"SEXY AND DELICIOUS," HUDSON SHINES IN DEBUT PERFORMANCE

Muse? Musician? Fan?

Catalyst? Capturer? Creator?

Original voice? Someone who delivers others’ truths?

Kate Hudson, known to most in the music business as Almost Famous’ famous Band-Aid Penny Lane, seemingly has always been meant to sing. But life, career, expectations and even the bad cliché of actors who think they’re rock stars got in her way.

After a COVID-lockdown challenge from Linda Perry, the blonde committed to the songs she’d been scattering through her life for decades. Why not? People were trapped, and this was a love she’d had for years. Before one chokes on the notion of vanity for the privileged, there’s the matter of Hudson’s “debut” performance at SIR in West Hollywood. With the full-power press from Jason Owen, Jake Basden and the Sandbox Entertainment team, the packed room was glitterati personified, and yet, Hudson kept her focus on the music.

Whether curated covers—such as her terse take on ’Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” or an opportunity to let her band shine on Chicago’s “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day”—or her originals, the Oscar-nominated Hudson was her own “sexy and delicious” surprise. Not merely competent, she’s a dusky singer who understands the emotions she’s reaching for—and commits without ever sounding trite or like she’s trying.

Given her life lived on massive tours, she’s no stranger to rock ’n’ roll stages. It showed in the way she worked a mic, threw to an accomplished band that added dynamics to the songs she’d written with Perry, fiancé/co-producer Danny Fujikawa and friend/co-producer Johan Carlsson. Opening with the slinky swagger of the aptly titled “Gonna Find Out” where guitars leaned in as her voice spiraled higher on the vamping post-chorus, it was clear it was as much about fun as it was being fabulous.

The big drums, B-3 and buzzing, almost outer space guitars gave “Desert Warrior” a tension and mystery she could work against as a singer. With a sultry second soprano voice, the song allowed the brightness to come through; juxtaposing, but also drawing listeners to her.

More importantly, as a songwriter-singer, there’s the deep core to how she comes at the music. A few Wurlitzer notes set a velvety frame for the slowed-down, minimalist re-working of Stevie Nicks’ Mirage smash “Gypsy” that serves as rumination more than celebration on how time tatters the bohemian, yet somehow the raggedy edges add value. Instead of a straight fan girl read, Hudson delivered a more lived-in truth that excavates the way people weather the storm and emerge from what was with a path forward that’s more engaging.

“Gypsy” melted into her own “Touch the Light,” a slow bluesy song that suggests bygone eras. Tapestry-era Carole King was evoked on the piano-forward “Love Ain’t Easy,” while pre-Nick of Time Bonnie Raitt colored the all-too-human “Not Easy To Know,” a dig-down gospel blues where she found a freedom that was a matter of being in the song instead of performing for the packed crowd.

Indeed, “Talk About Love,” the single that had dropped the day before, took on a shimmering acoustic overtone that lifted her sleek carnal/soul-seeking first track into a space where adult pop should be. In a world beyond genre, something that feels good, has an incandescent tone and suggests that coming together beats the battering of daily life could be just the medicine people need.

Not that she’s creating to merely drop hits or find fame; she’s already had plenty of those. Instead, Hudson seems to be creating a euphoric post-pop that weaves through adult themes in varying shades of the blues to offer music that helps, energizes, clarifies and even elicits smiles.

Slightly stunned by the crowd’s ecstatic response, she came back for an encore featuring another original, “Fire,” which boiled down to just her voice, an acoustic guitar and back-up singers. Stripped to the minimum, she showed she embodies much of Sheryl Crow’s power-positivity and empowerment.

Top photo: Hudson performing at SIR
Middle: Sandbox boss Jason Owen with Hudson
Bottom: Team Virgin at the showcase (L-R) Rotem Azariya, Jeremy Kramer, Marni Halpern, Nat Pastor, Hudson, Alice Young, Jacqueline Saturn