[.ca] Just Whitney

From Amazon.com:
Whitney Houston recaptures some former glory on her first studio album, thanks to her undiminished vocal prowess and a cadre of impressive producers that includes Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Babyface, Teddy Bishop, and Troy Taylor. Houston's pipes shine in the big break-up ballad "On My Own," which is cut from the same mold as 1993's massive "I Will Always Love You." But while her vocal chords are intact, some of the material here leaves much to be desired, including a flat version of Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Light" and the Missy Elliot-penned and -produced "Things You Say." On the plus side, the feisty "Tell Her No" finds Houston on defense, but she's much more interesting with her back against the wall as she huffs: "I can't wait for the day I can rub things in your face." The embattled diva doesn't attempt to gloss over her foibles, as evidenced by "Unashamed" ("Listen here and listen good/ I'm unashamed of the life that I lead, unashamed of the strength of my need"), "Love That Man," and "Whatchulookinat," a body slam at the tabloids that have documented Houston and hubby Bobby Brown's very public falls from grace. Houston may not have recovered her hegemony of the charts, but this album proves she's once again pointed in the right direction. --Jaan Uhelszki

a DECENT ALBUM:
HER 5TH STUDIO ALBUM IS A DECENT ALBUM NOT BETTER THAN MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE BUT STILL WORTH BUYING IN MY OPINION . THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE ONE OF THOSE DAYS, THINGS YOU SAY,TELL ME NO, LOVE THAT MAN , TRY IT ON MY OWN,AND YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE

Whitney Is Back and Better Than Ever:
Whitney Houston returned to the studio in 2002 to record this, her first all new album since my love is your love in 1998. This comeback of sorts proves once and for all that Whitney "still got it". Although she had endured a lot of negitive press, she still makes a vocally solid album.

We're looking at you Whitney, and waiting for a great album:
I have had every album that this powerhouse vocalist has released. The fiery vocals on "Whitney Houston" to the tempered ballads of "Whitney" to the less-successful foray into light R & B/dance of "I'm Your Baby Tonight" up to the deep funk and honesty of "My Love Is Your Love," along with those amazing soundtracks in between, have all been pretty amazing. This however is not. It's the first album of hers I do not have, and do not want. She can still outsing a lot of other artists out there. But she isn't doing it like she was. Even on "My Love..." her deeper grittier voice sounded better. It was believable and impressive. Not here. Everyone seems to like "On My Own" but it sounds flat and lacks any oomph. It's a less dramatic "I Will Always Love You." The material doesn't help any. "Whatchulookinat," suffering from the title alone, sounds like it was made in 1995. It has an annoying accusatory tone that comes up again on "Unashamed" and "Tell Me No." She keeps trying to sound proud and empowered and I'm just not buying it. This album features another song with Bobby Brown - remember that horrible "Something in Common" song? - which is just as annoying. All in all, this (along with the follow-up holiday album) are ultimately forgettable. Now that the diva has admitted her troubles and is working on improving herself, we are sure to get another album out of her that will blow us away.

This album is great/ was against too much competition in '02:
I liked Just Whitney. It does have that Atlanta feel to it on most of the songs, versus her native New Jersey feel of her past albums. There's no denying she has a beautiful voice. I like the album's simplicity, keeping it to 10 songs without too much padded stuff that plagues some artists' albums. I stil like One of These Days, Things You Say, My Love (with Bobby Brown), Dear John Letter, the Whatchulookinat, the dramatic Unashamed and others. I like that she went with different producers like Missy Elliott, Kevin Briggs, Troy Taylor and some others for this album, a break from the David Foster/Diane Warren overkill of her previous ones. I think that she put the album at the wrong time, what with Nelly, Eminem, Avril Lavigne and others still dominating the chart. She pushed the album back 3 times, but it was smart she did because it came out right. I hope that the next album will do well and get more people back to hearing Whitney again. This album was overlooked and ignored too much!

'Just' Is Just OK':
Once in her life, Whitney Houston was able to sing songs like "I'm Every Woman" without skipping a beat. The notes that are supposed to be the big ones on "Just Whitney" last about 5 seconds, and while the songs are good, Whitney could do better. "Unashamed" is one of the best on the CD, and the most underrated. Despite the title, "Whatchulookinat" is a good song. "One of Those Days" was the first single off "Just Whitney" and OK. "Love That Man" and "Dear John Letter" are good, with catchy bass loops. Bottom Line: Ain't Her Best, But Ain't Bad.

• One Of Those Days
• Tell Me No
• Things You Say
• My Love
• Love That Man
• Try It On My Own
• Dear John Letter
• Unashamed
• You Light Up My Life
• Whatchulookinat