(All times ET)

Monday, December 28 (All times ET)

• ZZ Top: Storytellers [Palladia 9AM]
• Justin Timberlake: Biography [BIO 11AM]
• Film: That Thing You Do! [VH1 Classic 3PM]
• 50 Cent: Behind the Music [VH1 8PM]
• Jeff Beck: Live at Ronnie Scott’s [Palladia 11PM]

Tuesday, December 29

• Bret Michaels: Behind the Music [VH1 Classic 6PM]
• Glastonbury 2009: Hour 1 [Palladia 6PM]
• Paul McCartney: In St. Petersberg [VH1 Classic 7PM]
• Film: The Rocky Horror Picture Show [Fuse 9PM]
• The Mamas and The Papas: Biography [BIO 9PM]

Wednesday, December 30

• Ray Charles: Biography [BIO 8AM]
• Aretha Franklin: Biography [BIO 9AM]
• Jack Johnson: En Concert [Noon Palladia]
• AC/DC: Live from Circus Krone [VH1 Classic 4PM]
• Spectacle w/Elvis Costello: Bono and the Edge [Sundance 10PM]

Thursday, December 31

• David Gilmour: Live in Gdansk [ Palladia 7AM]
• Rush: Rush in Rio [VH1 Classic Midnight]
• David Letterman: Ray Davies [CBS 11:35PM]

Previously, I had reviewed Taylor Hicks’ album The Distance, but did not have the Walmart bonus track, “Hide Nor Hair”. I finally got it, so here are my thoughts.

This song represents exactly what the Soul Patrol wants to hear: a cover of a Ray Charles song, although most of the fans are sure to prefer the live, less-enunciated version, complete with dancing and twitching. (I say that fondly; I would prefer that version, too.) It’s a simple arrangement of organs, drums, funky bass and, right up front as on the rest of the album, Hicks’ vocals. In the middle, he throws in a guitar that straddles country twang and Dick Dale-esque surf rock. I would not be averse to the live version exploring a surf beat for a few minutes. (Hint, hint.)

For those who might wonder, I haven’t played The Distance in its entirety since finishing my review, but the songs do come up frequently on my iTunes randomizer. I keep thinking “Once Upon A Lover” is The Mavericks when it comes up, at least until the vocals kick in. Other than that, many of the songs are slowly growing on me, but I can’t take them all at once. Nothing wrong with that, though!

Prior to coming into American homes on American Idol’s Season 5, Taylor Hicks had been a working musician for over 10 years. Working the bars and clubs of the southeastern US, Hicks honed his craft, becoming the seasoned performer we saw in our living rooms each week. As Season 5 progressed, many fans began to discover the pre-AI Taylor Hicks, and they liked what they saw and heard – a singer and songwriter than transcended what they saw on their TV screens.

Fans discovered that Hicks had recorded two CD’s prior to AI, In Your Time, released in 1997 and Under the Radar, released in 2005. Both CDs were recorded independently and were made under very tight budgets. In Your Time was actually recorded live to save money. Neither CD was widely available, but ended up in the hands of fans through various channels. But now, songs from those two CD’s have been remastered and released by Hicks’ own Modern Whomp Records, under the title Early Works.

The compilation includes six songs from each of the previous CDs; all but two songs are Hicks originals. These songs have been in my possession for two years now, but I was anxious to hear these remastered versions. Would they lose that raw, stripped down, hard working musician quality that I found so attractive? The answer is no, they’ve just made them better, bringing out Hicks’ vocals and the great performances of his backup musicians. “Nostalgic” and “endearing” are the words Hicks uses to describe the compilation, but I’d like to add original, warm, creative, versatile, and passionate.

For those who did not follow Hicks beyond his AI performances each week, or may have heard Taylor Hicks, his post-AI release, Early Works may be a pleasant surprise. Though two of his original songs, Soul Thing and The Deal were included on Taylor Hicks, they were highly produced versions of the songs. What you get on Early Works are songs written and recorded by a young Hicks, taking all he had been exposed to from his immersion into the world of music, that started at the age of nine with the theft of a friends’ Otis Redding album. Hicks tries to set the tone of what it’s all about for him with the placement of Soul Thing on track one – “It ain’t no groove thing, it ain’t no country twang, it’s a just a simple refrain, it’s just a soul thing.” But it is all of those things and more on Early Works. You feel his love of music, no matter what the genre on this CD – the bluesy sound of Somehow, the country feel of West Texas Sky, the calypso beat of Hold Onto Your Love, the New Orleans vibe of My Friend, and the groove of Tighten Up. Most of all, what you discover is that not only is Hicks a great singer and performer, but a damn good songwriter.

Though not written by Hicks, one song on the compilation deserves particular attention. The cover of Georgia, with Billy Earl McClelland on guitar, is worth the over seven minute listen. Hicks eases into the song, handling it almost reverently as a nod to his idol, Ray Charles. But as the song goes on, he makes it his own, taking us to every corner of his vocal ability, from soul wrenching growls to smooth falsetto. For anyone needing an introduction to the vocal abilities and the creativity of Taylor Hicks, this is the song to listen to.

The release of Early Works makes this music more widely available, but it also sets the stage for Hicks’ next CD, which is in the works. According to Hicks, we can expect something more raw and more organic than his post-AI release. I see it as a possible continuation of where he was going before the sharp left turn of AI. At least all of us who are fans of that raw, bar singer side of Hicks hope so.

Early Works is now available exclusively at Target.