Airbrushed Jennifer Hudson, David Cook disappoint

What do Jennifer Hudson and David Cook have in common, besides attention-grabbing new singles and an "American Idol" past? They're famous — fashioned into celebrities before our eyes within reality television's metamorphosis machine — and yet vividly human, with edges most "Idol" alums lack. Their charisma comes from a rare combination of assertive vocal talent and an underdog mystique.

You root for Cook and Hudson because they are Little Engines That Can: imperfect, homey people with extraordinary gifts. Cook, triumphing over the adorable David Archuleta last season, came off as the show's first truly accidental winner, a fashion-clueless barkeep-for-life whose competitive streak developed in tension with his desire to maintain a nerdy notion of rocker cool. And "Idol" turned Hudson into everyone's favorite outsider. Eliminated from the show far too soon, she found her role of a lifetime as Effie in "Dreamgirls" — an earthy rebel whose beauty radiated from her throat and her heart.

When these singers really let go, their voices smash through the limits imposed by their bodies and personalities, making them golden. That's why it's sad to encounter so much airbrushing in the new musical products meant to secure their places as pop stars.

Hudson's self-titled debut album, released recently, has been so long in coming that it's no surprise how focus-grouped it feels. Ten producers over 13 tracks does not make for a strong artistic identity.

As a singer, Hudson can meet every challenge, whether taking her place alongside Whitney and Celine on ballads such as Robin Thicke's lovely "Giving Myself," blowing the roof off like a soul mama on a duet with Fantasia or finding her rhythm within Stargate's production, Beyoncé-style, on the hit "Spotlight." But becoming an artist, a real force to reckon with, demands commitment and self-awareness. Too often Hudson sings like she's just doing a (great) job; she projects conviction, but there's no depth behind it.

David Cook's new single, on the other hand, might be a very bad sign of his personal taste. "Light On" is a vigorously commonplace power ballad that's already reminding critics of all that's come before.

Co-written by former Soundgarden/Audioslave stud Chris Cornell, who's in the midst of an aggressive career makeover, "Light On" packs a mighty wallop and little else.

There's something cynical in the relentlessly arching choruses of this song. "Light On" feels mechanically generated from top to bottom.

Cook can do better than this, but so far he's pulling heartstrings to make bank. That's not the way to become a real rock hero, if such a thing even exists anymore.