Houston shows gospel fervor in spirited 'Preacher's Wife'

Date: December 05, 1996
By Sonia Murray

From The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
Submitted by: Larry A.


"The Preacher's Wife"

Whitney Houston. Arista. 15 tracks. HHH 1/2

Movie soundtracks have been good to Whitney Houston -- as multimillion sales of "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale" affirm. But with "The Preacher's Wife," Houston factors a wild card into her sure- thing pop hit equation: gospel.

Not the contemporary gospel that has propelled Kirk Franklin and the Family and BeBe & CeCe Winans into the mainstream graces of R&B listeners. This is the organ-steeped, choir-backed calls to church for which Houston's mother, Cissy, is better known. And the same gospel music that has yet to move a fraction of the albums that Houston consistently sells.

So to say "The Preacher's Wife" soundtrack is risky is an understatement. But to pronounce it a risk without merit simply means you haven't heard it.

This is Houston at her unencumbered best. Her sparse cover of "I Will Always Love You" should have been a clue that when all of the silly hooks ("I Wanna Dance With Somebody Who Loves Me") and heavy production were stripped away she could do more than glaze her way over a tune. But on the seven traditional songs offered here -- backed by the Georgia Mass Choir -- "the spirit" truly enlivens the often mechanical Houston, finally making her a singer you can actually believe.

It's the other tracks that are less than steeple-shaking. Though the album's first release, "I Believe in You and Me," is in keeping with the religious theme and Houston's past work, the predictable ballad could use some of the religious fervor that surrounds it. And "Somebody Bigger Than You and I," featuring Houston's husband, Bobby Brown; Faith Evans; Johnny Gill; Monica; and Ralph Tresvant is a transparent attempt at attracting urban contemporary listeners that fails under the weight of the different styles.

Houston sits out on only one track, leaving "The Lord Is My Shepherd" in the capable hands of her mother and the Hezekiah Walker Choir. When you add it up, that basically makes this a Houston record. And while it might not be an "official Whitney Houston album," it should certainly be considered one of her best and most revealing efforts.