Jennifer Hudson’s hits and misses singing Aretha Franklin in ‘Respect’
Even for a Grammy and Oscar winner like Jennifer Hudson, singing live as Aretha Franklin in the new biopic “Respect” was a daunting prospect.
“It’s tricky,” Hudson, 39, told In Style. “You don’t want to come off as if you’re mimicking somebody, especially somebody like Aretha.”
But Hudson got some help from vocal coach Tom Jones — her former fellow judge on “The Voice UK” — in finding Franklin’s voice while not losing her own.
“The resolve was to show her influence on me and pay homage to certain nuances, like the way she shaped her mouth when she sang,” she told USA Today.
Here, we break down how the “Dreamgirls” star — who was handpicked by Franklin to play her and even sang at the Queen of Soul’s 2018 funeral — stacks up on five Aretha classics featured on the “Respect” soundtrack.
“Respect”
If there was one song Hudson had to get right in “Respect,” it’s the 1967 hit that inspired the title of the movie. And J-Hud deserves her propers for the way she handles Franklin’s signature song. She strikes a fine balance between imitation and interpretation, while capturing the feisty, sock-it-to-’em essence of Franklin’s vocal for the ages.
“I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)”
Hudson gets inside the soul of this gospel-powered testimony, but her voice seems thin compared to Franklin’s husky heft, especially when it calls for that primal growl. On songs like this, Hudson almost sounds like a mash-up of Franklin and ’50s singer Dinah Washington, an early Franklin mentor played by a scene-stealing Mary J. Blige in “Respect.”
“Ain’t No Way”
The gospel-meets-blues feels of this 1968 classic work for and against Hudson. She nails the gospel part, but she’s not a natural blues woman. And while she takes the glorious bridge to church, ain’t no way she can beat Franklin.
“Think”
Hudson’s Vegas-y version of Franklin’s 1968 hit lacks her funky flow and southern sass. And she sounds as if she’s trying too hard with that overdone run at the end.
“Amazing Grace”
Franklin delivered the definitive performance of this hymn when she sang it as the title tune of her 1972 live gospel album. It’s simply one of the greatest vocal performances ever. And while no one could ever out-Aretha Aretha, Hudson does justice to the Queen here. Letting the holy spirit take over, this is her “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” moment.
