Recordings/CD Pick

Date: December 12, 1996
By Steve Morse, Staff

From The Boston Globe
Submitted by: Larry A.


WHITNEY HOUSTON AND OTHERS; THE PREACHER'S WIFE SOUNDTRACK; Arista

You've heard of adult contemporary. Well, this is adult gospel, with a few love ballads and dance songs added for crossover appeal. At the core of nearly every song is Whitney Houston, whose vocal prowess has never been more evident.

She also stars in the movie, just as she did with "The Bodyguard." That soundtrack sold a record 12 million copies, but this new disc may not sell that many because its gospel focus might hold it to a more specialized audience. But who's to say?

Several songs are recorded with the Georgia Mass Choir at the Greater Rising Star Church in Atlanta. The sound on these is sumptuous, as Houston weaves around the choir with testifying skills learned in her own church in New Jersey.

Later, the gospel moves from slick to rafter-raising on "He's All Over Me," in which Houston trades driving lines with gospel queen Shirley Caesar. The most surprising gospel track is "Somebody Bigger than You and Me," where she's joined pleasingly by husband Bobby Brown and other New Edition members Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill.

On the secular side, there are songs by Babyface ("My Heart is Calling") and Annie Lennox ("Step by Step," complete with a dance remix). Houston has it all covered.