Just bad vibes

By Steve Jones


There was a time when the drama Whitney Houston created with her voice, not the turmoil surrounding her personal life, was what got people talking. Unfortunately, that time has passed.

Four years ago, My Love Is Your Love refocused attention on her vocal prowess after eight years without a studio album.
Her new Just Whitney ( * * 1/2 out of four), however, homes in on her irritation with the public scrutiny she and her husband, Bobby Brown, attract.

At least half of the 10 tracks on the brief 39-minute set (an enhanced special edition comes with a DVD of videos) take off on the I-did-it-my-way theme. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that, because some artists do their best work when they are the primary subject. But the results in this case are uneven at best.

On Tell Me No, Houston shows moxie by standing up to naysayers who try to hold her down. But then she turns petty, scolding, "Can't wait for the day I can rub things in your face."

Whatchulookinat, released as a single in August to an indifferent radio reception, finds a testy Whitney fussing about the attention paid to her.

She comes off much better on Unashamed, on which she counts her blessings and is unapologetic for how she chooses to live her life. Similarly, the most entertaining song is probably My Love, a duet with Brown that's a gleeful we-told-you-so to those who never thought the couple would make it together for 10 years.

As usual, Houston works with an A-list of producers, which includes Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Missy Elliott and Babyface.

The music is decidedly less pop and more soulful than much of her previous work. One of Those Days, which borrows its melody from the Isley Brothers' Between the Sheets, gets the album off to a nice start as she sings of the need to get away from life's stresses.

But overall, the energy level doesn't seem as high as you might expect.

On My Love Is Your Love, an artistic and commercial triumph, songs such as the uplifting, reggae-flavored title track and the edgy Heartbreak Hotel, featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price, were jolts of excitement of the sort you don't feel here.

Houston rarely soars on this album, something she once did with regularity. She used to rescue sappy songs such as this album's You Light Up My Life with gospel-fired fervor, but that clear, powerful voice doesn't have the same ring that elevated earlier hits such as The Greatest Love of All.

At her best, Houston is full of sass and attitude and, most of all, joy. But with so much emphasis on what's bothering her, you can't help but wonder whether the thrill is gone.