Why Jennifer Hudson Will NEVER be Adele - When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 7:00AM The Blogmother So since we got the Beyonce stans riled up on Monday, why not make it a complete set by riling up the Jennifer Hudson fans too :). We'll throw a bit of salt in the wound by bringing up Adele for good measure.
Over on our Fabulous Facebook Fan Page, we chatted briefly about this Open Letter to Jennifer Hudson's management team over at Acts of Faith Blog ( the comments too). In one of her recent posts, she compared Jennifer Hudson to Adele. The open letter to Hudson's team about why Hudson hasn't achieved the superstar status her OSCAR and voice should have made easy captured my attention because I went through the same analysis related to Hudson, but reached a different conclusion. Faith said the following:
The problem is she’s singing ghetto music. The typical ‘woe is me, my relationship sucks’, ‘he done me wrong’ and ‘I don’t care if you love him he’s mine’ type crap that permeates black music today. It’s all negative and denigrating. Hudson needs a girl power anthem and to get away from the anemic mentalities that permeate R&B today. Acts of Faith
Sorry Faith, it ain't gonna happen. Doesn't matter which "team" you put around Jennifer Hudson, the problem isn't the "team", its Jennifer Hudson.
I too have greived over the squandered promise of Jennifer Hudson.... but no more. Jennifer Hudson does not want me as a fan so my money is going elsewhere. I purchased one song off of her first album out of pity quite frankly and that will be my last. I love a good pain-filled love song about love, loss and regret, but Jennifer Hudson is addicted to misery music. Singing about being stuck in the most ridiculous relationships with the most ridiculous people.
Anytime Jennifer Hudson wants to, she can have what Adele has, but to do that, she's going to have to step out of her tiny little box and take a risk, and Jennifer Hudson won't do that.
We all know a Jennifer Hudson or two. They are that person who is whip smart working in a dead in low-wage job because they were too terrified do anything about it. So instead of venturing out, they stay in the mail room for 20 years when they could have taken a whopping four semesters at community college and gotten an associate's degree or gone to welding school or just taken a risk on attempting something different. We know others who settle down in their hometown instead of going off to pursue their dreams and you shake your head knowing that if only they'd gotten out to see a bit of the world or heck had merely traveled ten blocks outside of the neighborhood, they would have been wildly successful. Jennifer Hudson is that neighborhood friend you couldn't convince to travel 10 city blocks to pursue life outside the bubble. The truth is, some people like living in tiny little boxes. Jennifer Hudson might be one of those people.
Jennifer Hudson is terrified and scared -- Adele is not. Pink was mentioned in the post about Jennifer Hudson and Adele as well. I have a half dozen (clean versions) Pink songs on the old ipod. If you don't count the Dream Girl's soundtrack, I only have one Jennifer Hudson song. Pink took a massive risk and decided to plot her own course separate from what LA Reid wanted her to do and guess what? She was right.
Does Jennifer Hudson have the courage to change course? Who knows, that's not my problem anymore.
Look at Jennifer Hudson's constituency. Who do you think is attending those Weight Watcher's meetings? Who do you think was flocking to see Dream Girls? Who do you think voted to hand her OSCAR for basically singing ONE. SONG? It wasn't the audience she's currently targeting with her song selection. And by target audience, I don't mean White people, but people like ME who will still purchase an entire album.
I'm not paying for GARBAGE about "Where You At?." If I'm standing in the freezing cold after about 15 minutes, I'm not asking "Where you At?" I'm sitting in the toasty confines of my car driving off.
Like you, I'm a fan, but I've given up the idea that Jennifer Hudson will have a Whitney Houston-like career. Same for Fantasia Barrino. I love both of their voices, Fantasia can actually bring me to tears, but to them life exists in a tiny little box and anything outside of it is terrifying. I actually SEARCH for Fantasia songs to like because I LOVE her artistry, but no dice. The best you can hope for is when she covers someone else's' music in a tribute.
Meanwhile Lil Wayne is going skateboarding and Jay-Z is running around collaborating with rockstars. Lil Wayne and Jay-Z know exactly who their audiences are. I think Jennifer Hudson is under the erroneous belief that by limiting her musical horizon, she will be repaid in loyalty from "the community." She will not.
