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Taylor Talks about THE DISTANCE
Topic Started: Mar 6 2009, 06:34 AM (576 Views)
mouser
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THIS is an interview!


Taylor Hicks' comments on each track of new CD The Distance'

Friday, March 06, 2009
Taylor Hicks offered a few comments on each track of his new CD, "The Distance":

"The Distance": "It's kind of like my version of `Born in the U.S.A. I think the message is clear; the distance between us and the world is closer than we think." "What's Right Is Right": "Soul Song 101. The saxophone subtone in the solo is kind of like a little music lesson. You can really hear the instrument breathe. In the video for the song, I wanted to get across my idea of what true love is, when you know it's real. What happens to one person happens with another." "New Found Freedom": "It's my take on a gospel number. I have strong gospel influences, so we worked that over and decided to bring in a gospel choir." "Nineteen": "It's American and honest, the story of a war hero. Our war heroes sometimes happen to be 19 years old. I felt it was relevant right now." "Once Upon a Lover": "I had been trying my hand at Latin music a bit, quietly to myself. I decided to go that way with this song, because the title is so strong and the idea behind the story is so strong. We have (bassist) Abe Laboriel Sr. and (drummer) Abe Laboriel Jr. playing on it. These are legendary Latin musicians, a father-and-son duo. I think that makes it pretty authentic." "Seven Mile Breakdown": "Traveling to the west side of Mississippi in a conversion van with no air-conditioning in the middle of summer. That was the inspiration, and I have first-hand experience. Doyle (Bramhall II) plays a great slide guitar part in it." "Maybe You Should": "I wrote that with Mike Reid, who's famous for `I Can't Make You Love Me' with Bonnie Raitt. It's one of those songs where we got chill bumps. It could end up being a career song for me." "Keepin' it Real": "That's my tongue-in-cheek reference to pop culture. I got my ideas for it when I went to a local magazine stand." "I Live on a Battlefield": "I see this as the traditional blues song on the record. It's got great lyrics and a great story. I thought that I would love to be able to tell that story in my own way." "Wedding Day Blues": "That one's from Alan Little of Huntsville. Some of us might have had that experience - well, scratch that, it's just a great story. I think it could be a movie someday." "Woman's Gotta Have It" (with Elliott Yamin): "I fell in love with Bobby Womack and that particular song. To a certain degree, there's a call-and-response on the original version, and I think both Elliott and I have a natural, soulful sound to our voices. There's no better pure vibrato sound than Elliott Yamin's way." Mary Colurso --


http://www.al.com/music/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/123633098190210.xml&coll=2



Edited by mouser, Mar 9 2009, 01:48 PM.
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Taylor Hicks delves deeper in new CD, The Distance'

Friday, March 06, 2009
Watch the video for "What's Right Is Right," the first single from "The Distance," and you'll see what Hicks means. It was designed to be moody, mature and romantic, set in the smoky bars and snowy streets of Chicago. The action unfolds like a vintage movie, buoyed by Hicks' dig-into-the-emotions vocals.

"I wanted to create that alone, James Dean feel, and get across my point of what true love is," Hicks says. "There's a couple with something to overcome, an obstacle. But when you know it's real, what happens with one person happens with another. It also brings out the idea that there might be a little bit of longing for true love in me. I know true, real love is out there."

Stop swooning, ladies, and turn your attention to other songs on the disc, such as the title track and "Nineteen." Although the messages aren't overt, Hicks makes references to a global worldview, to war and peace, and to the ways people with political and cultural differences might come together.


Stylistically, he's taking a few risks, as well, delving into Latin music with "Once a Lover" and gospel with "New Found Freedom." Hicks has writing credits on seven cuts of "The Distance," and bonus tracks tucked into three special editions are likely to give him a few more.

Producer Simon Climie, who's worked with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Michael McDonald, was a major collaborator. Climie wrote "What's Right Is Right" with Dennis Morgan, for example, played guitar on "The Distance" and brought in musicians he felt would be in tune with Hicks' aesthetic.

"We did a lot of preproduction in the south of France, where his home is," Hicks says. "Simon knows about the voice; he knows soul singers. He knows players who could get the point across. We had a vision for each of these songs, and a really good working relationship. I wanted a very earthy, organic sound. He understood where I came from."

