Records are rated on a scale of one (awful) to five (classic) stars:

ROCK/POP

TAYLOR HICKS 'Taylor Hicks' (Arista)

One of the nice things about Taylor Hicks on record is that you don't have to watch him try to dance. He's not even dancing in the CD booklet. Instead, we see the "American Idol" winner holding a guitar, even though he's not credited anywhere on the record as actually playing one.

Taylor Hicks

That's OK. He has other people to do that. His job was to sing and make sure he wasn't completely embarrassed by the production and song choices that have sabotaged numerous other Idols.

Much to my surprise, he succeeded. Rather than "Soul Patrol!" kitsch or a Clay Aiken schmaltz-fest, "Taylor Hicks" is a tasteful blue-eyed soul record not unlike the ones we used to get from Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Stevie Winwood and the like. Around these parts, people might even say, "Hey, that sounds like Billy Price."

Producer Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty) finds a nice meeting ground between contemporary pop and Memphis-style R&B, and the musicianship is slick but tasty. It's loaded with potential hits for the stations that moms and grandmoms listen to when their kids aren't messing with the radio.

It starts out poppier than it is with a brassy "The Run-Around" and "Dream Myself Awake," typical pop craft from Rob Thomas. But then Paul Pena's "Gonna Move" and "Heaven Knows," which takes the riff from "What'd I Say," are all retro-classic winners. Same with Hicks' own "Soul Thing," but he's going to owe Warren Haynes ("Soulshine") a few bucks for that one.

In places where he could go over the top, like on the inevitable Diane Warren track, "Places I've Been," or the Randy Newman-style closer "The Right Place," he keeps his control and grit.

Club singers like our beloved Price have been making records like this for years. All it took was an unlikely run by a silver-haired young Idol with two left feet to put it on a major label.

-- Scott Mervis, Post-Gazette pop music critic

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CLARK SLATER 'LONG WAY FROM HOME'

In this day and age, a genuinely passionate album is hard to come by, but Clark Slater manages to produce one with "Long Way From Home." His rich and smoky vocals and refreshingly rockin' sound stand out amidst a bland singer-songwriter uprising.

Clark Slater

Slater knows the very definition of dedication. He's worked as a full-time musician struggling to support himself, fallen back on a computer science degree for a few years, and rediscovered his calling with the help of an old high school pal.

He did a three-year stint with the band Push up until 1999, and followed that by a spot as Bill Deasy's lead guitarist. While recording with Deasy in the Big Apple, Slater reconnected with his singer-songwriter dreams and yielded his debut project.

This unique blend of U2, James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel-inspired tracks speaks of new and old love, revisiting the main theme of home, both in the literal and metaphorical sense of the word. Rousing tracks include the classic soft-rock "Bring the Love" and "I Will Follow," a toned-down heartfelt ballad where Slater illustrates his range.

Perhaps it's his handsome rocker style complete with leather jackets and tight white T's or his rough and sexy voice that draws you in. Whatever the case, Clark Slater's meant to entertain, and his release "Long Way From Home" is the perfect fireside companion this holiday season.

-- Ashlee Green for the Post-Gazette