Recently having returned from a road trip, I rediscovered my appreciation for WHiTNEY HOUSTON when we pulled out her Greatest Hits (or ‘greatest tits’ as I like to refer). I know WHiTNEY is an up-and-down MESS but I have to give her props because no matter how messy she is today she was and remains a sparkling R&B vocalist in pop culture history.
WHiTNEY‘s first album, 1985′s WHiTNEY HOUSTON (how creative!) showed big promise as well as the huge ballad ‘Greatest Love of All‘ which was already her 3rd #1 single off the album and one of my early favorites. I LOVED her voice and thought she had a lot of soul, taking a lot of inspiration from AREATHA FRANKLiN, CiSSY HOUSTON and DiONNE WARWiCK (the later two being a part of her extended family). Her music was a lot of fun, what with ‘How Will I Know‘ and eventually ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody‘. The kids could like her – and those older R&B puritans still had their ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go‘ and ‘Saving All My Love For You‘ to satisfy them. I followed her career for some time, but somehow I lost track of her by the time she released i’M YOUR BABY TONiGHT. I began to feel like she was lost on me by then, delivering mediocre songs, but I can always go back and listen to her older stuff and recall why it is I was originally impressed.
WHiTNEY also had a fairly strong return in 1998 when MY LOVE iS YOUR LOVE came out – and songs like ‘It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay‘, ‘Heartbreak Hotel‘ and ‘My Love Is Your Love‘ played on all the dance floors – well their remixes. But by then she had already reached her pique, what with the major success of THE BODYGUARD and DOLLY PARTON’S ‘I Will Always Love You‘ under her belt.
I still have an appreciation for WHiTNEY even today – although I do wonder if she has already laid down her best recordings. Who knows – as only time can tell if our beloved WHiTNEY can really make us remember the true R&B Soul Singer she is.
I salute you WHiTNEY!