Jennifer Hudson doesn't have a power ballad because she doesn't want one. She'd rather be singing "Where You At?" Not "Where Are You" or "What Is Your Current Location" or "Where Were You When I Needed You Most." Watching her publicity tour is disconcerting because she's been singing in places like the Oprah Show and Good Morning America, places she could not have gotten near without that OSCAR, yet instead of recognizing her audience, she decided to sing to people who were not there. The people in those audiences are not trying to get down to "Where You At."
Have you ever seen that episode of The Wire where Bunny Colvin takes the kids out to a nice restaurant in Baltimore. Here, some of the roughest toughest kids on earth are brought low by a butter knife. You and I would think that they would love to eat out in a nice restaurant, but it took them out of their element and they floundered.
So yes, Jennifer Hudson has chosen to select incredibly narrow songs for her album. And you know what? That's her choice! Maybe she likes her tiny little box.
We always like to Blame institutions or "the system" or some other larger than life factor for why people make the choices and decisions they make. Sometimes people remain small because that's what they like. That's what they are comfortable with. Jennifer Hudson will never be a superstar singer as long as she keeps singing to a narrow audience. There are plenty of artists that have niche following and they do quite well for themselves. Its just that those artists don't get booked on the Today Show. You and I both recognize her potential for world domination on account of her access to huge platforms like Oprah, The Today Show, GMA, but she doesn't and all the open letters in the world won't change that. Appreciate Jennifer Hudson for what she is, a niche artist who occasionally stumbles onto cross over success.
Being a superstar at ANYTHING in life requires significant risk. Jennifer Hudson isn't ready to "risk" leaving her tiny little bubble. Which is ironic because the greatest risk in life is passing on the risk you should have taken. That's not just a lesson for Jennifer Hudson, its a lesson for all of us.
Here's my open letter :
Dear Jennifer Hudson,
Your core audience loves your voice, but does not like the songs you choose to sing with that voice. You can see what a problem this might be.
Yours in the Struggle,
The Blogmother
I can't wait to read the comments about this one :) Yes. I'm passionate about people who squander their gifts... their lives trying to impress other people. Jennifer Hudson appears to be one of those people.
P.S. I REALLY was done with Jennifer Hudson when she made Oprah wait three hours to do an Oprah episode because Jennifer decided to go Kick it with Jaime Foxx at a Superbowl Party in the middle of a snow storm. She's not the brightest bulb.
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Reader Comments (41)
Finally, someone calling Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia out! There's so much more market potential and opportunity just waiting for them to grab but they are too paralyzed to act. Sad.
She definitely needs to branch out. She seems to be emulating Mary, but Mary was all the way hood from day 1 and owns that lane, even 20 years later.
Btw, Adele is bafflingly overrated. She's doing a cleaned-up, not-nearly-as-talented version of Amy Winehouse, who owns that lane (the 60's retro sound.)
People really need to stop comparing black singers to Adele. Record companies put black singers in a box. Clive Davis a man that both Jennifer and Fantasia work under is notorious for this. Whitneys advantage is that she looks like a "safe black". I guess you guys never heard the story that he rejected a short haired Whitney album cover b/c she looked "too ethnic". Right now record companies are only investing in safe blacks- ex Rihanna, and Beyonce. Even Ushers career was on the ropes until he gave up on RnB and followed the current dance craze.
Jennifer is a good singer but Jennifer is not a star. She had some great opportunites but her stage presence is lacking. Jennifer belongs in Gospel or Broadway. She is that talented girl in the church choir who just happened to get some big breaks.
Fantasias latest is a solid effort thats why she won a Grammy for best RnB album obviously. I just hope everyone complaining bought Jill Scotts latest.
Music has changed, so just go turn on the oldie station or grown folks radio and keep it moving.
"Have you ever seen that episode of The Wire where Bunny Colvin takes the kids out to a nice restaurant in Baltimore. Here, some of the roughest toughest kids on earth are brought low by a butter knife. You and I would think that they would love to eat out in a nice restaurant, but it took them out of their element and they floundered."
