By Ruben Studdard, 2003

The first full-length effort from second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard is an unassuming album that will surely please his fans. Studdard works in the vein of mainstream R&B crooners like Luther Vandross; here, he even covers "Superstar," the Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett song associated with Vandross. Other familiar material includes a close, if foreshortened, copy of Al Green’s version of "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart," and the standard "For All We Know," so memorably sung by Billie Holiday on Lady in Satin.

A fair bit of time is spent making sure we know that despite his success, Ruben hasn’t changed. Indeed, he comes off as modest and charming; as for electrifying, he’s less so. As a CD that could’ve easily pandered much more to the whims of casual TV viewers, though, Soulful is a perfectly acceptable debut.

--Rickey Wright

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