Ruben Studdard not only has a new body, losing over 100 pounds after a stint on the reality show, The Biggest Loser, but he’s got a new album coming out too.
The album, Unconditional Love, produced by David Foster, is comprised mostly of covers, with a couple of originals thrown in for good measure. Listen to the first single HERE.
Now, listen to the smooth R&B twist the American Idol season 2 winner lends to the beloved Hoagy Carmichael standard “The Nearness of You.”
Ruben tells USA Today, where the tune premiered, “It’s been one of my favorites ever since. I wanted to do it differently than anyone has done it before. I’m a huge Marvin Gaye fan, so I kind of just leaned on that.”
Unconditional Love is set to come out Feb. 4 on Verve records. Check out the tracklist and cover art HERE.
Stevie Wonder plays harmonica on a remake of The Carpenters hit “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” And he duets with Donny Hathaway’s daughter, Lalah Hathaway on Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “If This World Were Mine.” The two are set to tour together in April.
Check out Ruben’s take on “The Nearness of You” below.
