In one word, this album is – hot! Let me put this into perspective. I don’t buy music. It all sounds the same, no ingenuity. The last album I purchased was Alicia Keys, As I Am. I pre-ordered J-Hud. This alone should illustrate the high expectations I had for this release.
Jennifer Hudson’s self-titled debut is unexpectedly good. I mean really, really good. With a big voice like Jennifer’s I am sure the producer’s wrestled with, should we harness it or let that puppy loose? This album does a good job of finding a happy medium.
My standout cuts:
If This Isn’t Love – This song, penned by, Brian Seals, Terry Thomas and Theron Thomas, is an awesome hit begging to be the next single. It’s a catchy, sweet melody that shows a softer side of "THE VOICE" that is Jennifer Hudson. It’s seriously the kind of song you hear, place on repeat and never finish listening to the album, because you’re trying to learn all of the words. Okay, don’t act like I’m the only one who does this.
We Gon’ Fight – I was all prepared for this song to be something and then it turned out to be something quite unexpected. I read that this song was produced by Tank. Tank’s, hotness aside, this song is good like greens and cornbread. Ha! Hey, that’s what I think of when I think of something that’s down home good. This song is down home good. It’s a love song with a churchy feel. I love it.
I’m His Only Woman – This song is a duet with Fantasia. Enough said. These two powerhouses really complement each other, surprisingly. This song is like woman-to-woman" a la Betty Wright, redux.
Jesus Promised Me A Home Over There – As I listened to this album, I was wondering when "Effie" was gonna show up. Well Jennifer definitely takes us to church on this one. "THE VOICE" is unleashed.
Overall, I will grade this album an ‘A+’. It is a well-crafted effort that encompasses the classical soul of Jennifer’s voice while weaving in the urban pop sound of today. This hodge podge of sound works. It works well.
An A+? That means it had no flaws at all? Come on now, T…seriously? Been a LONG time since I heard a cd that was worthy of an A+…
Yeah, A+.
I don’t listen to an album looking for the flaws. I rate on my level of enjoyment. I really enjoyed listening to this album.
If I had to pick out flaws, I would have to say that I don’t really care that much for Spotlight but she sounds great on it. It’s just the beat is a little humdrum.
I would rate Alicia Keys an A + as well. Not because it’s flawless but because my level of enjoyment was really, really high.
I hope that makes sense.
One of my friends text me this morning to tell me that her cd is the “bomb”, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it. However, I must admit it’s a great cd. I am so proud of her. I loved every song.
I am not a huge secular music fan but I really enjoyed listening to her CD. Her voice is the business, a true gift from God.
Thanks for visiting.