Yes, I remember that scene in The Wire. Those kids were tough but when they got to that restaurant they crumbled. I know a lot of people like Jennifer Hudson, they're afraid to take a risk because...well I actually don't know why. It's like the person I know right now who said, when I told her I was learning how to swim, "I don't mess with that." She's also the same person who has never has a passport, and the woman is over 30.
I agree, you can't do anything about someone like that, just smile, nod and say, "that's so nice."
Ha! You are going to hear it from JHUD fans.
I have felt the same thing about the magnificence of both Jennifer Hudson's and Fantasia Barrino's voices. I LOVE the quality and range of their vocals. With that being said I have not been able to purchase their albums because the song choices don't speak to me. It is such a waste of awesome talent potential.
They could easily be on top in the industry if they weren't trying to continue wading in the shallow end of the pool!
Gina, thank you for this post. For a while there, I thought it was only me who is completely unimpressed by the material that Jennifer Hudson has chosen for both her 1st and 2nd CDs. Not just "woe is me" songs, but boring, crap songs that do not inspire her audience or challenge her incredible voice. She's tryinig too hard to be down, just like Whitney did on her last CD before the drugs completely took her down. Jennifer is WAY too talented to be caught up in mediocrity. And very important that you mentioned how L'il Wayne and Jay-Z (both of whom I cannot take) are astute enough to appeal directly to the white audience that is already buying their CDs and reaching out to an even wider white audience by adding rock to their music. Sales of hip hop are down, so both L'il Wayne and Jay-Z are acting like businessmen to preserve/grow their audiences. But would black female singers catch a clue and do the same? Oh, no. If they did, they'd probably be accused of being sell-outs (kinda like the way it's ok for black men to date/marry non-black women, but when black women date/marry out, we're called all kinds of names). I am hoping that on Jennifer's next CD she'll get with a producer like David Foster who will challenge her voice and challenge her lyrically. She just has too much talent to go out like this.
I love Jennifer Hudson and wish that she would sing songs with different types of messages because I would listen to her all day long. Her voice is amazing and I hope she and Fantasia would both step out of their little "boxes".
I didn't even read this.The fact that your post of criticism was so long makes me sick to my damn stomach.
(ROLLS EYES)
This was so unnecessary!
Leave.Her.Alone .COM
Blogmother, I love me so Pink, too. I bought her greatest hit album and love it. You must be reading my mine with this week. I was telling my bestfriend the same thing about Jennifer Hudson. Even Mary J. Blige got out of the 'you did me wrong' song business. When I heard that 'collard greens and corn bread' by Fantasia I almost choked on my Coke Zero and quickly said a prayer that she get some good sense in her head.
For once i agree with blkchk. Fantasia is an RNB singer. That's what she it - and she does it VERY well. Jennifer Hudson doesn't really have a niche. They took her more pop/dance with the first album. This one seems to be more RNB - RNB music has always been about love lost and found.
If she wanted to go the dance route she could ala Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor - and I"m sure at some point you will hear more of that from her as time goes on.
And seriously - you trippin' over a "Where you at" Um...I was unaware that one must be grammatically correct when pissed off at lover. Newsflash to me.
I don't get your love of Adele - she's okay at best - Amy Wnehouse, Joss Stone and a few other artists have beat her to that white girl soul punch. And all black artists don't want to be "cross over" sensations. There's nothing wrong with being a damn god RNB artist. Nothing at all. I like variety n my music - I don't need everyone hitting the euro-pop train. There's enough of that garbage to deal with already.
wow......I never heard of Adele until I saw that she cancelled a concert. Her voice is beautiful, but wish more sistas would get more opportunities to show off their natural talents.
I totally agree with you on both artists. They both have wonderful voices and should be so much bigger than they are now. For me it's not the message of their songs, but the words that turn me off. I mean Jennifer has song titled, "Where you at?" How old is her intended audience? Certainly it's not grown-ups! They both need to stop trying to be real and be grown-up!
