Sound Bites: Audio Reviews

Date: December 16, 1998
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody

From The Associated Press
Submitted by: Rachel D.


"My Love Is Your Love," (Arista) Whitney Houston

For years, Whitney Houston has been accused of sacrificing her soul roots for her amazing success in pop. However unfair, Houston has a savvy response with her first studio album in eight years: "My Love Is Your Love."

Linking with top rhythm and blues producers and artists like Rodney Jerkins and Wyclef Jean, the album's overall tone is more akin to Mary J. Blige than Celine Dion. Houston even teams up with rapper/producer Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott for the funky "In My Business," a sort of updated take on husband Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative," with the diva basically telling folks to keep their nose out of her affairs.

But unlike other mainstream acts that dabble in R&B, the result here doesn't sound forced it's just a sign that Houston is still flourishing as an artist after all these years. And with that voice, it's hard for anything she sings not to sound good. Even subpar tracks which are very few sound decent with her pipes. An example the Diane Warren ballad "I Learned From the Best." Most tunes are blockbusters rather than lackluster, like "Heartbreak Hotel," with powerhouses Faith Evans and Kelly Price, and the reggae-influenced title track, co-produced by Jean. Jerkins' contributions give Houston a fresh youthful sound, with Brandy-like tracks, but her vocals take the songs to a higher level, such as on the uptempo "Get It Back." Houston hasn't totally forsaken those ballads that have been the staple of her career. Longtime contributor Babyface provides Houston with another winner, the sexy "Until You Come Back."

And then there's "When You Believe," the diva duet with Mariah Carey from the movie "Prince of Egypt." But even this pair's dynamic vocals can't stir things up on this slow-moving, dull track.