When the incredible shrinking Jennifer Hudson storms onto her second album with the words "I, I, I've been through some things/ Please don’t hold that against me", it’s hard not to revisit exactly what the 29 year-old has been through in the last three years. Since the release of her eponymous debut, she's suffered the devastating loss of her mother, brother and nephew, who were tragically murdered by her sister's estranged husband.
Only adding to the blow is the fact that, until that day in 2008, the Jennifer Hudson story was a genuinely inspiring one. A colossally gifted singer, the likable Ms. Hudson managed to rise above her reality-TV roots to win a Grammy for her first record and over 30 awards for her performance in glossy screen musical Dreamgirls, including the sparkliest of awards, a shiny wee statuette named Oscar. To everyone including Jennifer, it seemed impossible that all these accolades were being heaped on a chubby Idol contestant who had left the show with nothing more than a pat on the back for making it to the seventh round.
As if to complement her role in Dreamgirls, there’s something oh-so-very Diana Ross about I Remember Me, specifically the exhilarating disco number 'Don't Look Down' and a breezy spoken-word interlude on the anthemic 'Everybody Needs Love'.
Thankfully, this time around, Hudson's unstoppable alto has been written for with tremendous consideration, and by some of the most accomplished songwriters in the business. Alicia Keys contributes the record’s three finest tracks, while the increasingly curious R. Kelly gives Hudson a chest-thumping single in 'Where You At'. Neither sweeping melody nor skyscraping money note Bogarts the limelight, and more often than not, Hudson's untarnished vocals are enhanced with feisty, triumphant pop jams.
On the other hand, an ever-so-slightly zhuzhed-up version of Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' serves no purpose whatsoever, and I'm still at a loss as to why 'Spotlight', the smash hit from Hudson's otherwise lacklustre debut is included. Elsewhere, a handful of overblown ballads spoil the fun somewhat and 'Love Is Your Colour', Hudson's duet with fellow talent show pony, Leona Lewis, sounds just a little bit too familiar (block your ears, Cindi!)
Still, I can't tell you how comforting it is to listen to an album like I Remember Me after years of hovering my fingers dubiously over my ears, as diva after diva succumbed to the perils of mindless Autotune frolics (Mariah, Toni, Christina, they're all guilty…) But even putting Hudson's peerless vocal to one side, I Remember Me is brassy, gutsy and for the most part, wildly celebratory. Not bad for seventh best.