UPDATE: Here’s video from tonight’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Olbermann’s sub, Brian Unger and comedian Judy Gold snark on Taylor Hicks’s People cover. A boring segment on the appeal of gray hair is sandwiched in-between Unger and Gold. I love the snark, but this fell flat. Bonus footage: Ace Young appears for a few seconds.
News Item: Taylor Hicks jammed with pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph at the Greek theater in LA.
“Earlier, just after the Truckers’ half-hour set, Hicks could easily be spotted (and approached) near one of the swag stands, flanked by managers and security people while watching “Idol” pal Elliott Yamin engage in his own bit of meet-and-greet.
It was an odd sight at a show not sponsored by Pop-Tarts and attended by tens of thousands of squealing teens. But what may have drawn snickers in the lobby grew into enthusiasm once Hicks was on stage.
I couldn’t tell you the name of the tune he and Randolph cooked on, as this night the guitarist’s set mashed one hook-free groove into another. (The guy is a virtuoso, yes, but he needs better material, stuff that can be tightly constructed for maximum impact as much as it can be stretched out. It’s telling, actually, that he shined most on someone else’s song, Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile.”)
What I can say, however, is that Hicks held his own, never showboating or stealing the spotlight, just sitting in, blowing some mean harmonica and briefly leading the responsive crowd in a bit of “everybody say yeah!” back and forth. That showed respect to the evening he intruded upon. But the moment also stands as a significant vote of confidence from a serious rocker, something no “Idol” favorite has received, at least not so meaningfully.”
thanks megg
A Little Chart News
From Billboard.com:
Chris Daughtry’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” from American Idol Season 5 Encores CD charted at #93 this week, dropping from #52 last week on Billboard Hot 100. On Pop 100, WDOA charted at #71, dropping from #43 last week. Both Taylor Hicks’s “Takin’ it to the Streets” and Elliott Yamin’s “Moody’s Mood for Love” from American Idol Season 5 Encores, fell off the Billboard charts this week.
“Do I Make You Proud/Takin’ it to the Streets”, Taylor Hicks’s new single, debuted impressively at #17 on Hot 100 Single Sales. Hot 100 Single Sales tracks only sales, and not radio play. The record achieved the #17 position due to street-date violation sales where stores are selling the single earlier than the release date. When the charts are based on legal sales next week, the numbers should be very good. thanks folkgirl, marketing man
“Do I Make You Proud” also kept its #17 position on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks this week.
Other Charts
As I post this, “Do I Make You Proud” is #6 at Itunes. The B side, “Takin’ it to the Streets” is #25. At Amazon, “Do I Make You Proud/Takin it to the Streets is #10.