Hicks says his former mentor, California bluesman Keb' Mo,' served as "musical spiritual adviser" for the record. Nashville singer-songwriter Gary Nicholson offered his skills and advice, as well.

"I asked myself: Who are your muses, who are your gurus from a musical and personal standpoint? Keb' Mo' was the first and Gary Nicholson was the second," Hicks says. "They understood who I was before the `American Idol' experience. I wanted to go back and let them direct me. They helped me to find songs and songwriters. They were the two best people who could draw it out of me."

Hicks reached back to his Alabama roots, as well, writing and arranging with Alan Little of Huntsville and Auburn's Wynn Christian, singer-guitarist of Spoonful James.

Birmingham foodies with a taste for barbecue may have seen Hicks at Golden Rule during the first six months of 2008, going over songs and mentally preparing for the disc. Other inspiration came on the fairways and greens of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

I've been living and breathing these songs since January of last year," Hicks says. "It took six or seven months to get the creative juices flowing. Broadway and "Grease" took me away to New York, and then we recorded from September to December. I would take gaps, write, do shows, record. In the end, I probably had 30 to 50 songs to choose from, so you put `em all on a big board and you pick."

Although Hicks says he had offers for several record deals, he opted to form his own label, Modern Whomp, and release "The Distance" with distribution from Artist2Market. After his "American Idol" win in 2006, Hicks had a short-lived contract with Arista Records and released one self-titled CD that way.

"I think it's fitting for me to ultimately live out on the edge, living and dying by the pen and creating as much drive and ambition as I can," he says. "I think I know who I am as an artist and what's best for me. I went through some uncertain territory, not having a label, and now I'm on a really solid career path."

One benefit to controlling his material is that Hicks can place his songs wherever he chooses and package them at will. Case in point: He's traveling on the national tour of "Grease" and singing "What's Right Is Right" at the end of each performance. (The tour will stop here on Sept. 22-27 at the BJCC Concert Hall, courtesy of Broadway Across America - Birmingham.)

"It's like a mini-concert within a Broadway performance," Hicks says. "It's added value for the `Grease'-goer and a very innovative and cutting-edge way to be an entertainer."

Moreover, Hicks has planned intimate nightclub dates for specific cities while he's touring with the musical and plans to showcase material from "The Distance" when his acting duties are over for the night.

"I'm going out in the country and be a three-headed monster," he says. "There's the theater role, the musician and two different kinds of shows. It's going to be a little bit exhausting, doing eight shows per week with "Grease," but it's going to be really cool. This is the blue-collar mentality I've always had about performing."

Workaholic tendencies? Maybe. Hicks admits that he might have extended the track listings on "The Distance," but his packed professional schedule demanded otherwise.

"I needed to go to sleep, then I had to go get in the ice-cream cone," he says. "But really, I'm so happy with this record, I could play it at Steak & Ale for the rest of my life."


http://www.al.com/music/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/123633101990210.xml&coll=2&thispage=2


Edited by mouser, Mar 9 2009, 01:47 PM.
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Oldiebutgoodie
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Leave it to Taylor to open up to the "home folks" about the CD-he did the same thing when the TH CD was released-because I have the actual article in a scrapbook--

And you're right-THIS is an interview--
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:thumbsup These interviews of Taylor speaking baout the Distance and how he came to make this CD - and all the words and thoughts he gives us about his music, life, and love - are really worth reading!

Thanks so much for finding these!

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http://blog.al.com/scene/2009/03/track_by_track_with_taylor_hic.html

By Mary Colurso

"The Distance": "It's kind of like my version of 'Born in the U.S.A.' I think the message is clear; the distance between us and the world is closer than we think."

"What's Right Is Right": "Soul Song 101. The saxophone subtone in the solo is kind of like a little music lesson. You can really hear the instrument breathe. In the video for the song, I wanted to get across my idea of what true love is, when you know it's real. What happens to one person happens with another."

"New Found Freedom": "It's my take on a gospel number. I have strong gospel influences, so we worked that over and decided to bring in a gospel choir."

"Nineteen": "It's American and honest, the story of a war hero. Our war heroes sometimes happen to be 19 years old. I felt it was relevant right now."

