Kate Hudson
spent much of her career orbiting the center of rock & roll so the transition from acting to singing doesn't seem awkward in the slightest on
Glorious
, her debut album.
Hudson
spends the record on comfortable ground thanks to her chief collaborators
Danny Fujikawa
-- the onetime leader of
Chief
and
's domestic partner since 2016 -- and
Linda Perry
, the superstar producer who encouraged the actress to follow her dream of writing and performing music after hearing
sing for a charity event at a school both their children attend.
Perry
's schedule didn't allow for her to complete
, giving
Fujikawa
the opportunity to work with
Johan Carlsson
, an associate of
Max Martin
who found success co-writing with
Ariana Grande
. Having two prominent producers as collaborators winds up putting the spotlight on
herself, as her passionate, full-throated vocals -- raspy without seeming ragged, powerful yet controlled -- are the focal point throughout the record. Unsurprisingly for an actress who became a star playing Penny Laine, the chief "Band Aid" in
Cameron Crowe
's album rock epic
Almost Famous
,
is firmly rooted in classic rock, displaying clear debts to such '70s titans as
Linda Ronstadt
Stevie Nicks
. The trick
pulls off on
is that her classicism never seems staid: it's bright, lively, fresh and fun, tuneful, and knowing without succumbing to rote, respectful tropes of traditionalism. Part of the reason
sounds so engaging is that she's working with
Carlsson
, pop producers who are keenly aware of fashion but who also know
isn't gunning for the Top 40. Instead, the team knows how to give the insistent "Romeo" and pulsating "Fire" a New Wave sheen and how to let the power chords of "Gonna Find Out" settle into a blues-rock groove that's as slick as it is earthy. Similarly, there are both dimension and depth to the quieter moments -- "Live Forever" builds from a hushed acoustic guitar to a lovely shimmer of harmonies and strings -- that emphasis emotion instead of overwhelming it. The suppleness of the production mirrors
's range -- she not only adeptly handles the shifts in style and tone, but provides the music with a dynamic center. Perhaps
is indeed a bit of a throwback to another era -- not so much the '70s as the dawn of the 2000s, when
Sheryl Crow
made this kind of colorful classic rock a radio staple -- but
shows she's a rock star in her own right. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine