I Look To You

by

Whitney Houston

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Before all the hip hop, there was a lady and a true songbird by the name of Whitney whose elegance was evident in her style and grace and whose effortless vocals sent shivers down one's spine. Her rendition of the Spar Spangled Banner was flawless and remains unparalleled to this day.

I remember hearing the single, "I Look To You" on the radio when it first aired. I had to pull over. I was so overcome by the fact that even after all her struggle, she still had "it." You have to listen without bias, without preconceived notions and let go the former impressions of the young Whitney. This is the elder statesman, if you will, making her final bow and telling you a bit about her newfound strength with an understanding of her own weaknesses and faults. Listen! This is not the young Whitney, vying for your approval. She knows she is nearing the end of her career and yet she has a few more things to share for those who still want to listen. God graced her vocal chords one last time with more soul and humanity, in spite of it all.

There will never be another "Voice" like Miss Houston. Larry King compared her to Judy Garland in that they both had the innate ability to make the listener feel what they were singing because their life was in their voice. Billie Holiday possessed the same gifting. May she now rest in peace and all prayers and positive thoughts go out to her Mother, Cissy Houston and 19 year old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Houston.

Thanks for all the memories and beautiful music, Miss Houston. Your music and style will live on.

On an early track of her latest CD, Whitney Houston poignantly sings "I want you to love me/Like I never left." Having listened twice through now, I can wholeheartedly claim that I still do. Which is not to say that "I Look to You" is a great album, or even a good one. But, hold on, it's not really a bad one, either. For the most part it plays out like a greatest hits collection in that we pretty much know what's coming next. Early bubblegum ("Million Dollar Bill") is followed by some power ballads (like the title track), followed by some mild flirtations with electronic hip-hop ("For the Lovers" for example). Houston is playing squarely in her comfort zone here, but she's earned it, no? Not every album can, should or needs to reinvent the wheel. The only true misfire is a disco (yes, you heard it here first) version of the Donny Hathaway classic "A Song for You." It's bizarre, to say the least, unlikely to be remembered as one of that song's best renditions.

And how is Houston's voice? A little heavier and thicker than it was, frankly, but still quite strong and supple. Perhaps the single most telling indication that something's changed is that every song stays solidly in the same key from beginning to end. A couple of times I thought, "Here comes the old Whitney Houston kick-ass modulation"...but it never happened. OK, so now we know, we can all move on.

Neither a triumphant return to form nor a crash-and-burn disaster, "I Look to You" is the uneventful return of an old friend. I, for one, am just fine with that.