some decent airplay. I played the song to friends who don’t know who Taylor is, and they all really liked the single. They said it would be a song they would download onto their Ipods. It has a great video and if it can be played on some mainstream stations, it may reach a different audience. Hopefully he can have a chance to sing it on the Idol show, a great way to get mass exposure. A few positive reviews from Simon would help as well. Anyways, I hope this CD does better than his first “in the eyes of whoever deems CD’s succesful.”
Looking forward to what the “critics” are going to say.

I guess I will own my very first Taylor Hicks song when “A Woman’s Gotta Have It” is on iTunes. It sounded great. Elliott is amazing, IMO.

Taylor’s versatility is impressive. His distinctive vocals shine thru in Latin, blues, gospel, country, bluegrass, R&B, crooner ballads, boogie-woogie and Southern rock. Taylor shares his charming and quirky sense of humor – how many singers do you know who do that? It’s a very personal album that reflects multiple facets of an entertainer who refuses to be limited. It’s risky to release such a remarkable album in a market filled with cookie cutter sound-a-likes. Gutsy guy, that Taylor. Talented and gutsy!

Count me in as a fan for Once Upon a Lover!

Ya’ll need to stop feeding Dingo that Taylor crack. I mean come on. Show some mercy! LOL.

I have high hopes that this cd will get at least some good reviews. Well, surprisingly the first one got some too, but this is more authentically Taylor.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s just odd that one of the weakest songs was the single. But then that’s Taylor’s crack PR team for ya. Good looking out guys!

I love Elliott Yamin’s voice, but I love Taylor’s equally as well. Together they are disgustingly awesome, that they should delve in this mine more often. I didnt buy Elliott’s cd because it was too popish for me and didn’t pay homage to the voice. This song does.

Taylor Crack – :lol_tb:

I was at first disappointed with What’s Right is Right. Cliche lyrics, rather boring. Heard it unexpectedly on my local (Western U.S.) AC station and it fit in beautifully. I believe this is why it’s the single. Went with the flow perfectly. (BTW, this station played 2 songs from Taylor Hicks for about 2 weeks after that album’s release. We don’t get much soul around here!)

Surprised to hear they added WRIR – and very pleased!

Yup, Seven Mile Breakdown is all Taylor – love it:)

Interesting about your AC station playing WRIR. Can you tell me what station that was?

IMO, Taylor has shown his knack for selecting songs that fit his talent and since of musical history. I can’t wait to see him in performance to witness how he’ll rip the stage apart and leave the audience dazed when he does I Live On a Battlefield. He take Nick Lowe’s song and polishes it to a fine sheen.

Here’s the Abraham, Martin & John

http://webchic00.multiply.com/video/item/45

Thanks, mandalay

Hopefully dingo will come back and watch it.

I guess mj will critique the album at some point or at least tell if she likes it or not.

I must be to late ,I clicked the link it took me to a page that said Taylor HIcks but there was nothing on there .I even did a search and it was blank again .
I guess I am too late

It’s not on there any more. Somebody said something about only for 24 hours and we are past that. Maybe it will show up somewhere else.

I hadn’t had a chance to listen to all the clips either – darn! – but the ones I did listen to I LOVED (think they were on the second page).

I am very pleased with this cd – I like it lots more than the last one – sounds more like the voice I fell in love with a few years ago. I will definately buy the whole cd.

The singer that harmonized so beautifully with Elliott was Taylor.

The backup during the part of the song I was referring to wasn’t Taylor, but yes, Taylor and Elliott’s different soul stylings complement each other nicely.

I like the cd and hope that it is successful. Taylor is hard working , talented and the cd is better than most of the junk that is pumped out today . Hope tptb in radio have the foresight to give it airplay. To each his own but I think it’s good.

Pretty good. I have to listen to it more.

Woman’s Got To Have It is great, when Elliott’s not singing. Can’t stand his shaky virbrato.

Once Upon a Lover of Mine is my favorite so far. Love the latin feel. Reminds me of Hold On To Your Love.