I am, it seems, the very last fan to hear Taylor Hicks’ new record, The Distance. I deliberately chose, after hearing the early-leaked “What’s Right Is Right” and “Nineteen”, to not listen to any other tracks until the album was released last Tuesday. I did, however, skim some reviews and read the track listing, so I do not come to the record entirely devoid of some idea of what is on it.
After completing my first play-through, in some mixed-up order thanks to iTunes being weird, I can say with confidence a few things. First, which I knew beforehand, the tracks brush several different genres, occasionally within the same song. Second, Hicks may become one of those artists (I am fond of several) whose music far exceeds their lyrics in quality; however, what is cringe-inducing today may become (like many of Paul McCartney’s lyrics) a cause for fondness in the future. Indeed, I already look back on much of Hicks’ Under the Radar in this state of mind.
My challenge in writing this review, as I will gladly confess, will be to strike a balance between forgiving the album’s various sins based on my fan status, and condemning Hicks based on any expectations I may have harbored over the past two years. Should anyone feel I have done either of these things, please feel free to call me out in the comments! On to the tracks…
“The Distance” immediately twangs country at me, the sort of bass-heavy alt-country that I actually listen to. The chorus rings 1970s anthemic. The verse lyric demands attention, a plea for neighbors, countrymen, and all peoples of Earth (here’s where the 70s anthem comes in) to realize we are more alike than not, and thus “The Distance between us fades away.” I do find it entertaining that these sorts of songs are always very musically jingoistic– I rather don’t expect to suddenly hear Arabic melodies and Czech rhythms– but I’m certain it’s meant to be uplifting, and indeed it is. My only question is about the short drumroll at the end. Huh?
“What’s Right Is Right” was the first single, released a month ahead of the album. As noted above, I did listen to it as soon as it was “leaked” (in quotes because it was a marketing strategy). It’s a MOR love ballad with a sax solo in the middle that doesn’t stray too far from the melody. There are some odd vocal phrasings that I am pretty certain are the result of digital splicing in the studio, and they can be jarring to my ear, although I have not seen any other such reactions, so maybe it’s just my hypersensitivity to that sort of thing. What I really like about this track is the Wurlitzer/B3 combo (I am a keyboard geek) and Nathan East’s bass line that seems to be more mobile than in most MOR arrangments.
“New Found Freedom” will be a sing-a-long song at concerts. Again we’re reaching into the anthemic, with a driving gospel chorus. At this point, I feel it necessary to point out that while the song has a lot of energy (may I say I am in love with Nathan East? The bass lines on this album are the shit), Hicks’ vocals only join in that energy occasionally. I realize that his strength is in live performance, and it has been said that he’s some kind of energy vampire that feeds on the audience, but he seriously needed a fire lit under his butt while recording. I’m getting more joy out of the (uncredited) backup singers.
The other early leak, “Nineteen”, is a story about a football player who gets a college scholarship, then joins the Army after 9/11. The last verse, ambiguous in lyric (the soldier he saved gives a speech in his honor, but it is uncertain whether it’s a eulogy, as the Purple Heart may be awarded for either being wounded or being killed in the line of duty), becomes less ambiguous with the slowing-down of the music and the plaintive “He was only nineteen” that ends the song. The song is quite definitely country and should play well on those stations despite our new era of Hope. (For a fascinating read about “cancer country”, which I think needs a co-genre of “soldier country”, try this 2007 Slate article.) It’s a good song, but I won’t be playing it often, since this stuff always makes me cry.
A tame, distant piano intro belies the pop-Latino-Caribbean syncopation of “Once Upon A Lover”. Anyone familiar with Hicks’ concert version of “Hold On To Your Love” will not be surprised at this attempt; however it will certainly confuse the uninitiated. The vocal highlights of this song are the trilled R in “Senorita” and Hicks’ largely sustained high range and falsetto. I also adore Brian Gallagher on flute. There seems to be (and this may just be the digital format) a lack of dynamic range in the vocal, and I hope there will be more along the lines of purring in live performances.
“Seven Mile Breakdown” will likely be familiar to denizens of the Birmingham music scene. A country blues jam co-written by Hicks and good friend Wynn Christian of Spoonful James, “Breakdown” has driving rhythms and a very familiar female backup vocal (Sharon White, as on most of the album, but it reminds me of Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock’s “Picture”). Here is where I finally hear the energy that I know lies latent in Taylor Hicks at all times, perhaps because he has such a strong bond to the song.