Beyonce in my opinion isn't much better than them as far as lyrical quality. She's at least smart enough to put her cr*p songs in gorgeous packages (i.e. the "hook", music, video).
I don't do much R&B these days. Too many young men singing about booties for my taste. I'll choose to listen to Pink or Adele over Jennifer, Fantasia, and even Beyonce anytime!
@TruthP so in other words, despite being ignorant about the contents of the post, you felt the need to comment. Rolling eyes indeed.
Okay. First. Adele. When you are singing for the art and not the crowd you can make some serious moves. Adele and any White music performer wants money BUT they are not running around trying to get or maintain 'street creed'. ROLLING IN THE DEEP by Adele could have been a great song for Jennifer Hudson but JHud is going for the 'street creed' and not the 'this is good music that will linger through time' creed. It just is what it is. Finally when you consider how much money is not to be made in R&B anymore why cling to the market so. Why did not Fantasia take that experience from American Idol and do more Gershwin songs...this link will take you to the performance of her singing SUMMERTIME from Porgy & Bess http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WWtGpEqpV4 . Again the reason is while she has the skills to do a song that majestic and beautiful justice it ain't gonna sell to the 'street creed' crew.
Once upon a time R&B was soul music. And Black women singers had the game on lock down...i.e. Angela Bofill, Chaka Khan, The Jones Girls, The Pointer Sisters (circa the 70s, not the necessarily the 80s), Anita Baker, Lynn Collins (who worked with James Brown) and Syreeta (who worked with Stevie Wonder). The songs covered the entire spectrum of human emotions with a touch of Black woman style. Now it's all pain and woe and anger. No one wants to either look too weak or if so it's about mewing in victimization.
Also who changes the times? Do you wait to make a move or do you go on and do something different and hope the crowds, the accolades and the money follow?
@Gem yep! and my bad.I read after I posted.You really didn't go in on her like I thought you would.The title almost and the first paragraph almost gave me a panic attack but still Jen is an untouchable to me.Let her alone to figure it out.Keep the Faith in Jen!She has experienced some set backs.She's been through more than many of these other artists.I have faith in Jen.We all should.Don't completely throw in the towel on her just yet
Just for clarification, I'm not expecting Jennifer to change. I wanted those reading to see how she self-limits and look inward at their own behavior in a way I thought they would relate to.
JJ said:
"There's nothing wrong with being a damn god RNB artist. Nothing at all. I like variety n my music - I don't need everyone hitting the euro-pop train. There's enough of that garbage to deal with already."
ITA with this statement. With that said, Jennifer and Fantasia are still not reaching their full potential in the R&B genre. I bought Fanfasia's very first album and loved it. Her next albums, not so much. I'm glad I didn't buy them. And as much as I love Jennifer's voice, her music does nothing for me. The same thing happened with another American Idol alum, Melinda Doolittle. I absolutely LOVED her and her voice, and was thrilled to see her CD when I was in Target a few years ago. I bought it and could not wait to pop it in when I got to my car. I was sorely disappointed.
Each of these ladies need to get with writers and producers who can give them songs that best showcase their amazing voices and stretch their talent. They are drowning in mediocrity and it's a pity because these laides are truly gifted singers.
@blkchk
Yes, I have Jill Scott's new CD and it is the truth. It's in constant rotation. Now SHE is a woman who knows how to showcase her wares in the best possible way. Jenifer needs to take some notes.
It seems the gist of the article is that Jennifer Hudson is not living up to her potential because she is not performing for the white audience.
I seem to remember a few blogs ago, you criticized some hair care company Carol's daughter (not sure of name) because they left their niche core (African American) market for a more mixed / light skined softer curled hair market.
So........ why is it good Little Wayne and Jay Z to realize potential in selling to a whiter audience, but the same move is bad for Carol's daughter?
I'm not defening Carol's daughter,. I'm just trying to understand why one is good and the other bad.
I love Jhud and while I'm not keen on her music choices she is doing great with her overall career regarding movies, endorsements etc.
