The first thing you notice about Taylor Hicks when he takes the stage at Napoleon’s Lounge is the way he connects with the audience. Hicks was celebrated as much for his charisma as for his trademark premature-gray hair during the fifth season of American Idol, but television can’t properly convey the effect of his performance in an intimate setting. Whether seats are occupied by devoted fans or neophytes who never saw him subvert Simon Cowell’s cynicism with Southern charm during his Idol audition, Hicks wins everyone over with his natural ability as an entertainer.
In other words, it’s obvious he was born to be a singer. American Idol sparked the current phase of his career with that audition, which took place in Las Vegas, meaning his headliner gig at Paris Las Vegas brings him back full circle. Napoleon’s has been transformed into an intimate nightclub/listening room for the occasion, and Hicks’ crack four-piece band fits perfectly on the stage—along with an old-school Hammond C3 organ. “It’s really cool,” says Hicks. “There aren’t many small music venues around anymore, and I feel like this is one of them.”
Hicks got more than a little extra room for his audience than he had when he performed inside a venue at Bally’s prior to moving to Napoleon’s in January. “I really had the creative control to be able to produce the room as an intimate musical-venue setting,” he says. “From lighting to sound, we were able to do that.”
The effort shows, as the sound fills every corner of the room comfortably. Hicks blazes through selections from his repertoire of nearly 100 songs—his cover of The Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It to the Streets” is a particular highlight—shares stories, gives thanks to Ray Charles and gets ladies literally jumping out of their seats when he closes his eyes and reaches deep inside to put everything he’s got into a vocal phrase. He also picks up a guitar himself, and sits at the Hammond to play some stirring licks with the band. “It’s the full Hammond organ setup,” says Hicks. “I like to use an organ onstage anytime I can, and anytime the space will allow, I like to use that.”
That setup includes a separate rotating speaker to get a perfect vintage feel and help fuel the sound Hicks has been cultivating since he wowed audiences back in Birmingham, Ala. Hicks has invested in his own club/barbecue joint called Saw’s Soul Kitchen, but it’s a safe bet that he takes a little bit of Alabama soul wherever he goes. That includes Nashville at present, as Hicks is working on a full-length recording of country songs during breaks from Las Vegas.
Nearly nine years after America was introduced to him, Hicks still has the wind at his back. “I couldn’t be happier with the band, the venue and the fans that come to see me perform,” he says. “Definitely the set changes, and there are some curveballs. That’s what people like, and they keep coming back for that reason.”
Paris 8 p.m. Mon.-Tues. and Thurs.-Sat., $36.99-$56.99 VIP plus tax and fee. 702.777.7776
