Among the arguments for "American Idol" being something other than a beauty contest was the 2006 result, in which Taylor Hicks pulled an upset over Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry and about 10,000 other better-looking people who auditioned.

Taylor Hicks found his musical foundation listening to Ray Charles. Click photo for larger image. Taylor Hicks Where: Palace Theatre, Greensburg. When: 7:30 p.m Sun. Tickets: $35-$40; 724-836-8000.

The 30-year-old singer from Birmingham, Ala., with the salt-and-pepper hair and gawky dance steps won America over with his "Soul Patrol" campaign despite the protests of judge Simon Cowell, who still claims he just did not "get" him.

A year later, their three debut records are on the market, and America is voting once again, this time with their wallets. Everything is a little bit topsy-turvy. Daughtry, who didn't make the Top 5 on "Idol," has been lingering around the top of the charts, McPhee is in the 60s after six weeks, and Hicks is down in the 130s after 13 weeks.

How does Hicks feel seeing Daughtry up there?

He's not panicking.

"I mean, I just think we're two different kinds of artists," he says on the phone from a casino gig in St. Charles, where he sounds as if he just came from happy hour. "I'm a career artist, and slow and steady wins the race for me and my format. I wish him all the best; he's a good songwriter. It's easy with the rock genre to get into the Top 40 quickly. For me, soul music, it takes a little longer to develop, and it's developing."

Most guys Hicks' age were growing up on Pearl Jam and Nirvana in the early '90s. Hicks, who was never much of a concert-goer, was more drawn to Jackie Wilson, Van Morrison, Joe Cocker and his favorite, the "Genius of Soul."

"Ray Charles was the first I started listening to," he says, "that was my musical foundation. So, that was a good place to start. I guess I gravitated toward that music and it accelerated since. I listened to other stuff, but I knew I was moving toward being a musician and felt like I need that base."

Hicks spent the past decade playing clubs in the Southeast, and he cut two independent records before auditioning for "Idol" in Las Vegas (the Memphis auditions were canceled that year because of Katrina).

Some friends had talked him into auditioning, and he didn't figure he had much of a chance.

"Considering that I looked like one of the contestant's fathers," he says, "it was slim. But once I got in there and started singing, it was a whole lot easier."

He charmed his way through the competition with a regular-guy underdog image and gruff vocals on songs by Cocker, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, the Doobie Brothers and others.

He says he had a good time the whole way through.

"It was stressful, but my career was moving along, so you gotta be thankful for that."

For his Arista debut, Hicks was paired with producer Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty, Santana, Aerosmith), and they came out with a polished contemporary soul record with songs by the likes of Rob Thomas, Bryan Adams and Diane Warren, plus a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Wherever I Lay My Hat" and two originals.

It's gotten mixed reviews, but no one could consider it a cartoon version of an R&B record.

"I just wanted to make a modern soul record, and I think we accomplished that," Hicks says. "I felt like it could go any which way, but I wanted to carry that idea that I had been working on as an artist for 10 years."

Asked about contemporary inspirations on the record, he says he listened to "some John Legend and other modern soulful guys who kind of fit into my vein."

"Do I Make You Proud," the first single, debuted at No. 1 on the singles chart, and the album came in at No. 2, but it's looking right now like it could use a new injection of life.

That will come in the form of an "Idol" appearance later in the season. That means another showcase in front of Simon, who still shakes his head about him.

"If he's still talking about me, I'm happy," Hicks says, adding, "It was about America. It wasn't about the judges, ultimately. America decided the vote."