Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Taylor Hicks announced Thursday morning that he’ll be the next former Idol contestant to perform on a results show.

He’ll be singing the second single — “Seven Mile Breakdown” — off his second post-Idol album next Wednesday night.

The album, “The Distance,” was released the same day as Kelly Clarkson’s hit CD “All I Ever Wanted.”

So far, it would be a stretch to label “The Distance” a hit by any definition of the word.

The album, released on Taylor’s own label, debuted at 56 on Billboard’s Hot 200 (album chart) the week after its release. It slid to 87 the following week and has since disappeared from the top 100.

Taylor has gotten plenty of publicity to help support the album, from his highly-publicized tour as a member of the cast of “Grease” to his dating-the-star appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly.

But, apparently, there’s nothing like an appearance on Idol to boost record sales. So far this season, it has already worked for Carrie Underwood, David Cook and Kellie Pickler.

Will it work for Taylor, too? Stay tuned. Meanwhile, here’s a link to reviews of “The Distance.”