Tuesday, June 21, 2011

They don't make 'em like this anymore

For a song that's been sung by almost every singer who'd like to demonstrate her pipes and every wannabe singer who'd belt this song out like there's no tomorrow to impress judges, nothing else compares to the original.

Yes, Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for her portrayal of Effie White in "Dreamgirls", but Jennifer Holliday's performance was thousands and thousands of miles apart. After all, she won the Tony Awards for her turn as the Dreams' resident diva.



What's astounding about Ms. Holliday's performance is that her emotion pushes through the song. In this case, it's not just her voice and song that mesmerizes us, it's the feeling she puts into the song. Her facial expressions, her body language, her astounding gasp (7:56) before the last note. It's phenomenal. It's magical. It's enough to make tears well in my eyes.

JHud is good, but JHoll is in a class on her own.

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