Reviews:

Additional personnel: Espen Lind, Tony Reyes (guitar); Larry Cox (organ); Eddie Brown (keyboards); Pro-Jay (drums); Tavia Ivey, Kenya Ivey (background vocals); Jack Splash, The Love Life Orchestra.
Arrangers: Mikkel S. Eriksen; Tor Erik Hermanson.
Jennifer Hudson's name and voice were already well known to the general public by the time her first album appeared in 2008. Hudson's appearance on AMERICAN IDOL, and her starring role in the film DREAMGIRLS, introduced her as a talent to be reckoned with. Her self-titled debut, a sleek collection of contemporary R&B, reinforces that impression. Lead single "Spotlight," a moody, midtempo groover, kicks things off and is one of the disc's highlights, along with the Timbaland-produced "Pocketbook" featuring Ludacris, and "I'm His Only Woman," a duet with Fantasia. Elsewhere, T-Pain guests on "What's Wrong (Go Away)." But while the guest spots speckle the album with variety, it's Hudson's confident, flexible singing that give this debut its gleam.

Personnel: Robin Thicke (background vocals).