Respect [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

by Jennifer Hudson

Overview

Jennifer Hudson auditioned for American Idol in 2004 with "Share Your Love with Me," sung with clear reverence for the version cut by Aretha Franklin. Only three years later, after she won an Academy Award for Dreamgirls, Hudson was summoned by the Queen of Soul, who greeted her with "You're gonna win an Oscar for playing me, right?" Hudson later acknowledged that she didn't have enough life experience then to portray Aretha, but by the time the filming of Respect began in 2019, she and her hero had far more than a gospel background and fame in common. Hudson's professional achievements during this decade-plus period of unspeakable lows and extreme highs included a Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of The Color Purple. It's with the producers of its Grammy-winning cast recording, Stephen Bray and Jason Michael Webb, that she made the soundtrack for Respect. The loosely chronological sequence begins in the church with "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood" -- voiced first by Skye Dakota Turner, who plays the young Aretha and yields to Hudson before the end of the first verse -- and finishes in the same setting with the only new song. The finale is a belting testimonial written by Carole King, co-author of "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman," which is one of ten songs included here that originate from Aretha's 1967-1968 artistic breakthrough and supernova phase with Atlantic Records. Lesser singers would likely attempt imitation and undoubtedly fall short. Hudson is among the few who could pull it off. Instead, the powerhouse seems to glean her own past as much as that of her subject, and though she nails some of the queen's mannerisms and inflections -- especially when the material calls for elation and assertion -- her voice remains singular. Performances of three songs from the outstanding live gospel album Amazing Grace don't have the same sense of urgency, and the crowd noise on "Respect" is jarringly disconnected. More often, however, these renderings glow and do right by the queen. Hudson, whose recordings since JHUD have been scattered in terms of purpose, style, and quality, hasn't sounded this inspired in some time. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	08/13/2021
Label:	Epic
UPC:	0194398249223
Rank:	187534

Tracks

1. There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
2. Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive
3. Nature Boy
4. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)
5. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
6. Dr. Feelgood
7. Respect
8. Sweet Sweet Baby (Since You've Been Gone)
9. Ain't No Way
10. (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman
11. Chain of Fools
12. Think
13. Take My Hand, Precious Lord
14. Spanish Harlem
15. I Say a Little Prayer
16. Precious Memories
17. Amazing Grace
18. Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jennifer Hudson   Primary Artist
Jason Michael Webb   Organ,Piano,Wurlitzer,Choir/Chorus
Saycon Sengbloh   Vocals (Background)
Maureen McDermott   Strings
Jung Sun Yoo   Strings
Michael Roth   Strings
Annaliesa Place   Strings
Alan Stepansky   Strings
Joanna Maurer   Strings
Matt Lehmann   Strings
Lelund Durond Thompson   Choir/Chorus
Ann Lehmann   Strings
Brenda Nicole Moorer   Vocals (Background)
Suzanne Orstein   Strings
Hailey Kilgore   Vocals (Background)
Milena Bray   Choir/Chorus
Stefon Harris   Bowed Vibes
Tawatha Agee   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Stephen Bray   Drums,Percussion,Choir/Chorus
Andy Snitzer   Saxophone
Shedrick Mitchell   Piano
Cindy Mizelle   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Bashiri Johnson   Percussion
James Genus   Bass
Spooner Oldham   Organ,Wurlitzer
William Green   Organ
Aaron Heick   Saxophone
Aretha Scruggs   Choir/Chorus
Brandon Winbush   Choir/Chorus
Sharon Yamada   Strings
Ryan Keberle   Trombone
Lisa Kim   Strings
Josie Aiello   Choir/Chorus
Lisa Fischer   Choir/Chorus,Vocals (Background)
Becky Young   Strings
Shawn Pelton   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Jason Michael Webb   Arranger,Producer,Vocal Producer
J.B.F. Wright   Composer
Anita Marisa Boriboon   Design,Art Direction
Jason Michael   Vocal Producer
William Cowper   Composer
Ruven Afanador   Cover Photo
Ed White   Assistant Engineer
SB   Vocal Producer
Steve Wight   Music Preparation
Quantrell Colbert   Photography
Timothy Marchiafava   Assistant Engineer
Jon Zacks   Assistant Engineer
Bekah Connoly   Label Consultant
Don Covay   Composer
Lisa Kasha   Marketing
Kevin KD Davis   Mixing
Johnny Goldstein   Producer
Rhett Huffman   Assistant Engineer
Nelson Robinson   Assistant Engineer
Tiffany Sant' Anselmo   A&R
Jack Zrehigian   Assistant
Graehme Morphy   Management
Lisa Kastler   Management
Jamie Harton   Composer
Walter Williams   Management
Ezekiel Lewis   A&R,Producer
Gene Grimaldi   Mastering
Liesl Tommy   Executive Producer
Mandy Mamlet   Music Executive
Marc Miller   Music Clearance
Stephen Bray   Arranger,Producer,Vocal Producer
Traditional   Composer
Ted White   Composer
Lowell Mason   Composer
Sylvia Rhone   Producer
Eden Ahbez   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Margeaux Watson   Marketing
Dylan Dresdow   Mixing Engineer
Carole King   Composer
Sandra Park   Contractor
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Jennifer Hudson   Composer
Jerry Leiber   Composer
Ronnie Shannon   Composer
Jerry Wexler   Composer
Otis Redding   Composer
Michael Verdick   Engineer
Stewart Lerman   Engineer
Harvey Mason, Jr.   Producer
Alex Lowe   Assistant Engineer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
Dan Penn   Composer
Phil Spector   Composer
Troy Taylor   Vocal Producer
Hal David   Composer
Chips Moman   Composer
Joseph Joubert   Orchestration
Wade Starnes   Assistant Engineer
Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey   Composer
Aretha Franklin   Arranger,Composer