WHITNEY HOUSTON
On the edge, or celebrating the apex of her career?


Past is a synonym of treasure for the superstar Whitney Houston. The singer is daughter of the acclaimed prima donna of gospel, Cissy Houston, and cousin of the not less famous soul/pop vocalist Dionne Warwick, and certainly has expressed very well this artistic heritage since her first appearances holding the mic, as a child, at a Baptist Church in Newark, where she was born in August 9th, 1963, to become undeniably one of music history's biggest stars.

To prove that the present is also precious when you talk about a great singer, Whitney Houston is back in the headlines with her new CD, a collection of her Greatest Hits, that brings what it promises: a generous portion of great hits...

On a movement already traditional among the American jazz and soul singers, the gospel beginnings gave discipline, support, texture and extension to the voice, opening way to a solid phonographic career. Whitney soon started to record backing vocals to stars like Chaka Khan, Low Rawls and Cissy Houston herself. Also in a short period of time, Whitney was recording as a leading vocalist on the album Paul Jabara & Friends (1982), a record that included songs by The Weather Girls and Leata Galloway.

Although Whitney Houston's artistic beginnings have been divided between gospel and soul -- from church, through photo shoots for fashion magazines as a model, TV appearances as a guest star, to nightclubs at Manhattan's soul entertainment circle, where Whitney brightened the choir at her mother Cissy's shows, having been hired a lot of times as a solo performer -- the singer, besides singing very well, had stage presence (another inheritance from gospel), was also very beautiful, and fit perfectly for the plans of big record companies. It's exactly these factors that changed the direction of her career forever.

Everything started in 1983, when Clive Davis (founder, president and talent finder of Arista Records) went to watch one of Whitney's presentations in Manhattan and saw in her the opportunity of putting out a new pop star, using soul as an element of orientation for crossover. Davis -- who was responsible for the discovery of Janis Joplin, Blood Sweat & Tears, Santana, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Earth Wind & Fire, among others, besides being the man who created the legendary label Philadelphia International and bands like the Weather Report and Mahavisnu Orchestra -- didn't waste time and offered Whitney a good contract, which was signed immediately by the singer. Whitney went into the studio later that same year to record some sessions, among which was the song Hold Me, a duet with the much-acknowledged Teddy Pendergrass, whose album Love Language ended up bursting on the American charts the next year exactly because of that beautiful joining of voices. Good for Teddy and even better for Whitney, who after showing such a satisfactory and natural turnout beside a true legend of the music world, was ready, approved to start her solo career.

In March 1985, the world watched another big star being born on the musical constellation. The album Whitney Houston brought beautiful songs which conquered the audience and broke records during the following year, like the romantic ballads You Give Good Love, Saving All My Love For You and Greatest Love Of All, the latter two of these reaching number one, as well as the dance track How Will I Know, which also reached that position. If that isn't already impressive for a debut album, Whitney also won a Grammy for Saving All My Love For You.

In 1986, the singer had too many scheduled appointments, so the anticipated second album, Whitney, was prepared to be released in 1987, but she made the wait worthwhile. Hits inclusidng I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) and the beautiful ballads Didn't We Almost Have It All and Where Do Broken Hearts Go, besides So Emotional, again hit the first position on the charts. Following the style of her debut album, Whitney recorded more versions of classics, making great interpretations of two hits: For The Love Of You (Isley Brothers, 1975) and Just The Lonely Talking Again (The Manhattans, 1983), getting more millions of copies sold and an increase of popularity. Then, Ms. Houston won another Grammy and broke a record that was shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees by getting her seventh consecutive number one single on the American charts.

Another important fact about the album Whitney was an additonal interesting record: With her second album, she became the holder of both the biggest-selling first and second albums by a solo artist of all time - a record not broken yet - that reaches today about 20 million copies sold each!

