The Distance

Once upon a time — in 2006, to be precise — Taylor Hicks was one of the more annoyingly omnipresent figures in all of popular culture. At least he’s not omnipresent anymore. Abandoned by his major-label benefactors the moment his 15 minutes finally ran out, the American Idol winner has now been reduced to hawking his supposedly soulful music on his own independent label. That doesn’t make Hicks’ music any better, of course, but look at it this way: He’s no worse than any of the countless other graying dudes singing what they believe to be the blues in hotel lobbies and dive bars across the nation. C

Download This: Listen to songs from the new album on the singer’s MySpace

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