Jennifer Hudson had already wowed audiences on American Idol and in theatres with her powerhouse voice. On her first album, she stakes out her territory in the late-’00s R&B landscape, declaring her independence on the forceful “Spotlight” and sparring with Ludacris on the giddy Timbaland production “Pocketbook”. She also doubles down on her diva status, offering a vocal master class on the grand ballad “Giving Myself” and reprising her showstopping Dreamgirls calling card “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”.