The problem with soul music is that we have turned our backs on SOUL! we over sing, we rely on crappy rap interludes, we sing about losing mah man in BASIC ways. Love or hate Adele but Rolling in the Deep is a great song that harks back to original soul music as opposed to hooks, beats and swagger that so many black artists get trapped in.....black people discarded OUR musical roots and white people dusted it off and are making a killing....cant hate the playa.
EXACTLY!
She could still sing R&B or Soul music... THAT MEANT SOMETHING.
That isn't about BLack audiences and White audiences, that's about people who LOVE good music and those that don't/
You can hardly say that Lauryn Hill was singing to a "White Audience" on Miseducation. She was singing to the world and singing about something.
You know, the interesting thing about Jennifer, for me, is not that she's "hood" or "ghetto." Heck, just about every single great black music legend we know of had humble beginnings in the "hood."
Louis Armstrong? The "hood" of New Orleans. Billie Holiday? The "hood" of Baltimore (or was it Philadelphia?). Michael Jackson? The "hood" of Gary, Indiana. Diana Ross? The "hood" of Detroit. Same for Aretha Franklin. Whitney Houston? The "hood" of Newark.
The only reason we think Mary J. Blige kept things "hood" is because she, unlike her musical predecessors, made a conscious decision to "stay in the hood," instead of crossing the tracks, and thanks to hip hop (or should I say, woe to hip hop?), being "hood" was as profitable as crossing over.
Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia represent that generation of R&B singers who followed in Mary J's footsteps, and I think J-Hud is as "street" as we'll ever see (heck, her family was wiped out in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago's Southside. She doesn't have to get street cred. She is street cred!).
And I don't even mind if the "street" is what she wants to represent for her musical persona. The problem for me is she has no musical creativity. Yes, she's got a powerful voice, but so far, she has yet to hook up with a producer or songwriter who can get her to put out some solid music and play on her vocal strengths.
I believe Fantasia is more comfortably R&B than Jennifer, and Fantasia has more emotional power when she sings (there's a reason why Fantasia won Idol her season and not J-Hud), but both singers are just not being given good soul music material (either that or they're not choosing well, and that perhaps has to do with their lack of musical skills beyond their great voices).
After all Jennifer's been through, it's been amazing to me how she has yet to put out a more meaningful soul album. Surely, she can find a better song than "Where You At?" And "Where You At?" might have been tolerable if the hook and the beats were even catchy.
No. Until they find the right pairing (like a Billie and Count Basie or a MJ and Quincy), we'll get more of this kind of lackluster music. Unfortunately, the way the music scene is of late, it seems like it will be awhile before producers start crafting great music for great R&B belters. Adele is getting by on the novelty of being white, British, and a soul singer.
Being a black soul singer brings nothing new to the table. At this point, any new black songstress will have to OUT perform Whitney, Aretha, Mariah, and Mary before anyone takes special notice of their prowess and the genre of soul music.
JHud, Jill Scott,Angie Stone and on and on and on.....
Are not singing to black people IMO, but rather to a select "ghettofied" audience that all black performers seem to want to impress. The people who enjoy "busting windows out ya' car" and "swinging it like a slave".
If they were trying to speak to black people I have to believe they would create more varied music.
There are folks on American Idol that can out sing Adele--she is not special or god given--she has a nice voice but she sounds almost country western to me--I actually don't care for her singing--YES, she can sing but so can Amy Winehouse--waaaaay more soulful and so can Leona Lewis--clear concise note hitting.
Jennifer is Jennifer and that is all she nds to be, she is loved in america and she does not need to TRY to be like anyone else or be compared.Jennifer has her own genre and adele is more country--yodel-eeee kinda thing going on...When you've been exposed to good music, you're not quick to jump on bandwagons--you stick with what has been consistent.
and the amazing thing is....soon there will be performers discovered that will out sing EVERYONE we've been exposed to in the past and present--its life...
EVERYONE is not impressed with Adele, just those that have not been exposed to good singers before.
Heck, Lady BlahBlah can blow some serious notes, why is adele supposedly the "second coming?? AGAIN??
Please STOP playing.
@ Praise yourself...
