For his first album following his victory on America’s Got Talent, Michael Grimm showcases the qualities that made him a favorite on the popular television show. Leave Your Hat On includes the song with which Grimm auditioned (Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker’s immortal “You Don’t Know Me”) in addition to the four tunes he performed on the show in the intervening weeks. Grimm has a workingman’s grit and his arrangements are refreshingly unpretentious. Grimm’s greatest asset might be his taste in material. His album leans heavily on the Southern R&B canon, with multiple songs drawn from the mighty vaults of Stax, Hi, and Atlantic. Otis Redding is his obvious favorite, and Grimm can really belt it out with an impressive and emotive growl. But the best songs show him using a gentle touch. His readings of “Tired of Being Alone” and “I’d Rather Go Blind” prove that Grimm grasps the awesome power of understatement — the secret weapon of soul music.