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closeFriday, May. 22, 2009
Review: Jennifer Hudson lights up Nokia Theatre
Mario Tarradell
Special Contributor to DFW.com
GRAND PRAIRIE — Jennifer Hudson has an amazing voice. That’s the good news. That’s also the bad news.
It’s bad only in the sense that she could damage it if she isn’t careful. Remember that her concert Thursday night at Nokia Theatre had to be rescheduled twice because she strained her vocal cords during this tour.
And onstage, Hudson doesn’t hold back. Before an enthusiastic crowd that also seemed to enjoy trek mate Robin Thicke’s earlier set, J-Hud was full throttle from the get-go. Almost immediately she let loose an avalanche of lung power during We Gon’ Fight and You Pulled Me Through, two uplifting manifestos.
How cool that she reached into the past and pulled out great renditions of Giving Him Something He Can Feel and Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan’s Sweet Thing. The latter had her in impromptu duets with women at the foot of the stage. She was so gracious, too, constantly shaking hands with fans and thanking everybody for supporting her.
Before her hour was up, the Grammy-winning Hudson was sassy fun during Pocketbook, which had her waving around a red purse and strutting for the audience. She was oh-so soulful during If This Isn’t Love and Spotlight, a sunny, danceable slice of old-school R&B if ever there was one.
But wow, the encore: You know what it was, the tour de force And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going from her Oscar-winning performance in Dreamgirls. She still sings the song with her entire body. Those notes emerge from the deepest regions of her being.
Listening to her belt out Going, as stunning as it was, made me wonder how much longer she’ll be able to sing it that way. Take care of that voice, Jennifer.
As for Thicke, he was energetic enough and interacted well with his nine-member band. But his brand of pretty-boy, breathy R&B comes off as so manufactured. It’s as if he’s going through the motions for the novelty of it all.
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