Jennifer Hudson and T.I. CD Reviews

Oscar winner and American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson releases her debut album on September 30, 2008.

Courtesy of Sony/BMG Music

The Oscar winner and American Idol finalist releases her debut album, while T.I. follows the Paper Trail to his fifth release. Kidzworld gives them both a little stereo time.

Jennifer Hudson :: Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson doesn’t have a lot to prove these days—she’s an Oscar winner with a healthy acting career, for one, and she’s had no problem stepping out of the shadows of an American Idol loss to become a great performer. With her first album then, she could just be lazy, and know that if it doesn’t work out then she has acting to fall back on. But she doesn’t, which is why she’ll probably stick around for awhile. Aside from that awesome voice (if you haven’t heard “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls yet, get on it!), she also knows when to wail and when to hold back, when to croon and when to go hip hop style and spit rhymes. Jennifer’s got it, and lucky for us she’s choosing to do several careers at once!

T.I.'s fifth album, Paper Trail, drops September 30, 2008 on Grand Hustle/Atlantic.

Courtesy of Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records

Fun Facts

Jennifer performed the National Anthem at this year’s Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

Aside from her Oscar, Jennifer has also won numerous other awards for her role in Dreamgirls, including a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress.

She appeared as Sarah Jessica Parker’s assistant in Sex and the City: The Movie in Summer 2008. She also contributed a song to the movie’s soundtrack.

Jennifer is the first reality television star to win an Oscar.

Hot Tracks

Spotlight, Pocketbook (ft. Ludacris), I’m His Only Woman (ft. Fantasia)

Rating:

T.I. :: Paper Trail

In a Fall that’s full of new hip-hop releases, it takes a lot to stand out. Lucky for Atlanta’s T.I., he’s one of the ones that does, and he makes it look pretty easy. Paper Trail is totally fresh, which is pretty amazing considering it’s T.I.’s fifth album. He’s not one of the big power players in rap, but as he says, “I don’t care about being famous.” Instead, he cares about making great tracks. And for that reason, he’s made a great album, one that’s confident without being overly boastful, with innovative production and great beats. T.I.’s been called “the Jay-Z of the South,” and this album proves that if he wants the title, he can have it.

Fun Facts

The album’s title, Paper Trail, is a reference to writing lyrics on paper vs. memorizing them. T.I. made the switch from writing lyrics to memorizing after his first album in 2001, but with this album he went back to writing.

Whatever You Like has been T.I.’s most successful single in his career so far, jumping from #71 to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s his first number one single, ever.

T.I. has donated money and time to causes ranging from Hurricane Katrina to Boys and Girls Clubs.

Pharrell of the Neptunes and N.E.R.D. is the one who called T.I. the “Jay-Z of the South.”