Music reviews

Arctic Monkeys, Whitney Houston and Elvis Costello's latest Discuss this article

1

© ITP Images

View slideshow

• 
• Picture 1 of 2
• 

Whitney Houston

3/5
I Look To You
If Whitney Houston had known that dumping a dead weight like Bobby Brown was the secret to creating a solid release then she might have cut him loose ten years ago and released more music than crappy press.

On I Look to You, Houston’s first album in seven years, Whitters has pulled in pals such as Alicia Keys and the Barbara Cartland of songwriting, Diane Warren. These heavy hitters furnish the release with some of the stronger tracks, including opening R&B number ‘Million Dollar Bill’ and the balladtastic ‘I Look To You’.

After a few spins of the album, even the most dedicated Whitney fan would have to admit that her comeback release is a little soul-ballad heavy and could have done with at least two more funk or dance tracks – outside of ‘Nothin’ But Love’ and ‘For The Lovers’, at least – to give it some old-school gusto.

Still, nothing says ‘crack is whack and I’m back’ better than a feel-good ballad that doubles as a therapy session, and ‘I Didn’t Know My Own Strength’ is Whitney’s moment to remind us how difficult it is to be a squillionaire and get what you want. If she is looking for sympathy, she’s not going to find it from us. That said, the song is as camp as Snagglepuss in Lycra and will be lip-synched around the world by drag queens within weeks.

On the whole, I Look To You is a well-produced, perfectly competent Whitney Houston album that makes us wonder what else she could have released if she hadn’t been hanging around in Bobby Brown’s pajamas all day for the last decade.
Andrew Georgiou
Available in stores.