Whitney Houston Releases First Single In Six Years
The title track of Whitney Houston's new album, "I Look to You," is also the set's debut single. The song, written by R. Kelly, was released Tuesday as a free download on Whitney's official website, WhitneyHouston.com.
Clive Davis, chief creative officer for Sony Music
Entertainment Worldwide, recently previewed the song, as well as eight other tracks
from the album, at a listening event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The party brought
out Hollywood's elite, including Jane Fonda, Barry Manilow,
Penny Marshall, Halle Berry, Beverly Johnson, Stevie Wonder, Brian
McKnight, Magic Johnson, and Brett Ratner.
Watch CNN's interview with Whitney and Clive.
Whitney delivers one of her best vocal performances on the stripped-down, piano-driven "I Look to You." The song pays homage to an unnamed unconditional source of support.
Whitney identified with the song's lyrics. "I know that if I did not have faith, I would have not been able to go through life's tribulations that I have gone through," Whitney said in a statement read by Clive.
She added that the song, produced by Tricky Stewart and
Harvey Mason, Jr., expresses everything she has wanted to say since she released
her last album "Just Whitney" seven years ago.
Clive noted that the critics who wondered whether Whitney could still sing got their answer at his annual pre-Grammy party in February, when she performed among the likes of Rod Stewart and Jennifer Hudson.
Watching Whitney perform at the pre-Grammy party prompted Alicia Keys to call Clive. "Alicia said, 'I've got to write a song for Whitney, is [that] okay?'" Clive remembered. Alicia ended up writing "Million Dollar Bill" for Whitney--an upbeat dance track with disco drums, produced by Swizz Beatz. The anthemic song is about finding a man who "made you feel like a million dollar bill."
I didn't see Whitney's pre-Grammy show, but I got confirmation that she would be reclaiming her throne after listening to
selections played at her Los Angeles
listening party.
The nine songs Clive played were mainly mid-tempos and dance tracks, with only a few ballads. It was clear that Whitney was still a far superior singer than most of her chart topping young contemporaries.
She gives good attitude on an R. Kelly collab called "Salute." It sends off a man who wants to leave the relationship. "You say you want to walk--I salute you," Whitney sings. On the Akon and Claude Kelly song "Like I Never Left," Whitney offers a perfect feel-good summer record. "Call You Tonight," by Stargate and Johnta Austin, is equally vibrant, refreshing and infectious.
Despite her detractors (and "tribulations") over the last
several years, she has maintained compassion--something she sings about on
"Nothin' But Love," produced by Danja. "
It's clear that Whitney and Clive spent three-and-a-half years working on this album, and picking the right songs and producers. In each track, Whitney sings about some aspect of life that conveys what she must have been dealing with during her hiatus. It feels like I've caught up with an old friend I haven't spoken with in years.
Welcome back, Whitney. We've missed you.
