| by Dr. Jeffrey Lant This is the story of a woman of rare talent, a woman with the ability to engross us, envelope us, touch our lives with searing emotion, pain, anguish and the cross currents of love. This is the story of a woman who rose to the very pinnacle of her profession on this ability... whose music forced itself into our hearts... It is the story, too, of the woman who has been badly advised in her subsequent career moves... who has gone from giving listeners goose bumps, chills, and involuntary tears ... to giving them next to nothing. Once she delivered transcendence. Now, chic and svelte with just the right lip gloss, she delivers next to nothing at all, just smooth predictabilities. This is the story of blow 'em out diva Jennifer Hudson... of her highs and lows, of the truth and sincerity she has given us... and what she needs from us right now so she can deliver it again. Author's note: To get the most from this article, you need to listen to two Jennifer Hudson tunes. The first is the one that made her, "And I am telling you I'm not going" and the second, her latest, "Where you at?" You can easily find both in any search engine. Listen to them now... then return to continue... How Jennifer Hudson got started Born September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Hudson was raised as a Baptist and graduated from Dunbar Vocational High School in 1999. She didn't need a vocational school to tell her what she wanted to do. She wanted to sing, to perform, to rouse an audience, to get them out of their seats, cheering. She had as her particular icons Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, all capable of shredding our reserve and allowing the diva in, to do with us what she would, chaos, turbulence, mayhem... and most of all, love... so that we would always remember her and the never-to-be-forgotten moments we spent together. (Not quite) the American Idol Hudson, who had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines for several months, auditioned for the third season of "American Idol." She said, en passant, during her audition that she'd been doing so. Contestant judge Randy Jackson, the most grounded of the reviewers, said "We're expecting more than a cruise ship performance from you." They got it... but it wasn't quite enough to win the title for her. Two other would be divas, Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London, powerful vocalists both, helped push Hudson to an entirely forgettable seventh place. But this was a woman determined to succeed... and so she, along with hundreds of professional singers and performers showed up in November, 2005 to audition for the film adaptation of the musical "Dreamgirls." Raven-Symond and Fantasia Barrino, her more successful competitor on "American Idol", wanted the plum role of Effie White, too, in this most lavish all-black film ever (budget $80 million.) Hudson got the role... and she ran with it into musical history. The song that did it is titled "And I am telling you I'm not going." It is the kind of song each of us wants to have sung to us at least once in our lives, to validate that we are alive and profoundly loved. When you listen to this pulsating number, in an instant you are, in your mind, beyond Effie and her unceasingly turbulent life. You are thinking of yourself... of your life.... of people you have loved...and the ones who have loved you, perhaps unwisely. You are drowning in this music...and the singer, Hudson, won't let you go. There's no way I can ever go. No, no, there's no way. No, no, no, no way I'm living without you. I'm not living without you. I don't want to be free. I'm staying. I'm staying. And you, and you You're gonna love me, oh ooh mm mmm You're gonna love me. It was beyond bravura... it was a kick to the solar plexus!. It was pain! Life! Love! It was glorious! And you felt all of it... every single note and syllable... ... and so did the critics, pundits, and prognosticators of the world. All too often carping, captious, this time they rained unceasing praise... and every honor the lady could ever imagine, much less possess... including the 2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and 28 additional awards; the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the same from the Broadcast Critics... and the same again from the Screen Actors Guild. Touching our lives had taken her from an undistinguished seventh place finish on "American Idol" into history. Dazed, in awe, astonished she accepted it all with graciousness and sincere appreciation. She was a woman one delighted to honor. Then tragedy struck, life mirroring art. On October 24, 2008 Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donnerson and the singer's 29-year-old brother Jason were found shot to death inside their Chicago home. Missing was Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King; soon his body was found. It was all the work of William Balfour, 27, estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia. Now Hudson's life had more turbulence and mayhem than Effie's. She took time to pause, reflect, regroup. The world, shocked, mourned with her... standing by to see What Happened Next. And that was less, much less that we knew so well the lady could deliver. The problem with great Talent of the kind exhibited by Hudson in her astonishing moment is that it makes what follows seem uninspired, second rate, mediocre. In short, after a great event, that moment of high significance one needs more help than ever; it is easy, you see, to get off track. It's easy merely to go through the motions... rather than do what's necessary to outdo your greatest moment; this always means hard work, dedication, boldness, risk without the certainty of success. Talent demands this... being glibly second rate never does. Sadly, Hudson's career showed every evidence that she had lost her way and was listening to the wrong people. They told her to lose weight (she did), go glam (she did), cultivate a sexy black chanteuse image (she did)... but it all looked contrived, crafting an image by the numbers... instead of using her God-given voice to maximum effect, touching all our lives. Her latest tune, "Where you at?" (released January, 2011) shows the dangers of her path. It takes her patented "wronged woman" theme... and, with insipid music and verse, dilutes it until it might as well be a cocktail lounge tune about a missed date. Hudson's talent is not shown... only the fact that she is listening to the wrong handlers... and needs to get rid of them... fast. Jennifer: yours has been a life of determination, of some success, then astonishing success and worldwide acclaim, followed by great tragedy, then peace with boyfriend David Otunga, with his unlikely careers as Harvard Law School grad and pro wrestler. Pour all this into your next records. Give us everything you've got... and that is so very much, indeed. Shuck off the handlers and did deep into yourself, bringing it all up, using it all, giving it your own signature sound and energy. You can do this, Jennifer. Do it now, for our sake, for your own... and we're gonna love you!!! |
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