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BACK ISSUES | APRIL 2010 | CURRENT ISSUE
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MUSIC REVIEW
I Look to You
Whitney Houston
If fans are looking for Whitney of the late 80's, you're going to be a bit disappointed. The range and calibre of her voice has changed over the years, the high pitch is almost gone and so are the catchy tunes she's so famous for. But you just cannot discard the album. Whitney, like any other artist, would outgrow her heydays and with that her golden voice. So here's the Whitney Houston of 2010.
During the seven years she's been away, she's had problems with her marriage to singer Bobby Brown and her drug addiction. She's thrown it all away now and is back doing what she does best: singing. The new work at the very first listen can be labeled clubby and dancehall. The subject matter is Whitney's life story - her ups and downs, coming to terms with her personal life and reaching for a higher strength - reaching deep inside yourself and making amends. You have the opener Million Dollar Bill (written by Alicia Keys) that fuses a 70's disco beat to get you spinning on the dance floor. Nothing But Love has a great beat to it, and her vocals are excellent.
Her vocals on the balladic I Look to You are soothing, with the same going for I Didn't Know My Own Strength, though there is no switch in her vocals. Quite mundane we'd say. But then she shows her yesteryear magic on A Song For You (her fans probably) where she holds the note at the end. The song is one of the few that showcase her vocals to the hilt. You've got to hear that note. It's like 20 seconds long! That's Whit for you. Akon pitches in on Like I Never Left, a bit unnecessary though.
Whitney and executive producer and mentor Clive Davis have done a great job on this album, even though just a few tracks make it to the best slot. But it's definitely a must-have for Whitney fans.
