Just Whitney ***
Whitney Houston (Arista)


Bad news first: the remake of Debbie Boone's You Light Up My Life is flatter than pita bread. But Whitney returns to form on the rest of the album, mostly an assortment of break-up ballads and self-esteem anthems.

Her voice is still intact and she sounds terrific, especially on the confrontational numbers. She blasts the tabloids and her enemies on Whatchulookinat for trying "to dirty up Whitney's name." Given her tempestuous marriage to Bobby Brown, the tabs have had plenty to work with over the past decade.

But anger works for Whitney. "I can't wait for the day when I can rub things in your face," she seethes on Tell Me No, co-written and produced by Babyface. She also lets rip on Unashamed, a defence of her Diva-esque life.

While this isn't her best stuff, at least she's headed in the right direction again.

--Bruce Ward