When "American Idol" contestant Taylor Hicks belted out Stevie Wonder's golden oldie "Living for the City," there was scant age difference between the singer and the 32-year-old song.

Hicks, 29, and other "Idol" finalists edging near 30 are testing the limits of just how old an aspiring pop star can be and still gain acceptance from the music industry and the public — while the TV contest reaps the rewards of showcasing performers older than it used to feature.

The top-rated Fox show is attracting a bigger audience than ever in its fifth edition as it offers a wider range of talent, which producers say is why they raised the audition age limit from 24 to 28 last year.

This season, the change opened the door for half of the dozen finalists: Besides Hicks, who turned 29 after making the cut, there's Mandisa, also 29; Bucky Covington, 28; Chris Daughtry, 26; Elliott Yamin, 27, and Ace Young, 25.

"There's a lot of really good singers we were turning down because of the age limit, and we realized it was silly," said executive producer Ken Warwick. "You're certainly not over the hill by 28."

Not yet, but there are hints the crest may be in sight, said Mandisa, a veteran performer who dedicated her powerful voice to Christian music pre-"Idol."

"A lot of people say it's kind of the end of the road for me, so to be able to have this competition and be right at the brink where I can still make it, it's a dream come true," she said after being voted in as a finalist. "There's really no turning back."

That's right — and it's wrong, according to music business insiders and observers. It's certainly true that young consumers and the artists they favor dominate the music marketplace, to an extent that makes TV look relatively age-inclusive.

"When you talk to guys in the record industry, you do hear a lot of, 'Wow, she's 30, she's 35,' as if that completely ends any discussion," said Sean Ross, editor of Edison Media Research, which conducts research for radio stations and others.

Rocker Sheryl Crow, 44, has had to "fight for her place" in radio for the past five years, Ross said. It's the same in R&B: While a star like Mary J. Blige has endured, others are exiled to adult contemporary radio.

After Janet Jackson bared her breast at the 2004 Super Bowl, "it was discussed as a pathetic attempt to stay relevant" by the now-39-year-old singer, Ross said.

But there is hope for comparatively older artists, he and others say.

"It's certainly more difficult as you become older," said TVT Records founder Steve Gottlieb. "But every success is an exception to the rule. No one gets a free pass, and unique talent trumps everything else."

At age 28, James Blunt of Britain became music's latest hot property with the ballad "You're Beautiful," which was a mainstay on American adult contemporary formats before crossing over to top 40 radio.

Mariah Carey, 36, had her biggest hit yet with her comeback album, "The Emancipation of Mimi." Madonna is a dance music chart-topper at age 47, and country fans are embracing hits from 44-year-old Toby Keith.

Even some baby-boom artists, and beyond, retain their star power. The latest album from Barry Manilow, 59, was holding its own on the charts this month, hovering right above the Black Eyed Peas, while Tony Bennett, 79, has put out best-selling records in recent years.

Youth, however, may not be denied. Although "Idol" judge Simon Cowell has expressed doubt about whether the youngest contestants can handle the pressures of competition, Paris Bennett, 17, and Lisa Tucker and Kevin Covais, both 16, made it to the finals. (Covais was voted off last Wednesday.) The average age of the four previous seasons' "American Idol" winners is just over 22.

Older or younger, music stardom is a chancy dream for anyone to pursue, said record executive Gottlieb. "Certainly, the odds are against" older singers, he said. "But when the odds are 1 million to 1, the fact they then become 10 million to 1 is not a big deal."