Will you love Whitney like she never left?
Written: Sep 07 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Whitney can sing still, Akon's songs, more tangible
Cons: Her voice has definitely changed, some lazy songwriting,
The Bottom Line: This is Whitney Houston in the here and now. It's a start to a comeback and while not perfect is still worth your time.
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| Monnie1976's Full Review: I Look to You by Whitney Houston |
Anytime the topic of Whitney Houston comes up in my mind the word tragic has never been far behind. Gifted with a vocal instrument of awe-inspiring power, miraculous range and a tone so purely beautiful you can’t help but know it’s a gift from God, the fact it seemed to disappear in the thin column of smoke coming from a crack pipe does seem truly tragic. Not that she’s the only artist to ever be held hostage by the false promises of the white ghost but for me, she was a huge inspiration. I always joke with people when they ask who taught me to sing by saying “Whitney Houston”. I can remember hours spent where I would listen to her sing, pause the tape and then try to sing what she sang. Other teachers came onto the horizon ranging from Trisha Yearwood to Tori Amos to Joni Mitchell but Whitney was definitely the first. The bright side is for every tragedy there is a potential triumph on the horizon and when Whitney Houston released her seventh album last Tuesday America got an icon back.
Don’t get me wrong. Her voice is not the voice you will remember from the Bodyguard Soundtrack. Yet even in it’s damaged condition she still more than proves her place among the vocal elite. In fact that damage, which mainly results in less range and a more rough around the edge tone, actually gives her a little more depth. It tells the story most of the vague lyrics of the songs don’t dare. Then again her voice was going to change some just due to age. I think most peoples voice deepen as they get older. You can get face lifts, botox injection and implants but thankfully your voice still ages. A frozen face may erase the years of abuse but the voice tells all and Houston’s can still tell a story. Just like the hopeful romance of “You Give Good Love” found her voice capturing the passion and elation of new love songs like “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” show Houston’s tentative steps back towards the real world.
So let’s talk a little bit about this album. The album opens with the fun, laidback vibe of “Million Dollar Bill”. I’m not sure this was the best song to open the album with because it lacks the vibrant energy you want to kick off an album with. I enjoy the song though and think it gets better with every listen. I’m not sure it’s going to be a hit though. I think the catchy Akon production “Like I Never Left” has hit potential though. I love this song though even though there is this weird time bending thing that happens in my head when you combine a Whitney Houston song with Akon’s song stamp of “convict” echoing in the beginning. Its just another reminder to me that it has been a very long time since Houston has truly been on the scene.
The song itself though is genius with a light, romantic vibe and a subtle hook that really captures you. Another favorite is the love song “Call You Tonight” which Roheblius described perfectly as the “Spotlight” of the album. Whitney Houston makes this song her own simply because her voice has a completely different sound than Hudson but the template isn’t hard to discern.
The ballads on the album are definitely where people are going to be looking for the old Whitney Houston. Yet, they may find they never really knew the old Whitney anyway. “I Look To You” isn’t the kind of vocal extravaganza she’s given us for most of her career. What “I Look To You” does accomplish is a humble, unassuming presence which is appropriate for the song. Maybe all the things that made her voice so fantastic, so untouchable, is the same thing that made her so empty inside. So as she tentatively sings “As I lay me down heaven hear me now…” I felt more connected to her than I ever had back in the day. In the eighties when I heard Whitney Houston sing it was never really about her. It was about my dreams for true love, reaching my dreams and my future. This is the first time I can think of that I hear her words and feel like I’m hearing FROM her. Addiction is often about not being in touch with yourself, disconnected from your own humanity. The lyrics as written are really pedestrian (R. Kelly is a prime example of being disconnected) but the way Whitney Houston sings it connects me to her humanity. The same with the second big ballad of the album “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”. The lyrics are so cliché and painfully by the numbers as Houston riffs “I thought I’d never make it through, I had no hope to hold on too” I feel it. Her emotion thankfully cuts completely through everything. Even Diane Warren’s lazy, lackluster writing.
There are a few moments I could have done without and one of them is her tacky cover of “A Song For You” by Donny Hathaway. The lyrics are a very apt choice but the Eurodisco vibe the song picks up half way through makes me want to hurl. This song has been covered exquisitely but this isn’t one of those times at all. While it’s not the worst cover Whitney ever has done (the laughably ironic “You Light Up My Life” while battling crack addiction gets that title) we all know it’s not even remotely the best. Especially considering her biggest hit ever was a cover. “Nothin’ But Love” doesn’t really do much for me as it’s really just an extended shout out to pretty much everyone she ever encountered. It’s not really worth a skip but it’s not really worth a play either.
The album’s closer “Salute” is another song penned by R. Kelly and is clearly a goodbye letter to Bobby Brown. I’m not crazy about this song but I am crazy about the sentiment. I’m crazy about the fact she kicked him to the curb, stop smoking crack, gained some weight, gained some self esteem and came back to the world.
In conclusion, I definitely hope this is truly the beginning of the rest of her life but considering I work with addiction I know relapse definitely happens. I can’t tell many how many times I’ve seen the real person step from behind the drugs only to have them slip from your hands and back in the depths of their destruction again. I only hope that doesn’t happen with one of our true pop music gems. Especially when we’ve already loss another national treasure this year to the exact same thing. Putting all this aside though, this album shows she’s climbing up again and while there are no career defining songs we might just be seeing the most career defining moments. Whitney finally finding Whitney.
Recommended:
Yes
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Monnie1976
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