You know what, I actually had a response to your comment, and then I realized that if I gotta lay it out for you alphabet-soup style, it isn't even worth my time. The answer is as obvious as it gets. If you can't scratch upon some common sense by recognizing the difference from demeaning your core consumers versus branching into new markets, then perhaps you need to stay lost until that type of thinking skill becomes intuitive. I'm going to work on my endeavors for a minute before I head out on this beautiful Saturday night. You just inspired me to work a little harder.
Jennifer Hudson has a great big voice. I don't think she knows how to use it that well. How's that for one of your analogies? LOL. I think Jennifer is doing what she is being told to do. R and B is dying on the charts and Jennifer is somewhere in between. I don't really see this so much as a Jennifer problem as it is with ALL R and B artist. Jennifer just happens to be on the end of the food chain. R and B music has been a great Genre at times, and even as recently as the 1990's it experienced a golden era. Just look back at the contributions from Timbaland, Missy, and Aaliyah. They pretty much re-invinted the R and B sound. No one today is doing anything special with R and B. It either sounds like dated R.Kelly or synthy pop R and B. Now black artist are following the trends instead of making them. How sad.
The lackluster careers of Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson can partly be attributted to the fact they are not receiving and are not picking good music to sing - regardless of genre.
But I am curious if JHud and Fantasia were expected or assumed to only sing more R&B music because of their looks. For JHud, when she was bigger she was the requisite soul mama, so she decided to fulfill that role. I'm curious about what music she'll be pushing more that she's lost weight. And Fantasia, her being dark skinned with thicker features may have ushered her into a certain musical genre.
Finally, I would just like to point out that they could both put out some amazing songs, have the proper backing from their labels and still not sell well. There are no gurantees in this business.
Is it possible that Jennifer may not have the control in her career to meet WAOD's standards? Maybe she would prefer a girl power song, but need sisters to back her up. We know how powerful this blog medium is.
Or maybe she's still in mourning for her murdered mother and nephew, and not yet on the higher plane of the empowered sisters such as WAOD. But maybe with continuous love, and some forgiveness for not being who you think she should, maybe with some black sister blog support from such a stellar blog as WAOD, and the knowledge that some true sisters are down and got her back in black bloggersville, she may be able to step out of her '"ghetto" small ebonics box. Love is what inspires an artist, not indifference.
It's a trip how some sisters will pretend that they aint never had to struggle in they whole life, and that they always was on top of their little heap. Then they put themselves on a wobbling pedestal and call out others who ain't reached that wobbling pedestal status.
Maybe Jennifer's and Fantasia's gifts are not being wasted on those "ghetto" girls that are on some "where you at" ish! "Ghetto" girls need love too, in spite of their ghetto-ish-ness. How is implying that it's a waste of talent to sing for a "ghetto" girl audience anything less than classist? It's racist and classist coming from a white person, and it's just plain ugly coming from a black person, and a woman none the less!
We are too quick as black women to cut each other down when we think we perceive weakness in each other. We are too fast to step on one another when we're down, no matter if we are "ghetto", or ex-ghetto. We don't have one problem with mowing down a sister, but let a Kanazawa say some F'd up ish, and, well you know.
If we really care about our daughters, then we ought to have patience with them. Try a little tenderness and understanding. We all are just human beings. Oh, and having an ability to speak The King's English does not make you mo bettah.
Ah'm jess sayin'
BTW, love your blog!
There are folks on American Idol that can out sing Adele--she is not special or god given--she has a nice voice but she sounds almost country western to me--I actually don't care for her singing--YES, she can sing but so can Amy Winehouse--waaaaay more soulful and so can Leona Lewis--clear concise note hitting.
Hello!
I just don't get eh Adele lovefest. She's alright - Rolling in the Deep is a decent POP song - but good soul music?
Um....
I'm convinced that some black folk just hate anything that can be categorized as stereotypically black. Like a desperate need to separate themselves from anything too "black" and in so doing rush to embrace those who do their own version of stereotypical blackness and then embracing that image as more authentic, real and soulful than the version of black done by the black person.
LOL. SMH.
