Jennifer Hudson (album)

Jennifer Hudson
Studio album by Jennifer Hudson
Released September 27, 2008 (2008-09-27)
(see release history)
Recorded 2006–2008
Genre R&B, soul
Length 52:23
Label Arista
Producer Jim Beanz, Warryn Campbell, Rock City, Missy Elliott, Brian Kennedy, Ne-Yo, Polow da Don, Pro Jay, Salaam Remi, Jack Splash, Stargate, T-Pain, Tank, Robin Thicke, Timbaland, The Underdogs
Jennifer Hudson chronology
Jennifer Hudson
(2008)		 I Remember Me
(2011)
Singles from Jennifer Hudson
  1. "Spotlight"
    Released: June 10, 2008
  2. "If This Isn't Love"
    Released: February 24, 2009
  3. "Giving Myself"
    Released: June 2, 2009

Jennifer Hudson is the self-titled debut album by American actress and recording artist Jennifer Hudson. First released by Arista Records on September 27, 2008 in Australia, Hudson worked with a range of different producers and songwriters on the album, including Rock City, Missy Elliott, Brian Kennedy, Ne-Yo, Salaam Remi, T-Pain, Tank, Timbaland, and The Underdogs, among others.

Released to a generally mixed reception by music critics, Jennifer Hudson debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with first week sales of 217,000 copies. A commercial success, it was eventually certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 sold copies.[1] Altogether, the album spawned a total of three singles, including leading single "Spotlight," which reached the top of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart.

Hudson promoted the album in a number of live appearances, including co-heading a North American concert tour with fellow R&B singer Robin Thicke between March and May 2009. The same year, Hudson won three NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding New Artist, Outstanding Album and Outstanding Duo or Group for the album,[2] and was nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning in the Best R&B Album category.[3]

A deluxe edition was released to iTunes on February 24, 2009.[4][5]

Contents

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
About.com [6]
Allmusic [7]
Billboard (favorable)[8]
Boston Herald (positive)[9]
Chicago Tribune (mixed)[10]
Digital Spy [11]
Entertainment Weekly (B-)[12]
New York Daily News [13]
Slant Magazine [14]
The Times [15]

Upon its release, Jennifer Hudson received mixed reviews from music critics.[16] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe said that, "Despite its flaws, Hudson's debut comes on much like her Dreamgirls character, with admirable self-assurance and real-girl sensuality."[17] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly said that, "None are exceptional, but they're all a sufficient delivery system for those spectacular vocal chops."[18] Andy Kellman of Allmusic said, "Few vocalists as young as Hudson have a voice that is as versatile and expressive, proficient enough to pull off a multi-dimensional set of R&B songs, yet her debut is as tricked out as that of an artist with a small fraction of the talent.".[19] Billboard said that "Hudson is so comfortable with singing--whatever the song might be--that she elevates the material, making it sound like nothing you've ever heard before. All hail the new diva".[20] About.com said the album "is without a doubt one of the strongest R&B albums of 2008."[21]

Accolades

Hudson's debut album quickly earned her some acclaim, as it received four Grammy Award nominations in 2009, including Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Spotlight", Best R&B Song for "Spotlight", and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with vocals for Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia performing "I'm His Only Woman". Hudson's debut album won the Grammy for Best R&B Album at the awards ceremony, making it Jennifer's first ever Grammy Award. Jennifer performed the song "You Pulled Me Through" as well on the 51st Grammy Awards.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with sales of 217,000 copies sold in the United States.[22] In its second week, the album fell to number 4, with sales of 63,000 copies.[23] According to RIAA Certification, the album sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States in the first 6 weeks. On November 7, 2008, her album was certified Gold by RIAA. The album peaked at number twenty-one on the UK Albums Chart,[24] and has sold 172,720 copies as of April 2011.[25][26]

Singles

"Spotlight"

The first single, "Spotlight", written and produced by Ne-Yo and Stargate, hit U.S. radio on June 9, 2008 and the following day was available as a music download. "Spotlight" peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Hudson her first top thirty hit to date on the chart. The song has peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, spending two consecutive weeks at number one. On September 21, 2008, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number fifteen on downloads alone, climbing to that peak twice within its chart run. It is her first top twenty hit in the UK. It climbed to number eleven on September 28 despite there being no CD single release. It peaked at number one on UK Airplay Chart.