"Once Upon a Lover": "I had been trying my hand at Latin music a bit, quietly to myself. I decided to go that way with this song, because the title is so strong and the idea behind the story is so strong. We have (bassist) Abe Laboriel Sr. and (drummer) Abe Laboriel Jr. playing on it. These are legendary Latin musicians, a father-and-son duo. I think that makes it pretty authentic."

"Seven Mile Breakdown": "Traveling to the west side of Mississippi in a conversion van with no air-conditioning in the middle of summer. That was the inspiration, and I have first-hand experience. Doyle (Bramhall II) plays a great slide guitar part in it."

"Maybe You Should": "I wrote that with Mike Reid, who's famous for 'I Can't Make You Love Me' with Bonnie Raitt. It's one of those songs where we got chill bumps. It could end up being a career song for me."

"Keepin' it Real": "That's my tongue-in-cheek reference to pop culture. I got my ideas for it when I went to a local magazine stand."

"I Live on a Battlefield": "I see this as the traditional blues song on the record. It's got great lyrics and a great story. I thought that I would love to be able to tell that story in my own way."

"Wedding Day Blues": "That one's from Alan Little of Huntsville. Some of us might have had that experience -- well, scratch that, it's just a great story. I think it could be a movie someday."

"Woman's Gotta Have It" (with Elliott Yamin): "I fell in love with Bobby Womack and that particular song. To a certain degree, there's a call-and-response on the original version, and I think both Elliott and I have a natural, soulful sound to our voices. There's no better pure vibrato sound than Elliott Yamin's way."
Edited by mouser, Mar 9 2009, 01:49 PM.
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Talking with Taylor Hicks !Idol champ goes The Distance
Joel D Amos


http://www.sheknows.com/articles/808063.htm


American Idol is burning bright yet again, season five champion Taylor Hicks is releasing his latest CD, The Distance. Mr. Soul Patrol took a few minutes from touring the country in Grease to share insight into winning American Idol and life since the confetti flew on the Kodak Theatre stage.
Taylor Hicks, as all American Idol fans know, is a product of Alabama and he credits a challenging childhood with his passion for the blues.

American fell in love with Hicks and his Soul Patrol as they voted him American Idol champ in 2006 over Katherine McPhee. Since then Hicks has hit number one with his debut single, Do I Make You Proud? and written a biography Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way.

Even though his 2007 self-titled album went platinum, Arista records dropped Hicks from the label in 2008. Hicks is putting out his own album on Modern Whomp Records that lands in stores today, Hicks is ready to once again go The Distance.



Taylor's talents
SheKnows: How are things in the world of Taylor Hicks today?

Taylor Hicks: things are well. I’m in Baltimore Maryland and it’s supposed to be the coldest night of the year. I’m kind of looking forward to it, kind of not.

SheKnows: You’re performing in Grease, right?
Taylor Hicks: I sure am, it has been a blast.

SheKnows: That first performance in front of a crowd, even if it was three people, that got you hooked on the idea of performing. What was that?
Taylor Hicks: Oh boy. Wow. I think I was five or six years old. I was in Clanton, Alabama and they were having a open mike in this barn. This old country barn and there was a band, really an old timey setting. I remember the last person singing and they asked if there was anybody else. My granddad said, ‘we got one right here.’ He just looked at me and pointed at me. My eyes got as big as saucers and I think ended singing All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight by Hank Williams Jr.

SheKnows: (laughs) That is great!
Taylor Hicks: At that point in time, I knew that was it.

SheKnows: I would say so, that would be hard to walk away from after singing Hank Williams Jr to an Alabama crowd at five years old!
Taylor Hicks: (laughs) Luckily, a few missed lines, the crowd still responded in a positive manner. I’m glad I did.


Playing the Teen Idol
SheKnows: How did your participation in Grease come about? You’re touring the country as the Teen Idol.
Taylor Hicks: It’s been a wonderful experience as an entertainer to be able to exercise a particular vein of entertaining that I in a million years never thought I’d get to do. It’s worked out wonderfully so far. Being on Broadway was great experience for me. This role as Teen Angel has allowed me to really take a step back and explore role playing and acting. This is a fresh start for me.

SheKnows: For you as a performer and a fan of music, what numbers in Grease are you a fan of that you’re not a part of?
Taylor Hicks: I think about it, with the passing of Bo Diddley, I think the Hand Jive. Bo Diddley was such a pioneer of that particular rhythmic pattern of music. I think the Hand Jive is a homage to Bo Diddley every night that I hear. Which is good, it carries his legacy.


