Glorious

by Kate Hudson

Overview

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 Hudson'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 Hudson sing for a charity event at a school both their children attend. Perry's schedule didn't allow for her to complete Glorious, giving Hudson and 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 Hudson 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, Hudson is firmly rooted in classic rock, displaying clear debts to such '70s titans as Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks. The trick Hudson pulls off on Glorious 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 Glorious sounds so engaging is that she's working with Perry and Carlsson, pop producers who are keenly aware of fashion but who also know Hudson 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 Hudson's range -- she not only adeptly handles the shifts in style and tone, but provides the music with a dynamic center. Perhaps Hudson 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 Glorious shows she's a rock star in her own right. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/17/2024
Label:	Virgin Records Us
UPC:	0196922794537

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kate Hudson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Johan Carlsson   Drums,Organ,Piano,Shaker,Vocals,Sampling,Mellotron,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Tambourine,Vibraphone,Double Bass,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Bass,Synthesizer Pads,Vocals (Background)
Janne Bjerger   Trumpet
Danny Fujikawa   Horn,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Synthesizer,Drum Machine,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Joshua Ray Gooch   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Misty Carlsson   Handclapping
Charles Jones   Organ,Organ
Linda Perry   Guitar (Rhythm)
Peter Noos Johansson   Trombone
Mattias Bylund   Horn,Brass,Synthesizer,String Conductor,Synthesizer Strings
Erik Arvinder   String Conductor
Jonathan Low   Tambourine
Tomas Jonsson   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Wojtek Goral   Sax (Alto)
Nils Petter Ankarblom   Synthesizer,Synthesizer Strings
David Bukovinszky   Cello
Rani Rose   Handclapping
Kitten Kuroi   Vocals (Background)
Colette Carlsson   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
WhyNot Jansveld   Guitar (Bass)
Eli Wulfmeier   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic)
Magnus Johansson   Trumpet,French Horn
Mattias Johansson   Violin
Maiya Sykes   Vocals (Background)
Tamir Barzilay   Drums,Shaker

Technical Credits

Johan Carlsson   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Drum Programming
Kate Hudson   Composer
Steve Calbri   Mastering Engineer
Linda Perry   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording
Luis Flores   Engineer,Recording
Mattias Bylund   String Arrangements
Steve Fallone   Mastering Engineer
Erik Arvinder   String Arrangements
Jonathan Low   Mixing Engineer
Nils Petter Ankarblom   String Arrangements
Danny Fujikawa   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording
Greg Calbri   Mastering Engineer
Greg Calbi   Mastering Engineer
Peter Karlsson   Producer,Vocal Producer