Jennifer Hudson, (You Make Me Feel …) Natural Woman | Track Review

Jennifer Hudson shines on her remake of the Aretha Franklin classic, “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman” from RESPECT.

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t’s been far too long since Academy Award/Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson released new music. Thankfully, that wait has come to an end! Hudson plays the late, great Aretha Franklin in the highly anticipated biopic, RESPECT. That means the anointed, robust-voiced diva isn’t only blessing us with her acting chops, but also, her singing.  Accompanying the August 13 release of RESPECT is RESPECT (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).  While there’s a fine original in “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)”, the heavy lifting comes with covering Franklin’s catalog, including “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman”.

“(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman” was famously written by Jerry Wexler, Carole King and Gerry Goffin.  It originally graced Franklin’s 1968 album, Lady Soul.  The soundtrack version is produced by Stephen Bray and Jason Michael Webb.  Do they recapture the sound of late 60s soul soundly? Of course, they do!  The essence and vibe is there, even if the sound has the luxury of better recording quality and techniques in the 21^st century.  With ‘real’ instruments accompanying, the band successfully recreates an aesthetic that far too often resides in the past. 

Of course, It’s not the music that draws our focus on when evaluating this cover.  All eyes are on the singer.  That’s you J Hud! Hudson does a ‘bang-up’ job here – we’d expect no less! She’s not Aretha Franklin – no one will ever be – but given her own prodigious pipes, she’s well equipped to take on this big song.  One of the best and most skilled vocalists of our time, she’s the one to carry the torch.

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Final Thoughts

Covers are difficult to get excited for, particularly when the artist being covered is considered untouchable.  That said, Jennifer Hudson was built to sing big songs requiring powerhouse vocals.  She does just that, like a champ, on this fine remake of “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman.”  All ears should approve, particularly when she hits those ad-libs! 

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Jennifer Hudson • RESPECT (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) • Epic • 8.13.21

[: Brent Faulkner, Epic, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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