Soulful, fiesty, rough-around-the-edges and more brash than a hot pink dress at an all-white dinner party. No one was prepared for a 20-year-old High Point, NC native to make it through the rounds of the nation’s top talent competition known as American Idol, much less win the top prize. But despite the odds, Fantasia Barrino… Continue reading Fantasia’s “The Definition of….,” CD Preview/Review Link
Tag: “American Idol”
No ‘Cans’ Left, Zero F’s Given: Beyond 40 & Over The BS
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”― Audre Lorde A few years ago, I went to a concert featuring former American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino. Just as she had been during Season 3 of the program, Barrino was a stage-slaying siren who moved the crowd… Continue reading No ‘Cans’ Left, Zero F’s Given: Beyond 40 & Over The BS
Jennifer Hudson’s “JHud,” The MOC Preview & ST Review Link
….In the ten years that have passed since American Idol, Jennifer Hudson’s had a lifetime’s worth of highs and lows, including a fiance, the birth of her son, a weight loss of nearly 100 pounds and unfortunately, enduring the untimely deaths of her mother, brother and nephew in 2008. The somberness of those experiences seemed… Continue reading Jennifer Hudson’s “JHud,” The MOC Preview & ST Review Link
Fantasia Barrino’s “Side Effects Of You,” The Soultracks/MOC Review/Preview Link
Is she maddening? Misguided? Even slightly on the messy side? Sure. But what stands out the most about Fantasia Barrino is her way of channeling those raw edges and unguarded emotions into song. It’s been these undeniable qualities that have sustained her since her historic 2004 American Idol victory and won her a standing ovation… Continue reading Fantasia Barrino’s “Side Effects Of You,” The Soultracks/MOC Review/Preview Link
From “A.I.” Spotlight to Full-On “Sparkle”: A Vintage Q&A With Jordin Sparks
Before the movie, back when she was fresh off American Idol and getting her solo career off the ground, I interviewed the sweet and personable new winner, Jordin Sparks (2007): even then, I could tell she was sweet, well-grounded and had the potential to hit the stratosphere. So proud of her and I hope that… Continue reading From “A.I.” Spotlight to Full-On “Sparkle”: A Vintage Q&A With Jordin Sparks