Spotlight
Jennifer Hudson
Remember when J-Hud performed at Long Beach Gay Pride, sang a never-before heard song and plugged her soon-to-come solo album? Yeah, I thought that was 2006, too. After delays and cancellations—oh, and that Oscar—Jennifer Hudson’s official debut as a recording artist that’s actually recorded has arrived. Seems the powers that be decided they needed to turn down the diva volume a bit if they wanted Jennifer to fit nicely amidst all the no-talents on the radio today, so on “Spotlight,” we get to see a more subtle version of her lion’s roar. A song about being kept under constant surveillance by an insecure lover, “Spotlight” feels lackluster on first listen without all the heaving and grunting we’ve come to expect, but it’s the remixes (provided by urban-to-club hit makers Moto Blanco and Johnny Vicious) that unlock the song’s hidden force.
