JHud in a dancing mood

HUDSON. Releases ’70s-style, funk-and-disco-fueled third album.

Jennifer Hudson, “American Idol’s” Oscar- and Grammy-winning alumna, isn’t just making news with her transformative, 80-lb-plus weight loss: With the release of her ‘70s-style, funk-and-disco-fueled third album, “JHud,” crafted with some of pop music’s most reliable hitmakers (like Pharrell Williams and Timbaland), she’s out to prove that schmaltzy ballads aren’t the only songs she can sing with show-stopping flair and aplomb.

The 33-year-old singer-actress is exceptional when she’s on her own (“Dangerous,” “Just That Type Of Girl” and the Afro-funk-and-reggae-tinged “Say It”)—but, she’s just as potent when she sings with her stellar guests: She makes “It’s Your World’s” improvisational section swelter with sensual frisson as she paves the way for R Kelly’s luscious, honey-coated vocals.

Breezy rendition

In the steamy “He Ain’t Going Nowhere,” she takes turns singing and rapping with Iggy Azalea about the men in their lives. In “I Can’t Describe (The Way I Feel),” her breezy rendition blends beautifully with T.I.’s textured, rhythmic rapping—as it does with Timbaland in “Walk It Out.”

And, you won’t be able to resist the high but unbelted allure of Hudson’s soft tones in the midtempo “Bring Back The Music.”

Finally, if it’s gospel-style singing you want, “Moan,” the only ballad in the lineup, won’t disappoint—because it showcases the spectacularly supple voice that has brought JHud to where she is now!