"If This Isn't Love"

The album's second single, "If This Isn't Love", was released on February 24, 2009.[27] The second single was originally scheduled as "My Heart" and was due for an October 2008 release, but when her family murders occurred, Hudson rescheduled the release to January, 2009. After her label decided that "My Heart" would not actually be the second single, they needed time to decide what the second single would be instead so they changed the release date to February, 2009. The single was then changed to "If This Isn't Love". The single entered the UK Singles Chart at number 195 on February 22, 2009 and has so far reached a peak of number 37 on downloads alone, the single is now Hudson's second consecutive top 40 hit. The UK was also the country that saw the highest chart position for Hudson's previous single "Spotlight". To date "If This Isn't Love" has spent 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. It also debuted and peaked at number 84 on Billboard's Hot 100. Several weeks later, it reached a new peak at number 63 due to Hudson's performance on the April 15, 2009 results show of American Idol. On the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the song is being a big hit, peaking at number five, until now, marking her second Top 5 hit on the Hot R&B Songs. Hudson made history with "If This Isn't Love" when it earned its second consecutive week at number one on the Urban Adult Radio Charts. Hudson joins a group of only five other women in urban adult history to reach this accomplishment.

"Giving Myself"

"Giving Myself" is the third single from the album. It was released to U.S. radio on June 2, 2009.[28] As of August, 2009, the single has only charted on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 84. The third single was originally set as "Pocketbook" for a June 2009 release but was met with negative publicity.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Spotlight"   Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Shaffer Smith Stargate, Ne-Yo 4:10
2. "If This Isn't Love"   Brian Kennedy, Theron Thomas, Timothy Thomas Brian Kennedy 3:36
3. "Pocketbook" (featuring Ludacris) Christopher Bridges, Hannon Lane, Timothy Mosley, Candice Nelson, James Washington Timbaland, Jim Beanz 3:18
4. "Giving Myself"   Robin Thicke Robin Thicke, Pro Jay 4:15
5. "What's Wrong (Go Away)" (featuring T-Pain) Faheem Najm T-Pain 3:47
6. "My Heart"   Johnta Austin, Jamal Jones, Brian Kennedy, Jason Perry Polow da Don 3:33
7. "You Pulled Me Through"   Diane Warren Harvey Mason, Jr., Brian Kennedy 3:40
8. "I'm His Only Woman" (featuring Fantasia) Melissa Elliott, Jack Splash, Jazmine Sullivan, Missy Elliott, Jack Splash 4:18
9. "Can't Stop the Rain"   Amund Bjorklund, T. Hermansen, Espen Lind, M. Eriksen, Shaffer Smith Stargate, Ne-Yo 4:44
10. "We Gon' Fight"   Durrell Babbs, Antonio Dixon Tank 4:02
11. "Invisible"   Tiffany Fred, Steven Russell, The Underdogs The Underdogs 3:43
12. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"   Tom Eyen, Henry Krieger The Underdogs 4:43
13. "Jesus Promised Me a Home Over There"   Warryn Campbell Warryn Campbell 4:24

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position		 Certification Sales
Australian Albums Chart[29] 73
Irish Albums Chart[24] 46
Italian Albums Chart [30] 75
Japanese Oricon Chart[24] 27
UK Albums Chart[24] 21 172,720[25]
U.S. Billboard 200[22] 2 Gold[31] 826,000[32]
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[33] 2

Release history

Region Date Version
Australia September 27, 2008 Original
United Kingdom September 29, 2008
United States September 30, 2008
Canada October 7, 2008
Europe December 12, 2008
United States February 24, 2009 Re-release
Brazil March 11, 2009 Original

Spring Tour with Robin Thicke

Spring Tour with Robin Thicke[34]
Tour by Jennifer Hudson
Associated album Jennifer Hudson
Start date March 31, 2009
End date May 21, 2009
Shows 20 in North America

The "Spring Tour with Robin Thicke",[34] a tour to promote her album began on March 31, 2009 in Albany, New York.[35][36] Due to strain found on her vocal cords, Hudson has been instructed by her doctor to go on vocal rest, which led to several dates to be rescheduled.[37]

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue
North America[38]
March 31, 2009 Albany, New York United States Palace Theatre
April 2, 2009 Newark, New Jersey Performing Arts Center
April 3, 2009 Philadelphia Tower Theatre
April 4, 2009 Baltimore Lyric Theatre
April 5, 2009 Washington, D.C. DAR Constitution Hall
April 9, 2009 Mashantucket, Connecticut MGM Grand
April 10, 2009 New York WaMu Theatre
April 12, 2009 Norfolk, Virginia Chrysler Hall
April 15, 2009 Atlanta Fox Theatre
April 17, 2009 Charlotte, North Carolina Ovens Auditorium
April 18, 2009 Newark, New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Greensboro, North Carolina Special Events Center
April 19, 2009 Richmond, Virginia Landmark Theater
April 23, 2009 St. Louis, Missouri Fox Theatre
April 24, 2009 Detroit Opera House
April 25, 2009 Chicago Arie Crown Theater
May 2, 2009 Los Angeles Nokia Theatre
May 17, 2009[39] Houston Verizon Wireless Theater
May 19, 2009[39] Oakland, California Paramount Theatre
May 21, 2009[39] Dallas Nokia Theatre

Award procession and succession

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Funk This
by Chaka Khan		 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
2009		 Succeeded by
BLACKsummers'night
by Maxwell