“Maybe You Should” is a modern yet timeless broken-hearted piano ballad. It has some absolutely gorgeous chord changes behind a pretty static melody. Lyrically, it is the first-person story of a man who thought he had true love, but perhaps does not. I would rather have seen this as the first single; misery sells, and it’s just a much better song– in terms of songwriting and in terms of recording– than “What’s Right Is Right”. I look forward to hearing it in concert; if Hicks learned to play the piano for it, I would probably die happy.
“Keepin’ It Real” is a fun New Orleans stride piano tune that (finally!) briefly features Hicks’ harmonica and sends up Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, O.J. Simpson, and the celebrity culture in general. One can conclude that it reflects Hicks’ desire to stay either under the paparazzi radar or above the superficial fray, although he rarely likes to actually clarify such things, letting his songs speak for themselves. This one could easily stand on its musical merits, bringing little new to the genre but reviving it for a new generation.
One starts to think, around the time that “I Live On A Battlefield” begins, that Hicks has rarely had a good relationship in his life. This funky groove is an exercise in metaphor, comparing a (mutually) destroyed love to a post-apocalyptic landscape. Hicks’ over-attack of the T’s in the phrase “Now shattered lord and battered/Lie scattered all around” lie in stark contrast to his lazy treatment of the line “My new home is a shell hole filled”, which I could not figure out until I read the lyrics, thankfully included in the booklet. (And he was doing really good on the enunciation until that point!)
If you’re looking for the goofy Hicks, you may almost find him in “Wedding Day Blues”. The enjoyable narrative finds our hero stealing a bride away from her own wedding– well, from the reception, booting the groom from the getaway limo and ravishing the bride…. but not before getting drunk and eating the cake, presumably before it was cut since he was then “asked… to leave”. While I wouldn’t recommend this as a way of getting your girl back, it does make for a good song, and the bluegrass fiddle playing the wedding march in the middle is a nice, if obvious, touch.
Rounding out the “official” album is “Woman’s Gotta Have It”, a tag-team remake of the Bobby Womack song featuring Hicks’ American Idol classmate Elliott Yamin. This old-school R&B slow jam shines, in my opinion, because of Yamin’s presence. Hicks has mentioned in interviews that he had Yamin come into the studio and they recorded together, and you can feel the way they played off each other. Hicks’ voice is more lively, and he graciously takes backing vocals while Yamin takes the lead on the second verse. Their harmonies are engaging and their voices complement each other quite pleasurably. Hicks has mentioned wanting to perform this song live with Yamin; my suggestion would be a co-headlining tour next year.
Hicks has annoyed his dedicated fans by releasing three “bonus tracks” to three different outlets. My download from iTunes included “Yes We Can”, an Allen Toussaint song that coincidentally echoes President Obama’s campaign motto. While I have no doubt that Hicks truly feels all of these happy “come together now” mottoes, and that is why he has included so many such songs on this album, the theme does get a bit repetitive. There is nothing wrong with the song, and the track is actually an old all-star recording over which Hicks has laid his vocal so I can’t complain about the musicianship. However, barring a USO tour (not a bad idea, actually, since Soul Patrollers have been inundating our troops with Hicks’ albums for years now) or a festival involving Willie Nelson or Bono, I can see little but fraternity fatigue for these songs in the future.
I’ve also managed to acquire the Target exclusive bonus track, “Indiscriminate Act of Kindness.” I can only assume that I’m broken, because while everyone on the fan boards seems to be emotionally devastated by this song, I started falling asleep before the first chorus. It stretches on for more than seven minutes. In an attempt to stay awake, I did some research on Foy Vance, the songwriter. “IAOK” was a B-side; the A-side was “Gabriel and the Vagabond”, which was used on Grey’s Anatomy, probably for one of those interminable montage sequences. I’ll grant that Hicks seems to be engaged with the source material, but that’s not enough to interest me.
Finally, I will not be reviewing the WalMart exclusive track at this time, because apparently none of the CDs actually made it to any of the stores. There is a rumor that people who pre-ordered the CD on WalMart.com will be getting their copies complete with “Hide Nor Hair”, but if things do not clear up soon, we may have to consider this a lesson learned about releasing four different versions of the same album. Apparently, I did hear “Hide Nor Hair” at the Baltimore shadow show last month, but I was sick throughout the performance and couldn’t tell you a thing about it. So my impression of the final bonus track will have to wait until A2M and WalMart get their act together.
For those who really didn’t like what I had to say here, please stay tuned for Mac’s review…
