Whitney Houston

I didn't get to hear this album until over a year after its release in spring 1986. It is a very fabulous album. Some of the songs are a little sappy in the lyrics, but Whitney overcomes that with her superb voice and range on all of them. There are two songs on here, Someone For Me and Thinkin' About You (the two dance numbers) that give How Will I Know some stiff competition! I have played those songs more than "How". Loved the duets she did with Jermaine Jackson and Teddy Pendergrass. And she sounds superb on the remake of George Benson's "The Greatest Love of All." I still think she sings a little too loud on "All At Once", especially "Though I must face it all alooooooooooone" singing it too loud. I go "Whitney! You sound too loud!" every time those parts come up! I still love "You Give Good Love"--that was the SONG! Whitney at her rawest form there! Although she moved on to pop-oriented stuff and soundtrack hits like "Bodyguard", this is such a unique debut, very R&B. I think they waited a year too late to release the later singles--they sounded better in '85 than '86. It still holds up today every time I hear one of that album's hits on the radio! Timeless songs!!!!!! Heavily imitated by wannabe singers to this day on talent shows, American Idol and the like!

Whitney Houston has suddenly passed away at the tender age of 48. She has led a tumultuous life, with drug abuse, resulting in the ultimate sacrifice: the loss of her golden voice and her life. According to Tommy Mottola, the boss at Sony, he rightly said that Whitney Houston's voice at the beginning of her career was considered the golden standard, to be imitated by other singers that follow.

To truly appreciate the raw talent of Whitney, a greatest hits album is simply not enough. She has 19 charted albums on Billboard 200 Album Chart. This first release is one of her best, when she first started with raw talent as a singer and supermodel. This album stayed at Number 1 for 14 weeks, and has sold over 13 million copies in US. And if you compare with the best selling album of 2011, Adele's 21 only sold over 5 million. So, go figure.

I remember this was one of two CDs that I bought, when I finally decided to convert from vinyl to digital in 1985. The other purchase was ABBA's Greatest Hits. (Now, my CD collection is near 18,000) Of course, I also have Whitney's original album. You cannot beat the much larger, more detailed front and back covers of the vinyl album covers and the analogue sound from my Oracle turntable.

All the songs in this album are top-notched with some rare gems:

Track 01 You Give Good Love (#3/1985)
Track 02 Thimking About You (b-side to Greatest Love Of All)
Track 03 Someone For Me (b-side to How Will I Know)
Track 04 Saving All My Love For You (#1/1985)
Track 05 Nobody Loves Me Like You Do (album track) duet with Jermaine Jackson
Track 06 How Will I Know (#1 for 2 weeks/1985)
Track 07 All At Once (b-side To Saving All My Love For You)
Track 08 Take Good Care Of My Heart (album track) duet with Jermaine Jackson
Track 09 Greatest Love Of All (#1 for 3 weeks/1986)
Track 10 Hold Me (#46/1984) a beautiful duet with Teddy Pendergrass

This first album of Whitney Houston is truly remarkable with so many hits. The audio was very well remastered. Here, you can hear Whitney's at her early rawest best. Highly recommended as part of your Whitney Houston collection.

UPDATE:

One week after Whitney's passing, Whitney's Greatest Hits has re-entered the Billboard 200 Album Chart at #6, while her previous chart-topper I Will Always Love You re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #7! In The Catalog Album Chart, Whitney's Greatest Hits reigned supreme, re-entering at Number 1, while her first album, Whitney, re-entered at Number 5 and The Bodyguard Soundtrack at Number 7. Amazing feat!

I love this album. This was Whitney's first album, and her voice is absolutely angelic--just gorgeous. Too bad all of her lifestyle choices over the subsequent 15 years have resulted in the Whitney we have today. Instead of growing into the super-grand diva that this album certainly predicted, we are left with a cracked up, croaky-voiced freakfest.