After much more success, awards and two tours, among which Whitney had another hit on the charts, the record One Moment In Time, theme song of the 1988 Olympic Games, we get to 1990 and the release of her third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, an album that kept her at the top, but revealed a feeling that remains until today. Despite all of her success and status, Whitney Houston has been accused of having a small Black audience, that she allowed a certain "manipulation" in the choice of her songs, following more each day the way of pop, losing contact with the roots that made her a queen. Still, according to many Black music critics, Whitney had all it took to be a star of both worlds of Black and pop music.

Although it's hard to know who's right in this and many other arguments, one fact is absolutely true: From her third album on, Whitney distanced herself from the Black audience. Anyway, the victorious trajectory continued with her third album, with All The Man That I Need and I'm Your Baby Tonight and some more million copies sold. [This is wrong. The "I'm Your Baby Tonight" album distanced Whitney somewhat from earlier pop material. This statement also doesn't account for additional projects that were released after 1990.]

In 1991, during the opening of Superbowl XXV, a major American football event, Whitney attracted high ratings with her performance of The Star-Spangled Banner. In fact, the performance later turned out to be one of the biggest-selling singles of her career.

In 1992, Whitney Houston married singer Bobby Brown, a former member of the acclaimed group New Edition. At the same time, she made her debut on the big screen, starring with Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard, a great hit at the box-office, with a soundtrack that burst on the charts, holding first place for twenty weeks, selling more than 34 million copies worldwide and garnering three more Grammy awards, thanks to new versions of I Will Always Love You, by Dolly Parton, and I'm Every Woman, by Chaka Khan -- besides the beautiful song I Have Nothing.

In 1995, Whitney struck again as an actress, with good work in the movie Waiting To Exhale, also starring Angela Basset and Lela Rochon. The soundtrack featured more Whitney and more hits with Exhale (Shoop Shoop) and Why Does It Hurt So Bad.

The following year featured more of the big screen with The Preacher's Wife, co-starring Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance. Whitney, again, recorded for the soundtrack, another beautiful version of the romantic ballad I Believe In You And Me.

It was exactly in the year of 1995 that started the most turbulent events in Whitney's personal life, mainly related to her marriage to Bobby Brown. Between one problem and another, we get to 1998, when Whitney recorded her fourth solo album, My Love Is Your Love, a curious "comeback to Black roots" which led to her sixth Grammy for It's Not Right But It's Okay, written and produced by Rodney Jerkins. Tha album also included Heartbreak Hotel, written and produced by Soulshock & Karlin, with the participation of Faith Evans and Kelly Price, plus the title track, written and produced by Wyclef Jean. After all, ALL the hit songs on the album involved artists and producers essentially connected to genuine Black music, but without the same promotion of her previous records, when Whitney counted only on producers and participation from the pop universe.

Last year and this year, Whitney Houston's name has been much more in tabloid headlines than in music ones, due to sorrowing speculations and some alleged events in her private life. Although many alleged rumors make believe in drug abuse, the only true facts are Bobby Brown's arrest for conditional violation and the cancellation of two appearances -- at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and at the Oscars. About these suppositions -- it's not something dignified to comment on in a magazine that talks about music and all the good things it represents. Case closed!

On the other hand and with much more importance, after countless awards, works in partnership with the most important producers, artists and remixers of the great world circuit and more than 100 million copies sold, Whitney Houston presents her fans with a double CD, a retrospective of her career, called The Greatest Hits.

The first CD brings the romantic ballads, to which she adds the new Same Script, Different Cast (duet with Deborah Cox) and Could I Have This Kiss Forever (shared with the stunt singer Enrique Iglesias, would've been better alone), while the second one includes special remixes of her dance hits, bringing the brand new Fine, written and produced by Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip (ex-A Tribe Called Quest), once again oriented to the Black audience, totaling 36 tracks for all kinds of tastes, on an extremely and surprisingly well done album, compared to the almost usual bad choices of songs for greatest hits albums.

Would Whitney Houston be searching for her roots, of her loyal audience, trying to get closer to her street audience? It's hard to say for sure, but the important thing is that this album is actually a collection of good songs, without disappointments, at the height of a superstar like Whitney Houston.

The rest? It's only rumors...