Man, that guy can sing!

Seriously ... am I the only one singing "Heaven Knows" to myself this morning, trying to get the certain rasp in my voice just right?!

Needless to say (as you all told me months ago), Taylor Hicks put on an amazing show at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center last night here in Poughkeepsie.

More of a jam session than your traditional rock n' roll concert, Taylor and his band played for about 75 minutes, barely stopping for a breath in between songs — an almost nonstop jam from start to finish.

Belting out the hits from his self-titled CD that we all know — songs like "The Runaround" and that infectious "Heaven Knows" — he also peppered in covers of the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" and his encore, Supertramp's "Take the Long Way Home," among others.

While he didn't sing "Do I Make You Proud," the single that was more or less forced on him when he won the finale of Season Five of "American Idol," that sappy song wouldn't have fit in well with his soulful performance, so it wasn't really missed.

(Janice from Hopewell Junction was kind enough to send me Taylor's set list from last night, and I'll post that here later. Be sure to check back!)

What was pretty refreshing was seeing a guy who won individual fame and glory on "AI" often deferring to his five band members, giving each of them the spotlight throughout the show, even if it meant stepping almost completely off stage during a song to give each individual player his due.

As for his own musical ability, Taylor shined on the harmonica (seen below in a lil' video I snapped from the third row), wailed on the guitar, shook that tambourine like a Polaroid picture and even threw in a little cowbell.



And his fans??? Wow! That's a dedicated bunch! They came early, they danced and you could tell Taylor appreciated the support, several times thanking the Soul Patrol in Poughkeepsie for all they've given him. (No word, though, if he took up the offer to eat at the 84 Diner.)

Taylor danced right along, moving and grooving with the music as if possessed by it. If you thought all those gyrations on "AI" were just for show — perhaps a ploy to win more votes — think again, because you could see him feeling the music, almost note by note.

After the show, he rewarded his fans for their support by signing autographs for about 50 of us (you read about that, right?) despite an increasingly thunderous downpour.

For someone who wasn't sure about Taylor Hicks' staying power a few months ago when the show was announced, I was thoroughly impressed, if not hooked!

Followed only by my man Barry Manilow, Taylor ranks second on my list of solo acts I've seen live ... yes, even ahead of Britney Spears, who I've seen twice.

Rock on, Soul Patrol! Rock on!