The Distance delivered
SheKnows: When you heading into a new project and you’re picking out the songs, I’m sure there are more than what ends up on what everyone hears. On this latest record, The Distance, was there a difficult process narrowing the songs down?
Taylor Hicks: The song choice has been – It’s been a yearlong process choosing the songs. I think once we got into the studio, I knew exactly which songs I wanted to sing. Having the time to be able to prepare for a new record is something that for me, was critical in the decision making of recording this record.

SheKnows: As a performer, particularly as singers do, you lay your soul out there – not to coin your classic Soul Patrol phrase – but you really do, are there ever songs you create that are a little too close to home that you hold back on. Or, are you more of an open book?
Taylor Hicks: I’m a little bit of both. I am an open book. But, there are some songs that I do sing that are difficult. If you’re living those lyrics and the music, it is very easy to connect with it, so there are a few songs that I particularly connect with because there are songs that force you live in the present.

SheKnows: How did the pace of the American Idol tour help you for this Grease tour? You guys were playing every night somewhere with Idol.
Taylor Hicks: I do eight shows a week with Grease. I think we were doing six on the tour. I think you have to be in really good shape. Being in performing shape, and if you look at stage performance as an exercise as well. Sometimes it’s physically exhausted.

SheKnows: Are you going to hit the road to support the new CD The Distance?Taylor Hicks: In a way, I’ve already started to do that. What’s happening in these markets doing Grease, I’m performing my brand new single What’s Right is Right every night at the encore of every Grease performance.

SheKnows: What a great idea!
Taylor Hicks: Yeah, totally! Being in a market for an extended period of time, I’m allowed to bring the band for one night in a particular city and perform a small intimate show for the fans in that particular city. I’m almost a shadow tour.

SheKnows: Sounds like a treat for the audience.
Taylor Hicks: I think it is! It’s a really cool of being on the road and being an entertainer and performing music. Also, being able to perform a role too within the same hour of entertainment, I think it’s a very cutting edge way -- and blue collar mind you -- of getting your music out there to the people.
Edited by mouser, Mar 10 2009, 04:44 PM.
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Hicks hopes to go 'The Distance' with sophomore CD
By ALICIA RANCILIO, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, March 10, 2009
New York (AP)

It's OK — you can call it a comeback.

Taylor Hicks is starting over with his new CD "The Distance," out Tuesday. He's releasing it under his own label, Modern Whomp Records, which launched in January.

Hicks became famous by winning the fifth season of "American Idol." His first, self-titled album went platinum but didn't generate the radio play or hype caused by previous winners like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.

The singer says it was a mutual decision to part ways last year with his label, Arista Records. Hicks says he received "some great offers" from other labels, but wanted to try something different for his sophomore effort.

He's also stepped outside recording, playing Teen Angel in the national Broadway tour of "Grease."

Hicks, 32, talks about his second chapter.

AP: What is your new album like?
Hicks: This is the representation of me as an artist right now. I think the key for this particular project was time. I had the time to create the songs, time to record the music, time to really think about the producers that I wanted to work with.

AP: Why did you decide to start your own label after leaving Arista?
Hicks: I had traditional label offers but I just thought to myself, you know, I think this is a pretty good comeback story. To be able to stay busy, do Broadway, I like to look at it as a little bit of a comeback story. From the "Grease" thing, this is a really cutting edge way of breaking a record. ... I am Teen Angel one minute and I'm singing my single ("What's Right is Right") the next so it's never been done before. One minute there's an artist in a role and then the next there is me performing my single every night. Within the Broadway touring company it's the best of both worlds.

AP: How do you think "Idol" helped you?
Hicks: I'm in the right place as far as where I am as an entertainer. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning the recording process. A lot of my time and effort pre-"American Idol" was spent on the road as a live performer. "American Idol" gave me that chance to better learn how to be a recording artist so it's a learning process.

AP: Do you stay connected to "American Idol" in any way?
Hicks: I do keep in touch with a lot of my fellow Idols. We e-mail, text message each other back and forth; when we see each other in person it's always nice. It's a very wonderful experience. I pinch myself a lot about that. It is an amazing opportunity and I'm very blessed to have the opportunities that I've had off of "Idol."

