Good Ole Fashioned Vocal Battle

I’m always excited about watching the Kennedy Center’s Honor tributes because they are known for show stopping performances by various musical acts and this year was no exception. Two of President Obama’s inductees for the 33rd annual ceremony were Queen Oprah and Sir Paul McCartney. One of the musical tributes for Madame Oprah was the newly svelte (Weight Watchers my ass, she had gastric bypass surgery or a stomach lapband) Jennifer Hudson, singing ‘I’m Here’, a song from the ‘Color Purple’ musical that is traditionally sung by Miss Fantasia. I’m assuming that Fantasia’s concert schedule prevented her from being able to perform, I hope she wasn’t overlooked because of her relationship drama.

While I love me some J. Hudson, I have gotten into some pretty fierce debates with some of my friends about her often overstated vocal abilities. I’m one of those people who believes that she can sing, but I also point out her tendency to yell through some songs. Having a powerful voice like Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan and Fantasia is one thing and a bitch who only knows how to shout her way through ballads like Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys is something else all together.  Jennifer Hudson’s vocal abilities are better suited for torch songs like ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’ from the Dream Girls musical, but when it comes to a vocally complexed song meant to convey many layers of emotion like ‘I’m Here’, she hasn’t learned how to harness her voice or how to use her vocals to tell a story. Below are some performances that illustrate my point. Let the vocal battles begin!!!

If you still have questions:

Now it’s obvious that both women are powerful singers, but it’s also clear to see (and hear) that Fantasia has better control over her gift. Jennifer got shutdown — spanked even, at her own concert during the duet performance of ‘I’m His Only Woman’. The audience reaction is hilarious, you’d think that Jennifer would have learned her lesson by now when it comes to picking duet partners after she was annihilated by Jennifer Holiday during a performance at the 2007 BET Awards, but I guess she hasn’t.