Houston Could Return to Number One
There was a time when Whitney Houston could roll out of bed, breathlessly sing the obituaries from the morning paper and all a producer had to do was sweeten with strings and flash her pearly whites on the cover and presto – another platinum album was flying off the shelves.
But that was over a decade ago and in the interim Whitney has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. A soul sucking, abuse filled marriage and loads of somewhat erratic to down right bizarre public behavior coupled with vocal and physical deterioration has left Houston all but an after thought on the entertainment scene.
Despite these myriad setbacks the diva is primed for a comeback and from the sound of her just released, “I Look to You” album Houston may have another number one up her sleeve. Producer Clive Davis has assembled a who’s who of hit makers including the talents of R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Akon. The album was three years in the making and includes stand out singles like the Keys penned, “Million Dollar Bill” featuring a groove as deep as the Grand Canyon and the R. Kelly anthem title track “I Look to You.” It may not knock “I Will Always Love You” out of the sappy ballad pantheon but it is an arm waving, bic lighting, arena filling song.
Whether Houston can pull of the material live remains to be seen. In the IPod, however, this album is a definite hit.
Houston’s Comeback Potential
It has been seven years since Whitney Houston was a presence on the music scene. The recent release of a new album breaks her out of that absence, garnering her positive press for the first time in years.
The album, called I Look To You, features a more youthful sound than her previous efforts, with hip hop numbers geared for the dance floor. Though some of the tracks feel over-synthesized, according to some critics, the stand out songs “Million Dollar Bill” and “Like I Never Left” are bound to be hits.
The lyrics are also somewhat hit and miss, with some reflecting Houston’s pride in her comeback and others sounding borderline ridiculous. Overall, the album resounds with Houston’s iconic voice, which is the key factor that is likely to take I Look To You to a number one place on the charts.
While Houston’s voice is likely the saving grace of her comeback album, it was also the cause for much controversy on an appearance with Good Morning America. Houston visited the show while stumping for her release, but her performance was less than polished. The performance was rough, laden with missed lyrics and cracked notes, a mismatched display that Houston attributed to overuse of her voice, most notably a previous performance on Oprah.
The uncertainty of her GMA appearance aside, I Look To You stands for itself. The strong vocals and the stand out tracks are sure to make even the harshest critics think twice about Houston’s comeback potential.
Halle Berry is pregnant with her second child.
Berry, 43, had difficulty conceiving her first child in 2007. According to reports, the ‘Monster’s Ball’ actress went through 30 negative pregnancy tests before her daughter Nahla was born.
“She’s just ecstatic to be pregnant again,” said a friend of Berry and her partner, model Gabriel Aubry. “She wasn’t sure if she’d have another baby, so she’s very happy!”
The friend added, “Halle is overjoyed. The first time, she struggled so much to get pregnant and eventually conceived through in vitro fertilization. This time, the baby was conceived through artificial insemination.”
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Whitney Houston appeared on Good Morning America today, touting her “first television performance in seven years” in support of her new album
Whitney sang, “I Look to You”, “Million Dollar Bill”, and “Every Woman”.
The vibe around the internet is that Houston’s performance was “troubled” and “shaky.”
Whitney apologized to the crowd, saying it’s all Oprah’s fault.
She said: “I’m so sorry. I did Oprah. I’ve been talking for so long…I talked so much my voice…I shouldn’t be talking, I should be singing.”
“I’m overwhelmed [by] the love, the support, your prayers, [they] mean so much to me,” she said, as her fans cheered. “I love you all for coming and saying hello to me and telling me you love me like I love you back. I never left. I never left. Yeah.”
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Transformers star Megan Fox is slated to kick off the new season of Saturday Night Live (SNL).
Fox will host the show, with rock legends U2 as the musical guest.
The SNL season premiere kicks off Sept. 26.
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Diane Sawyer will finally anchor the evening news cast over on ABC.
The distinguished journalist has anchored presidential elections, reported overseas, interviewed world leaders but has never been offered the much sought after position over the past 2 decades.
Whitney Houston Releases New Album”I Look To You”
It looks like Whitney Houston is headed back to diva status with the release of her new album “I Look To You”.
This will be her sixth full length album after a seven year lull.
Her fans still support Whitney and the album is getting good reviews from most of the critics.
Although most are pleased with the albums release on Monday, reviews are saying her voice isn’t quite what it used to be. Most of the critics seem to agree that the voice that was crystal clear and could reach the highest octave has become more restricted. Clive Davis, Whitney’s long time mentor and Whitney’s Artista record label were so sure of the albums success they moved the release date up to meet the cut-off for the Grammy Award eligibility.
Whitney is no stranger to the Grammy Awards and has won six Grammy’s, the first was in 1985 when she won for best pop vocalist for her self titled debut album. That same year she won an Emmy for her performance on the Grammy’s with the song “Saving All My Love For You”.
She went on to win her second pop vocalist Grammy in 1987 with “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” off her second album.
In 1993 Whitney won album of the year for the soundtrack from the film “The Body Guard”. That same year she won her third pop vocal Grammy for her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”. Whitney’s Last Grammy was in 1999 for her performance of “It’s Not Right But It’s Ok”.
Whitney has what it takes to put her in the Grammy’s this year. She looks good and has her charming personality back. We can look for her at the Grammy’s.