Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Taylor Hicks is perhaps one of the most unique Idol winners to ever grace the competition. Many have speculated that this Idol will be the toughest of all to market, but my personal opinion is if Taylor makes the right album and doesn't stray away from the style that he showcased on the show (Michael McDonald blue-eyed soul/ retro-soul), then he should be alright. After all, there has been a slight resurgence in the adult contemporary, blue-eyed soul music as of late with McDonald's MOTOWN series just as one example. But back to Taylor as a singer himself. "Do I Make You Proud" isn't the greatest song ever written, but Taylor vocal interpretation makes the song much better than it is. Anyone watching the finale could tell that "Do I Make You Proud" as a song itself was much better than "My Destiny", unfortunate for McPhee of course. Vocally, Hicks outsung McPhee there as well. Here, Hicks rids of the minor intonation flaws that he had when performing it live and it sounds better and smoother. "Takin' It To The Streets" has the distinction of perhaps being the best track on the Idol compilation CD. It trumps "Do I Make You Proud" because this type of song and this genre of music seems to be Hicks's confort zone. He makes the Doobie Brothers and Michael McDonald "Proud" on this exceptional remake. It is rare than an artist can pull a cover tune off very well, but Hicks proves that the "soul patrol" is where it is at. Excellent first single Taylor; you make me proud. 4 stars.