14 DAY TRIAL // Oscar-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson is back in the recording studio to re-work the songs that will be lined up for inclusion on her upcoming album, her second to date. The first batch of tracks she and her management presented to record bosses got in return negative feedback for being more Euro-pop than soulful as would best befit her voice, inside sources tell the New York Daily News.
Admittedly, Hudson and her management has already showcased a first batch of songs from the album, out this fall, and were told to go back into the studio and focus more on a sound that is specifically Jennifer Hudson. In other words, the album seemed to take a very dance direction that is as far from the image fans have of Jennifer as possible, and that would have suited the likes of Rihanna and Lady Gaga best.
“We hear the Oscar winner is recording additional music for her upcoming album after her first batch of new tunes garnered less-than-glowing feedback. The bad news came after J Records executive Larry Jackson showcased music from Hudson’s sophomore CD at EMI Publishing's recent upfront presentation for songwriters and producers in NYC. So why the dismal reviews? ‘The songs she recorded so far were mostly Euro-dance music suited for Rihanna or Lady Gaga,’ says a music insider who attended the event. ‘The producers and songwriters unanimously agreed the music didn’t fit Jennifer and encouraged Larry to send her back into the studio’,” writes the NY Daily News.
“The dance-heavy musical direction came as a surprise to industry insiders, who were familiar with the R&B leanings of Hudson’s first CD. But the singer’s new sound is clearly due to the involvement of producer Rich Harrison, who’s known for helming ‘go-go’ hits for Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Mary J. Blige. ‘The consensus was that the songs were not so not J.Hud,’ dishes the insider. Hudson’s rep insists, ‘We’ve received terrific feedback on the material,’ and says the singer is only ‘in the beginning stages’ of recording her album,” the aforementioned tab further writes.
Other sources connected to the music industry are also stressing that, if anything, Jennifer needs a very solid second studio album, one on which no critic can find fault. Her debut material was a huge hit because Jennifer was riding on the wave of her incredible success of “Dreamgirls” but it did not yield any pop hit in the true meaning of the word. This has to change with her sophomore release, one such insider also says for the same e-zine.