The soundtrack from The Preacher's Wife

Date: January 05, 1997
By Gerald Martinez

From New Straits Times (Malaysia)
Submitted by: Larry A.


Whitney Houston - The Preacher's Wife

THE soundtrack from The Bodyguard was such an absolute smash that Whitney has repeated the formula again. This album is another soundtrack with her in the title role, as the preacher's wife who is also a singer. It's an interesting marketing venture, in that it is a new album, but technically not really her new album, as it is a soundtrack.

In keeping with the movie, most of the tracks here are gospel based. She already has a hit in the inspirational ballad I Believe In You And Me. It's pretty much what you would expect a Whitney ballad to be - flawlessly sung, lots of variations in tone and vocal filigrees, even if it's a little predictable in structure and composition.

She makes an interesting choice in Annie Lennox's techno-soul composition Step By Step, that grooves along irresistibly. But the gospel efforts, mostly with the Georgia Mass Choir, are very professional and well arranged, but somehow lack that spark of originality - it's all been done before. Gospel goes mod with a touch of hip hop in Somebody Bigger Than You and I, with husband Bobby Brown joining in.

Whitney even does a Christmas song, Joy To The World. It's a very modern arrangement, with lots of tempo and style changes. But somehow it seems too complex for its own good. While this album is bound to do well, it's hard to see it reach the stratospheric heights saleswise that The Bodyguard did.