"I'm convinced that some black folk just hate anything that can be categorized as stereotypically black. Like a desperate need to separate themselves from anything too "black" and in so doing rush to embrace those who do their own version of stereotypical blackness and then embracing that image as more authentic, real and soulful than the version of black done by the black person. "
I totally agree with this, especially the commentors on this blog. How are they falling all over Adele with no shout out to the ladies still doing authentic RnB that probably would suit their taste- Marsha Ambrosius, Kindred, Kelly Price, Jill Scott. People are talking about Bust Your Windowns, but did you give Jazmine Sullivans ENTIRE album a chance, she had to use that song to get peoples attention and it worked. She didn't "bust your windows" on her second album and see what happened.
I find they people who attack the grammar of the song comical, like most songs have correct grammar anyway. And Adele is not even black soul, she is Northern UK soul which had its America influences but its not US.
And as far as this quote- The typical ‘woe is me, my relationship sucks’, ‘he done me wrong’
LMAO, this is Adele's ENTIRE ALBUM. Rolling in Deep is not a happy song.
Gamble and Huff, Babyface, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, they are not making music anymore, the audience taste have change. The bigger issue is preserving RnB and its bigger than Jennifer Hudson. Look at Beyonce's new album, she went in an RnB direction, and her sales have went down, she is still doing well but even she took a hit for essentially doing a RnB album
I think the main reason for this post is that J Hud is not reaching her full potential. She doesnt have to be Adele, but she really needs to find herself musically. She and Fantasia have the type of voices that could change R&B but instead they choose to play it safe.
And stop trying to downplay Adele. She is great singer. Hometown Glory is such a beautiful song. I wish there was just one J Hud song that I could say that about. J Huds songs are average at best.
You referenced Pink going against L.A. Reid to have her 2nd album better represent her. Yet you failed to correlate her debut album sales in reference to how much "slack" she was given by her label. I'm sure that if JHud's debut album had gone multi-platinum and had her family not been slaughtered, maybe she would have had a clearer picture of the focus & direction of her sophomore album. I, personally like more of the songs than dislike it and am saddened by blogs that embrace all things "yt & soulful" yet crap all over our sistahs. Why not compare Adele to Jill Scott? That would be a better comparison because both artists write their songs and have a stronger hand in guiding their finished products. Until JHud decides exactly what type of artists she wants to be instead of being guided by Clive Davis then she may continue to disappoint this blogger.
@Anna Rene
I don't have a problem with Jen or Tasia or anybody else singing "ghetto" songs. One of my favorite cuts by Jill Scott from back in the day is "Getting in the Way"- a song about a woman telling another woman to "leave my man alone before I kick your azz." Now you can't get any more "ghetto" than that. LOL!!
The difference is that Jill knows how to use her voice effectively and show her range. And she has good songs and music to work with. Just so you don't think I'm picking on Jen and Tasia, let's talk about Chrissette Michelle. I LOVE HER. Her debut album was fresh, soulful, funky and jazzy. It was a different sound and the songs really showed how EXCELLENT of a singer she is. She had wonderful material to work with. Her second album (DANG, did I type ALBUM?? Showing my age....) her second CD was more garden variety R&B and IMO, not as good as the first. But there were some real gems on there and I still loved it. Her current CD is a let down for me. It's too "poppy" for my taste, and over-produced to the point where she sounds like everybody else. So, as much as I love Chrissette, I think she can do waaay better than her current CD and I will not be buying any more music from her until she gets back to singing the way that made me fall in love with her in the first place.
Meanwhile, I wish nothing but the best for Jen, Tasia and Chrisette.
Just because someone has a voice doesn't mean the have a vision. JHud def has a voice, although it does nothing for me, but she has no vision. And that's what separates great singers from good ones. The great ones have a vision.
Jennifer Hudson may not be as big a "star" as Whitney or Mariah but I think would consider her successful. Its not like Whitney's life, or the life of so many other R&B divas are to be envied. Maybe she is happy being a niche performer. I'm sure she has succeeded beyond her wildest fantasies (Oscar, movies, lucrative Weight Watchers deal).