AP: Now that you have your own label, can you see yourself making other artists' dreams come true?
Hicks: That might be more of my calling than this, you know? Who knows. There is that idea of being able to nurture and artist. I started from the ground up. ... Actually when I was 17 I hit the road. I had a vision about entertaining and for 10 or 12 years all I did was learn and work the clubs. Kept my karma wheel intact. I think that's big. That's what really gets you over the hump.

AP: Finally, you had a little "Bachelor" experience of your own recently when "Regis & Kelly" tried to set you up on date on their show. What was that like?
Hicks: They called me and asked me if I wanted to do it and after conversing with some friends and family they told me if you are dating you do have to get out there, and I guess I got out there a little bit, considering it was on national television. We had a great time. I enjoyed that particular part. ... We went on a date, there were some sparks and who knows! We've kind of thrown a couple e-mails back-and-forth to each other.

___http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/10/entertainment/e142220D93.DTL

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New album highlights a 'pretty good comeback story' for American Idol Taylor Hicks

Tuesday, March 10, 2009
By LAWRENCE SPECKER
Entertainment Reporter

"This time last year, I didn't have a deal," says Taylor Hicks. "I think it's a pretty good comeback story."

The comeback involves a couple of things, but at the moment it's mainly about "The Distance," the album that Hicks releases today.

It is his first studio album since the self-titled release that followed his May 2006 victory in the fifth season of "American Idol."

That one went platinum, hit No. 2 on Billboard's album chart, and squeaked a couple of singles into the adult contemporary Top 20. This one may be the acid test for establishing the dimensions of Hicks' career, now that the "Idol" glow is fully behind him.

And yet, listening to its 11 songs, it sounds as if all the pressure is off.

Idol winners' albums tend to play like marketing exercises right down to the over-processed arrangements, with material chosen to cater to specific fan bases, to maintain a specific image developed during the show. Throughout "The Distance," Hicks sounds like he's simply doing what comes naturally.

The raspiness of his voice, once emphasized, is smoothed out, as is the belt-it-out soul-man approach. Though still grounded in blues, gospel and soul, the stylistic range is broad, even playful. You get the distinct impression that Hicks is doing what he wants to, rather than trying to live up to a sometimes contradictory web of expectations and obligations.

In a very real sense, he is working only for himself. The album is being released on his own Modern Whomp Records label. Publicity materials point out that this means he maintains "complete control of direction and ownership of his masters."

This time around, he'll sink or swim on his own merits. If that's a burden, it's one he sounds comfortable with.

"I did have some offers to do traditional label deals," he said, but he opted for freedom and the risks that come with it.

"If I live out there on the edge with it, I think that will drive the art to be better," he said.

He's got some help. A number of musicians take part on the project, but the core group was a small stack of blue-chip players: guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, bassist Nathan East and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. Or as Hicks puts it, "basically Eric Clapton's road band."

Simon Climie, whose credits include work for Clapton, Carlos Santana and Faith Hill, produced. One of his tasks: Helping Hicks avoid making the kind of album he hates, where the style never varies and "the first thing you hear is the last thing you hear."

That's definitely not the case on "The Distance," where the mood ranges from somber, as in the soldier's story of "Nineteen," to silly, as in "Wedding Day Blues," where a man steals back his old flame on her wedding day.

The title track is middle-of-the-road in the best sense: The distance that Hicks sings about is the estrangement that comes up between people over things like "politics and pride." And he argues that good old-fashioned understanding can close the gap.

Variety, Hicks says, is the common thread of this project.

"I wanted to take the listener through some genres of music I like," he said.

The first single, "What's Right Is Right," has been out for a few weeks. Now's the time for Hicks to promote the album, and he'll be making the rounds of television shows and other outlets. He won't be doing a full tour just yet, because of another part of his comeback: For some time now, he's been playing Teen Angel in a touring production of "Grease."

Through this month and next that's going to keep him busy on the West Coast, mostly in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He says his strategy is to work in a simultaneous "shadow tour" of club dates.

He says he's hoping to make it back to south Alabama as soon as possible. He has family and friends here, not to mention a lot of fans who pulled hard for him during his "Idol" run. He'll play for them again some day, he says, he just doesn't yet know when that will be.

"You never know," he said. "I might pop up at the Flora-Bama now and then."

http://www.al.com/living/press-register ... xml&coll=3


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