By Jerry Z


WHITNEY HOUSTON (One Wish - The Holiday Album)


Whitney Houston was huge. She was the first with seven consecutive No. 1 singles, and her 1993 Dolly Parton cover I Will Always Love You was the biggest hit single in rock history.

Coming from a gospel/soul background, she could do it all from show-stopping ballads to dancefloor numbers. Her gorgeous tone and complex vocal improvisations set new standards which all aspiring divas had to follow.

But in recent years, she has undergone marital problems with hubby Bobby Brown, accused of taking drugs, and generally regarded as unreliable in keeping her obligations, with several cancelled shows.

Her studio album in 1998 was critically acclaimed but didn't sell well by her standards, as she experimented with different musical approaches.

But for this album, she is on comfortable territory.

It's the first Christmas album of her career, and given songs with great melodies and lyrics she goes to work with great enthusiasm.

The First Noel and the Christmas Song have slinky R&B grooves. Whitney shows her tone is as gorgeous as ever.

It's not exactly a singalong though, as she swoops, scats, in occasional virtuosic displays of vocal gymnastics.

Her little daughter Bobbi Kristina starts off Little Drummer Boy, showing a nice sweet voice. The song develops into a funky joyous arrangement with lots of harmony vocals filling out the song.

The title track is a waltz time ballad which she works over in her distinctive style.

One of the highlights of the album is her reverent reading of O Holy Night, which showcases her vast range of vocal colours, from whispers to big brassy operatic crescendos.

Deck the Halls/Silent Night, has a fingersnapping hiphop beat that adds to the celebratory air of the song.

O Come O Come Emanuel is sung practically a capella and handles her voice like a saxophone, swooping all over the scale.

Joy To The World is an exuberant workout with a lively arrangement, and a gospel choir filling out the sound wonderfully.

If you like your yuletide favourites from the traditional and contemporary songbooks with sleek contemporary lite-soul arrangements, it doesn't get any better than this.