How do they do it?

Fantasia, "I Believe"

You'd never guess that they rushed this single out. The muddy-sounding rendition we heard on television is eclipsed by this recording, which presents Fantasia at her best--her voice sounds strong and her attitude shines through. "I Believe" has new verses, which add to the depth and meaning of the song, and the backing vocals, provided by a choir and, according to the liner notes, by Tamyra Gray, (who also co-wrote the song) add a dramatic tone to the song. "Chain of Fools" reminds us why Fantasia won: she can take any song, by any artist, and make it her own. And as for the third song, "Summertime," there are no words of praise better than those of Randy Jackson, who called Fantasia's rendition the best Idol performance ever. Simon called Fantasia the best Idol contestant in the history of the competition. Her first single leaves little doubt that Randy and Simon were right.