Whitney Houston debut breathtaking and superb

Date: August 23, 1986
By Greg Quill

From The Toronto Star
Submitted by: Larry A.


There might have been reason to suspect Whitney Houston's first Toronto concert appearance, at the Canadian National Exhibition grandstand last night, would fall short of expectations.

The 22-year-old soul singer and fashion model has only one album to her credit and a little more than a year of solo work under her belt.

Her debut album, last year's Whitney Houston, yielded three No. 1 hit singles, earned one Grammy, two American Music Awards and sold some 10,000,000 copies around the world. That gave Whitney, daughter of gospel veteran Cissy Houston and first cousin of the superstar Dionne Warwick, pop music's best-selling debut album by a black female performer. Some say it's the best-selling debut by any solo artist in history.

Still, an album is just a handful of songs. And a handful of songs can't be expected to keep 25,000 people satisfied for as long as 90 minutes. Unless, of course, that handful of songs is performed by Whitney Houston.

Approaches perfection

It's an understatement to say Houston is superb. Her talent is so strong, her demeanor so confident, her style so solidly rooted in the finest, oldest pop and rhythm 'n' blues traditions that the young singer approaches perfection in her art.

Last night, backed by a seven-piece band and a five-voice chorus (in which her her brother, Gary Garland, was outstanding), Houston delivered a flawless show that included her hits "Greatest Love", "You Give Good Love" and "Saving All My Love For You," as well as the Dream Girls ballad, "I Am Changing", Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Starting Something" and the old chestnut "I Believe."

She might have sung "Jingle Bells" and still won the crowd's overwhelming admiration.

Houston deserved every ounce of that, every sigh and scream, every outburst of applause. She performed more strongly, in fact, during the show's closing numbers ("Didn't We Almost Have It All", "Greatest Love") than she did at its beginning, when she succeeded in overshadowing a mighty instrumental version of "Also Sprach Zarathustra", her introduction.

Touching duets

What remained, after the last, long note had rung out across the stadium, was the memory of one of the strongest, most pure and most assured voices in pop. Time and again last night Houston parried vocally with her brother on several touching, sentimental duets, with saxophonist Josh Harris and with the entire chorus in "You Give Good Love", the conclusion of which was a breathtaking display of point-counterpoint vocal athletics.

Houston is far from her greatest achievements. Imagining how great she'll be 20 years from now is almost impossible, given the wisdom and grace she displayed last night.