As the holiday season gets closer, this week’s Second Listen Sunday selection is from EGOT winner, Jennifer Hudson, and her 2024 Christmas album “The Gift Of Love”. The EGOT winner plays like the album she’s been circling for years — a complete, confident return that uses Christmas not as a gimmick, but as a framework for everything she does well.
This is her first holiday set and her first studio album in a decade, but she shows no signs of rust. Hudson arrives with purpose, supported by heavyweight producers such as Ryan Tedder, David Foster, Kirk Franklin, Greg Phillinganes, and James Poyser. The production is glossy and cinematic, meticulously arranged, yet even the most polished moments highlight her voice rather than overshadow it.
Opening with Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is a bold choice that only a singer with absolute command could execute. Hudson avoids the temptation to belt out the notes right away. Instead, she demonstrates control and thoughtful phrasing, allowing the lyrics to breathe before unleashing her powerful voice in the final stretch. Her collaboration with The Joy on “Carol of the Bells” stands out as the album’s brightest surprise—a rhythmic, South African-inspired reimagining that elevates the record beyond traditional ornamentation, giving it a lively pulse.
Most of the standards, including “O Holy Night,” “The Christmas Song,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” follow familiar structures. However, with Hudson’s rich and resonant voice, the goal isn’t necessarily to reinvent these classics but to interpret them. She treats these songs with respect, bending the notes just enough to make them her own without overdoing it.
Where Hudson truly shines is in her original songs. “Find the Love” and “Make It Christmas” blend contemporary R&B with gospel influences, while “Santa for Someone” showcases her ability to convey longing with dignity rather than melodrama. “Almost Christmas,” featuring Common, brings warmth and chemistry without veering into holiday clichés.
“The Gift of Love” feels less like a seasonal offering and more like a declaration. Hudson isn’t trying to compete with the reigning queens of Christmas; instead, she is carving out her own niche—one that is soulful, commanding, and grounded in vocal authenticity.
This album is a rare holiday release that feels both timeless and fresh, positioning her to return every December without ever sounding repetitive.
“The Gift Of Love” is available on all streaming platforms.
My introduction to Nate Dogg goes back to Dr. Dre’s 1992 debut, The Chronic, and the song “Deeez Nuuuts.” Even then, something about Nate’s voice set him apart from everybody else. He wasn’t just singing on rap records. He was bringing soul, gospel, street knowledge, and West Coast cool into the same space. He set the standard for hook singers in hip-hop, and dare I say, he’s still vastly underrated.
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to give Stevie Wonder his due as he prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his masterpiece, “Songs in the Key of Life,” on tour. While the easy choice could have been “Knocks Me Off My Feet”—a classic that still resonates fifty years later—I chose “From the Bottom of My Heart,” the second single from his twenty-third studio album, “A Time to Love,” released in 2005.
It’s hard to believe that an iconic singing competition like American Idol has produced only two Black male winners in its more than two-and-a-half-decade history. Jamal Roberts made history last year when he won the show, following Ruben Studdard’s well-deserved victory in Season Two.