11 Years Ago, American Idol's Ruben Studdard Released His Debut Gospel Album

11 years ago, American Idol's champion Ruben Studdard released his debut Gospel album under J Records (the imprint founded by Whitney Houston's mentor Clive Davis).  Entitled I Need an Angel. it was released on November 23, 2004. The album debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 U.S. album chart. It also topped the Billboard Gospel Albums and Year-End Gospel Albums charts. The album went on to sell 96,000 copies in its first week and has since been certified a gold record. 

The title track and first single "I Need an Angel" was a cover of a 2002 single performed by R&B singer Daniel DeBourg and written by R. Kelly. Let's take a look at the video below:

Track listing

1. "I Need an Angel" (written by R. Kelly) - 4:51
2. "Center of My Joy" - 5:52
3. "Goin' Up Yonder" - 3:40
4. "Fix It, Jesus" - 3:46
5. "Amazing Grace" - 4:31
6. "Shout to the Lord" - 3:59
7. "Running Back to You" - 5:08
8. "Restoration" (written by Mario Winans) - 3:59
9. "We Have Not Forgotten" (featuring Fred Hammond) - 4:39
10. "I Surrender All" - 3:58
11. "Ain't No Need to Worry" (featuring Mary Mary) - 3:01
12. "Don't You Give Up" - 3:46

Studdard rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol. When auditioning, Studdard sang Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky". This guided him to being one of the local finalists. On American Idol, he impressed viewers with his performances of the Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett song "Superstar" (best known as a hit for The Carpenters) and the Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle duet "A Whole New World"; during his time on the show, Studdard received praise from music legends such as Lionel Richie, Neil Sedaka, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, Luther Vandross, and Gladys Knight.

During the televised competition, Studdard gained the nickname "Velvet Teddy Bear" and was noted for his shirts printed with "205", the telephone area code of his hometown of Birmingham. Studdard also did a cover version of "For All We Know", originally recorded by Donny Hathaway, whose music he grew up with. He won the contest over runner-up Clay Aiken by only 134,000 votes out of 24,000,000 cast in the May 2003 finale,becoming the second American Idol winner. Alabama Governor Bob Riley declared March 11, 2003 as "Ruben Studdard Day" 

Later, Studdard received a Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Superstar". In the years following Idol, Studdard has released five studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut, Soulful, and the top-selling gospel follow-up, I Need an Angel. He is most well known for his recording career, which has produced hits including "Flying Without Wings", "Sorry 2004", and "Change Me", but he has also segued into television and stage work. Most notably, he toured with Robin Givens in the comedy-drama Heaven I Need a Hug and in 2008 starred as Fats Waller in a national tour revival of Ain't Misbehavin', which spawned a Grammy-nominated soundtrack.

Studdard most recently appeared on the fifteenth season of The Biggest Loser. He is signed to Verve Records and released his newest album, Unconditional Love, on February 4, 2014. 

 

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