Hicks concert a mixed bag, but Idol's zaniness is intact

Centuries ago, the silver-haired soul singer Taylor Hicks won a big TV talent contest called "American Idol."

What? Only last year? My, how pop-culture time flies.

As "Idol's" 2007 edition lumbers toward the coronation of another contrived pop phenom, its 2006 champ ended his first solo national tour at Seattle's Moore Theatre on Saturday.

A year after his media-saturated "Idol" win, how is Hicks faring?

Only so-so, dawg. His post-"Idol" CD, "Taylor Hicks," was a critical disappointment, clotted with too much shlock-pop and not enough spare, soul-stirring R&B.

And its sales (about 700,000), are a pittance by Idol's surreal standards. (2006 also-ran Chris Daughtry's recent CD has sold more than two million.)

So what's a guy to do? Gauging from his show at the Moore, Hicks is trying to stay true to his roadhouse roots.

Wearing jeans and a brown shirt quickly soaked in sweat, Hicks fronted a hard-driving, seven-piece combo through a jamming hour-and-45-minute set.

A mostly full house cheered on Hicks' gravel-grained singing and wailing harmonica, and his twirling, booty-shaking, pogo-jumping gyrations.

The fans -- tweeners to grandmas -- showed more enthusiasm than reported at some earlier Hicks tour stops. They hooted, hollered, and some danced or flung flowers at Hicks, as he belted oldies (Cream's "Badge," Traffic's "Medicated Goo") and sludgy tunes off his CD ("The Maze," "Give Me Tonight").
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Hicks scored with his own "Soul Thing" and "The Deal," and he should do more originals. But the band's consistently blistering, blasting volume obliterated many lyrics and any attempt at sonic variety.

Can Hicks sustain a major pop career? If he learns the power of crisp, tight arrangements, and controlled frenzy (a la his idol Ray Charles). He'll also need a much better follow-up CD. What he has to build on are his infectious zest, hearty vocals, and that passion for old-school pop that won him "Idol" voters.

Keep that zany streak too, Taylor. Who else would start singing the soapy ballad "Do I Make You Proud?," then turn into a rave-up cover of ABBA's "Dancing Queen"?