Jennifer Hudson – Jennifer Hudson

I wasn’t yet an American Idol fan when Jennifer Hudson competed, but I’m sure I would have liked her had I been watching back then. She’s blessed with one of those big, soul diva voices, and personality-wise, she’s the perfect mix of humility and sass. Come to think of it, that’s probably the best way to describe her self-titled debut album.

After her Oscar-winning performance in the movie Dreamgirls, I wondered what a Jennifer Hudson album would sound like. Would her label go totally old-school and make her sound like a fuddy-duddy? Or would they go totally the opposite way and give her immature material that befits a less vocally talented artist. Thankfully, Jennifer Hudson, for the most part, rides the middle ground. While Jennifer is certainly a more mature vocalist than the average R&B singer, the attempts to sound contemporary aren’t embarrassing.

I kinda like the Timbaland-produced Pocketbook. Over a signature Timbo beat-boxing pattern, Jennifer talks smack to a guy who’s being a little overzealous in his pursuit, propping herself up but warning him not to get too close, saying “don’t let me hit you with my pocketbook”. Ludacris provides a fun cameo here, and thankfully he’s the album’s only guest rapper. T-Pain is less annoying than usual on the midtempo What’s Wrong (Go Away), but he forgot to include a melody when writing the song, and as a result, the song really doesn’t go anywhere. Finally, on the album’s last official guest appearance, Jenny Hud and fellow “Idol” contestant Fantasia have an old-fashioned b*tch-fight on wax on the self-explanatory I’m His Only Woman. It’s nice to hear two powerhouse vocalists facing off, even though I can understand how some people would get turned off by ‘Tasia’s incessant screaming.

First single Spotlight is a sassy, midtempo, independent-woman type of song that, like much of this albu, grows on you after a few listens. The beat is fast enough to not be boring, the melody is simple and effective, and Jennifer conveys the meaning of the lyrics without resorting to theatrics, like so many other young divas do. Actually, one of the most notable things about Jennifer Hudson (and Jennifer Hudson) is that she doesn’t oversing. She adds vocal muscle when it’s appropriate to the song, but she doesn’t seem to be showing off her pipes just for the sake of showing them off.

There are several other winners here. We Gon’ Fight (somewhat strangely) features lyrical content remarkably similar to fellow Idol finalist Elliott Yamin’s current single Fight for Love. Thankfully, both songs are worth recommending. There’s also the emotional story song Can’t Stop this Rain and the very pretty ballad Giving Myself, which was written and produced by Robin Thicke. It’s the most mature-sounding song on the whole album, just a classy, classic ballad that could have been made at any point during the past 30 years. I’d love to hear Thicke do an entire album on Hudson.

While most of the album cruises along on a pop/R&B vibe, there’s a strong spiritual element, most likely due to Jennifer being brought up in the church. Aside from the soaring ballad You Pulled Me Through, there’s the rousing Jesus Promised Me a Home Over There, where Jennifer catches the Holy Spirit and unleashes some serious diva pyrotechnics. Of course, her debut album would have to feature her star-making performance on the remake of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, the emotional centerpiece of Dreamgirls. It’s not as good as Jennifer Holliday’s original version, but Hudson still delivers a bravura performance, injecting feeling into the lyrics and basically singing her *ss off.

This album didn’t impress me at first. It’s definitely a grower. It doesn’t have that one huge single that makes you sit up and take notice immediately. However, after a couple of listens you’ll say to yourself “this CD isn’t so bad” and after a couple more, you’ll be like “holy crap, this CD is good!”. Actually, it might rank up there with Yamin’s debut as one of my favorite Idol-related albums ever (although granted, that’s a pretty weak pool). If you’re into good soul music which manages to sound contemporary without going off the deep end with guest artists and trendy production tricks (although I could have done without hearing Jennifer on Auto-Tune on the T-Pain duet), then Jennifer Hudson should be right up your alley.