Whitney Houston - Review

"I wanna dance with somebody" – A review of Whitney Houston. 

Some artists are natural powerhouses, destined for fame, and it's hard to argue that Whitney Houston isn't one of them. She was born Whitney Elizabeth Houston on 9 August 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, and from the beginning her life seemed to point towards music. She grew up surrounded by extraordinary voices; her mother, Cissy Houston, was a respected gospel and soul singer, and her cousin Dionne Warwick was already a major pop star. Whitney's early years were shaped by church music, especially at New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang as a child and learned the gospel foundation that would later give her pop ballads so much emotional force.

Her career began after she signed with Arista Records in the early 1980s under Clive Davis, who helped shape her for a pop audience without compromising the power of her voice. Her self-titled debut album, released in 1985, made her an immediate star with songs such as "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", and "Greatest Love of All". The follow-up album, Whitney, arrived in 1987 and confirmed that she was not a one-album phenomenon, producing major hits including "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go". By the late 1980s, Houston had become one of the defining voices of the decade, famous not only for the size of her voice but for the polish, clarity, and confidence with which she delivered songs that could have seemed ordinary in less capable hands.

The 1990s saw no decline. In 1992 she made her film debut in The Bodyguard, and her version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" became the song most closely associated with her globally. The soundtrack was incredible, and Houston's performance turned a country ballad into something truly powerful.

When people talk about her best-charting songs, the conversation usually starts with her remarkable run of seven consecutive number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go". This run was truly remarkable, but "I Will Always Love You" stands apart. The song spent 14 weeks at number one in the United States and became one of the most successful singles ever by a female artist.

Houston's greatest strength was obvious: her incredible voice. She had a rare combination of range, control, warmth, and dramatic instinct, and she could build a song from a quiet opening into a spectacular climax without making it feel merely technical. Her phrasing was elegant, her diction was unusually clear, and her gospel background gave even glossy pop productions a sense of conviction. She also had star presence: on stage, in music videos, and on screen, she projected refinement and intensity at the same time. At her best, she made difficult singing sound natural, which is one reason so many later vocalists treated her recordings as both inspiration and challenge.

Am I a Whitney Houston superfan? Certainly not. I can't, however, deny the incredible career and impact on the music industry that she had. Emotionally direct yet still retaining an intimate feel, her songs are beloved for good reason. Her legacy isn't just her voice alone – it's that her voice truly defined an era.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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