Fantasia has built a career on bouncy hip-hop singles ("Bore Me (Yawn)") and groovy R&B slow-burns ("Free Yourself"), but her newest track gives a nod to what first shot her into popularity on American Idol in 2004: beautifully sentimental balladry.

On the heels of January's beachy "No Time for It," Fantasia's "Ugly," which she released last night (April 6), merges country, soul and blues for a rain-runneled drive through a series of painful memories. Guitar plucks, piano scales and harmonica trills compete for teardrop-inciting mastery, and by the song's end, the 31-year-old is in the company of her 19-year-old "I Believe"-singing self. And there, she finally finds a clearing.

"So give me a rusty old grain silo / Give me good food that sticks to my bones / Thank you for that good good man who loves me / With dirt on my hands and scrapes on my knees," she pleads through the chorus.

Fittingly, 'Tasia will perform "Ugly" live for the first time tonight on Idol's final episode between sets scheduled for fellow Season 3 hopeful Jennifer Hudson and fellow former winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. The song's the second offering from The Definition Of…, the singer's fifth album, which is due out later this spring.

Listen to "Ugly," tell us what you think and be sure to catch Fantasia's rendition tonight on FOX at 8 PM EST.

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