References

  1. ^ http://milk-mag.com/blog/2009/05/21/soundscan-report-7
  2. ^ Hite, N'neka (2009-02-12). "Bees big at NAACP Image Awards". Variety. http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1118000120.html?nav=news&categoryid=1983&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
  3. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (2009-02-08). "Jennifer Hudson wins at marathon Grammys show". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/1420258,grammys-jennifer-hudson-winners-020809.article. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
  4. ^ http://www.jenniferhudsononline.com/news/jennifer-hudson-deluxe-edition-available-itunes-today
  5. ^ http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=305382865&s=143441
  6. ^ Nero, Mark Edward. "Sassy & Sophisticated". About.cmom Guide. http://randb.about.com/od/reviews/fr/JenniferHudson.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  7. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Jennifer Hudson (2008) review". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/album/jennifer-hudson-r1420098. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  8. ^ "Jennifer Hudson review". Billboard. Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE49301320081004. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  9. ^ Rodman, Sarah (2008-10-02). "She Is Telling You She's Here to Stay". Boston Herald. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2008/09/30/she_is_telling_you_shes_here_to_stay/. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  10. ^ Kot, Greg (2008-09-30). "Jennifer Hudson's Brilliant Voice Victim of Dull Songs [..."]. Chicago Tribune. http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/10/dull-songs-prod.html. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  11. ^ Levine, Nick (2008-09-29). "Jennifer Hudson: Jennifer Hudson". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/albumreviews/a131844/jennifer-hudson-jennifer-hudson.html. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  12. ^ Willman, Chris (2008-09-24). "Jennifer Hudson (2008)". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20228298,00.html?xid=rss-music-20080925-Jennifer+Hudson. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  13. ^ Farber, Jim (2008-09-30). "New Jennifer Hudson CD Is No Dreamgirls". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2008/09/30/2008-09-30_new_jennifer_hudson_cd_is_no_dreamgirls.html. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  14. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (2008-09-27). "Jennifer Hudson". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1521. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  15. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (2008-09-27). "Jennifer Hudson: Jennifer Hudson". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article4818139.ece. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  16. ^ "Jennifer Hudson by Jennifer Hudson". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/hudsonjennifer/jenniferhudson?q=Jennifer%20Hudson. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
  17. ^ Sarah Rodman (September 30, 2008 ). She is telling you she's here to stay The Boston Globe. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  18. ^ Chris Willman (September 23, 2008). Music Review - Jennifer Hudson (2008) - Jennifer Hudson Entertainment Weekly. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  19. ^ Andy Kellman. ((( Jennifer Hudson > Review ))) Allmusic. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  20. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3ic9d5859352b63439cbbf924355e1f8cc
  21. ^ http://randb.about.com/od/reviews/fr/JenniferHudson.htm
  22. ^ a b Katie Hasty (October 8, 2008). T.I. Debuts Big Atop Billboard 200, Hot 100 Billboard. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  23. ^ [1]
  24. ^ a b c d Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson - Music Charts αCharts. Accessed October 7, 2008.
  25. ^ a b "Music Week - Adele stays at top for albums". Musicweek.com. 5-1-2011. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storycode=1045059. Retrieved 7-16-2011. 
  26. ^ http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
  27. ^ "All Access Music Group". All Access Music Group. http://www.allaccess.com/mainFrame.php?url=/site/home/index.php%3Fbs=sp%26sn=home%26d=top40M%26f=home%26ng=top40M%26ag=79. 
  28. ^ http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=06/02/2009&Format=12
  29. ^ Chartifacts week 41 ARIA. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  30. ^ "Classifiche" (in Italian). FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. http://www.fimi.it/classifiche_result_artisti.php?anno=2009&mese=03&id=230. 
  31. ^ RIAA Search - Jennifer Hudson
  32. ^ "Jennifer Hudson to Drop 'Remember Me' Album Mar. 22". Billboard.com. 2011-01-20. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/jennifer-hudson-to-drop-remember-me-album-1004139691.story. Retrieved 2011-01-21. 
  33. ^ Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson Billboard. Accessed October 7, 2008.
  34. ^ a b Meet Jennifer Hudson on Tour!
  35. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/jennifer-hudson-to-get-intimate-and-personal-1003952101.story
  36. ^ http://www.rap-up.com/2009/02/18/jennifer-hudson-robin-thicke-announce-tour-dates/
  37. ^ http://www.jenniferhudsononline.com/news/tour-dates-re-scheduled-update
  38. ^ "Jennifer Hudson Announces Tour Dates". MTV. 2009-02-18. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1605292/20090218/hudson__jennifer.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-06-07. 
  39. ^ a b c "Tour Dates Re-Scheduled - Update". JHudson. 2009-05-05. http://www.jenniferhudsononline.com/news/tour-dates-re-scheduled-update. Retrieved 2009-06-08. 
Jennifer Hudson
Studio albums
Jennifer Hudson · I Remember Me
Singles
Other songs
Related
Book:Jennifer Hudson