I love her voice and don't like her song selections but I don't think I would consider her a failure. She makes her living doing what she loves.
The fruit is only ready when it is ripe for the picking. I think J-Hud is doing just fine for where she is coming from. She is still very young and has many years to create fantastic music, and grow as an artist. She's been on the scene for 5 yrs, that's not a whole lot of time career-wise. I think ppl today want everything to be earned quickly. Great singers of the past have had to honed their skills and work hard without recognition for years to get a fraction of the fame and money that singers today do. J-Hud has proven herself to be a phoenix who consistently rises from the ashes. Adele is brand new and who knows where she will be a year or two from now.
I like Adele; her song "Cold Shoulder" is on the playlist for the dance routine I perform when I'm bored (don't judge me). I like Jennifer Hudson; her soulful, gospel infused voice is awe-inspiring. I think putting the two side-by-side is not an apt comparison. You have to remember that Jennifer is a singer and an actress and who selects songs based on her tastes and preferences. Adele, on the hand, is a singer/songwriter/musician which gives her control of her creative direction.
Besides, I don't think JHud ever aspired to a Rihanna/Beyonce career as she started a little later in life than those two and while Adele is experiencing a tremendous amount of deserved critical and commercial success, her career trajectory will never soar as the reigning pop divas because she is an artist who doesn't dance in hot pants.
Yes to this @ Hamlon: "R and B music has been a great Genre at times, and even as recently as the 1990's it experienced a golden era. Just look back at the contributions from Timbaland, Missy, and Aaliyah. They pretty much re-invinted the R and B sound." Damn I miss those days. But on topic, sorry I have to agree with some of the commenters who realize that JHud just doesn't have IT which means Simon was right all along. JHud is doing good to have what she has, and should count her blessings. There are plenty of folks who can sing/carry a tune, they are in your family, work at your job, attend your church and sing in the Choir--BUT they are NOT entertainers i.e. most rap artists out now, most current R n B like Trey Songs/Rihanna. Unfortunately a lot of today's music is too focused on entertaining and not enough on raw talent but in my opinion, you need both in equal measure for the equation to work--of course no one could do it like MJ could but I digress. Beyonce is a case of someone with raw talent and entertainment qualities who does NOT capitalize on her talent and has not reached her full potential due to lax lyrics, inconsistent production, trying to be TOO mainstream etc. But women like JHud and Kelly Rowland, they might look nice, they might be able to sing but they DO NOT have starra power. Aka Star Power. Sorry, they just don't.
As an aside, them white girls just do not cut it, they are watered down versions of the Queen Lady T, no one could do it better, they need to STOP.
Correction to my post, so-called "artists" like trey and Rihanna and most of what hip hop music has sadly become are too focused on entertaining and not singing/rapping. So, you have these three categories--those who have/had pure talent and capitalize on it, those who lucked up, knew the right people and faked the front like they have talent and do it well, and those whose talent may be mediocre or even incredible but there is nothing about them to write home about, or energize or move people enough for them to push units. Jhud is in that last category to me. I think Fantasia has a better position to stay in the lane she is in, but Jhud is boring.
Frankly, I just don't think that singers today sing with any feeling - we USED to call it "Soul." Beyonce just leaves me empty in this regard. She reminds me of one of my daughter's old Barbie dolls with some singing talent. Jennifer tends to sing without feeling, too - with all the coldness that she probably needed to survive growing up in that deadly chicago neighborhood that killed her family.
Jennifer Hudson & Fantasia have great singing voices with great potential. They're both limited though. Not sure if this is their own doing or if someone is pulling puppet strings, but they're still limited. They may wanna take some cues from Mary J. Blige (another one of my favorites), who did even better with No More Drama and more diverse musical collaborations. As good as Jennifer & Fantasia are, they should be at the top of the game right now, not these other cotton candy girls (Beyonce included).
Like I said in the Beytonce post, Amy Winehose is/was an amazing musical talent, a sharp wit, great melody maker and excellent lyricist. And she could sing. Amy Winehouse was the real deal and she will be remembered and her music will be loved.
And yes, I'm stanning right now.