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Whitney bounces back submitted by: Lisa D. source: New Straits Times (Malaysia) Date: January 5, 2002 IN Whitney Houston's case, it would seem as though bad news is good news. In the past year, she has endured more bad press than Monica Lewinsky, stirred more scandalous rumours than the British royal family, and unwittingly encouraged more speculation about her weight and resulting health, than Calista Flockhart. But here's the good news: Just Whitney, the singer's first full-length studio album in more than four years, opened fire on the album charts with the highest first-week sales of her career. Although mercilessly targeted by gossip-filled supermarket tabloids, Houston sounds healthier, spunkier, and more assured in her phrasing and tone than ever. The album features consistently compelling melodies, lively production and big singing that rarely suffers from the worst bugaboo of modern divas: the tendency to scuttle real emotion in the service of showy technique. Amazingly, Just Whitney is a coherent and compact album, one that mixes upbeat songs with snatches of what appears to be an attempt at intimacy. It does prove that there's more to Houston than a string of nerve-racking headlines and a back catalogue that's sold a staggering 140 million copies worldwide. "Headline-grabbing news aside, Whitney's music speaks for itself," asserts Mohd. Firhad, BMG Malaysia's director of marketing and promotions. "She has a loyal fan following - and as far as divas go, she's in a class by herself." Houston seems more than happy to play that arch post-modern game of referencing the publicly aired problems while never quite getting down to specifics. The first single, Whatchulookinat, is the most obvious riff on these themes, with remixer P. Diddy even popping up with the cliched, "Houston, we have a problem" line. On Tell Me No, a classy acoustic belter, she tells it as she sees it: "You criticise my actions, but I don't see you standing in my shoes." And, in On My Own, she assures us that "I'm stronger now, I've learned from my mistakes." The big power ballads and quivering emotion have been replaced by a more focused version. Houston's voice has deepened with age, and the delivery is more restrained. Even the song that seems the most personally defensive, My Love, which lets Houston and embattled husband Bobby Brown renew their wedding vows in public, works due to its old-school soulful hooks. Brown's gruff and throaty singing would do Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) proud. Houston is the daughter of Cissy Houston, a successful R&B back-up singer, and a cousin of Dionne Warwick. As a teenager, she sang background vocals for Chaka Khan, Lou Rawls and her mom. While she also began pursuing a career in modelling (gracing the cover of magazines such as Glamour and Seventeen), her musical ambitions received a boost when she teamed with Teddy Pendergrass for his 1984 hit, Hold Me. Her career took off in a big way when she signed with Arista Records in 1985 and released her self-titled debut album, which sold a staggering 13 million copies in the US. Her second album, Whitney, entered the charts at #1, the first time ever for a female singer. Her debut in the movie, The Bodyguard, gave her career a stunning boost. The soundtrack, which produced three singles hits, including a cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You, sold over 33 million copies worldwide, officially making the grade as the biggest selling soundtrack ever. She went on to star in two more movies, Waiting To Exhale and The Preacher's Wife. She plans to tour in support of Just Whitney, and is considering several movie roles. The second single from the album is now creating some chart action around the world. Just Whitney, released on Arista Records and distributed by BMG Malaysia, is available at music stores throughout Malaysia. Site design by: Dolphin Webpage Designs © 1996-2002