File Under: Divine inspiration

This is the Whitney Houston album we've been waiting for since her debut in 1985: an antidote--finally!--to the great-voice-but-middling-material dilemma that has dogged her other albums, even the multimillion-selling soundtrack from The Bodyguard. This time, Houston goes home--not physically, but spiritually. Much of The Preacher's Wife brings Houston back to the church--to the gospel styles that were her first musical influences and her mother Cissy's greatest claim to fame. When Houston offers quiet supplication in "I Love the Lord" or rousing celebration in "Joy" and "I Got to the Rock," her breathtaking vocal sheen comes from pure emotion rather than studio craft. Her collaborators--including the Georgia Mass Choir, Shirley Caesar, and new gospel star Kirk Franklin--seem to give Houston an extra jolt of inspiration, and Mama Cissy gets her moment to shine on a tub-thumping version of "The Lord Is My Shepherd." Best of all is "Somebody Bigger Than You and I," a fiery declaration of faith spiced with hip-hop beats and a tag-team chorale that includes Houston's husband, Bobby Brown, his New Edition mates Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, along with Faith Evans and Monica. Because the gospel performances are so inspired, the few secular numbers on The Preacher's Wife pale by comparison. Houston's voice never fails to excite, but seasoned pop hands such as David Foster, Dianne Warren, and even Babyface only have so many tricks up their sleeves, and we've heard them all before. Annie Lennox's "Step by Step" is an interesting selection, but Houston missteps by embracing Lennox's icy style when she should have employed the unbridled gospel passion that makes this soundtrack so special. Still, in all, this is Houston's most satisfying effort to date, thanks to some truly divine inspiration. --Gary Graff