Jennifer Hudson's debut album is not worth the wait

Chicago Sun-Times - United States - Though she only finished in seventh place, Chicago sweetheart Jennifer Hudson won much of America’s hearts when she emerged as a fresh young voice evoking a mix of old-school legends Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Whitney Houston during the third season of “American Idol” in 2004.

Unlike so many participants in that saccharine pop phenomenon, Hudson seemed like a real woman — someone who’d sung in church choir and at local talent shows in between working at Burger King, pursuing her dream with a gig on a Disney Cruise Line before finally finding fame at the haughty feet of Simon Cowell. And while she didn’t walk away with first place, Hudson was a big winner nonetheless, going on to land an Oscar for the film “Dreamgirls” and co-starring in the summer hit “Sex in the City.”