The story of a comeback …
I’ve had this album on my iPod for well over a week now and knew that I wanted to write about it, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. When I first downloaded it and gave it a listen, I was ready to pan the entire project. The powerhouse Whitney Houston “voice” wasn’t there. The trademark Whitney Houston “power ballad” wasn’t there. In fact, the ballads seemed to fall squarely on their face in my opinion – no emotional resonance, no power in the vocals, less than stellar lyrics. I had heard that this cd was supposed to harken back to “classic” Whitney, but what does R. Kelly and Akon etc know about “classic” Whitney???
I Look To You is by no means a perfect cd – especially if you still have echoes of “old-school” Whitney playing in your head. This isn’t that Whitney and truth be told, how fickle am I to even think that she could ever be that Whitney on this cd. People change and grow and their influences change so like all things even Whitney must EVOLVE. That being said, a couple of days ago I decided to give the new Whitney disc (mp3s rather) another spin.
As I mentioned at the outset, if you’re expecting that trademark powerhouse Whitney “voice”, that’s not here (IMHO). But upon syncing it to my iPhone, cranking up the volume, and pumping it thru my Sennheiser noise-cancelling headphones … I realized something. I Look To You is as much a physical comeback as it is a figurative comeback. Yes alot has been made of the trials and tribulations of the former Mrs. Bobby Brown – so that comeback is obvious. I’m sure the questions will still be swirling well into next week or even next month whether Whitney can make a comeback – will pop music’s fickle audience (like myself) welcome her back with open arms and multiplatinum record sales? I think the answer will be YES. And that brings me to the “physical” comeback.
If you had caught me last week when I downloaded this cd, then you would have heard me pan this cd. But recently I heard something different. I heard an artist trip, stumble and maybe even fall on record … And then pick herself up, dust herself off, and catch her second stride. The things I don’t like about this album are still there, but I don’t see them in the same light. I’m not moved by the first single which happens to be the title track. I’ve said it already – the ballads on this disc are lackluster. The second single, the 70’s tinged Million Dollar Bill penned and produced with Alicia Keys, doesn’t quite hit it home for me either. And sorry I don’t have much love for Nothin’ But Love either. That would be three strikes in the first four tracks of this cd – not a good sign. A trip … a stumble … maybe even a fall. But it’s what happens next.
With a lil help from some friends, Ms Houston picks herself up, dusts herself off, cranks up the volume on her monitors and just does her thing. With some careful song choices and careful crafting, Whitney finds a second wind – Call You Tonight, Like I Never Left (featuring Akon), Worth It, and For The Lovers. If she had stumbled earlier, I don’t remember it ’cause these tracks had me hooked. They’re not “old-school” Whitney, but somewhere in these tracks I had heard it – flourishes of that “voice” reassuring me, teasing me, hinting that perhaps that “voice” isn’t completely gone. Perhaps with time and patience, that “voice” will come back – afterall that trademark Whitney “voice” wasn’t created in a day.
By the time I got to track 10 I Got You (the other Akon contribution), I was sold. The comeback was complete and the title seemed very much appropriate. Like runway-roadkill-Carrie on SEX & THE CITY, Whitney had picked herself up, dusted herself off and reclaimed that stage … stronger and taller and more confident than when she started. And that’s what you get on the final track Salute (the other R. Kelly contribution) – a stronger, more resolute, more confident and definitely a more comfortable Whitney Houston. Not the “old-school” Whitney. Not a “new-school” Whitney. Just Whitney. (no pun intended there)
As I had mentioned on my facebook, …
Much love to Whitney Houston on a great comeback effort … I wasn’t sold on the first single but this album gets better and better the further in you get … WORTH IT is definitely the standout track for me … And that’s what this album is … Definitely worth it. =)
Btw, for the record, today on my walk home from Burger King, I logged onto iTunes and purchased the new Whitney Houston cd, I Look To You. Just like she never left. =)
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