The return of Whitney Houston

How does one bring back the selling power of a fallen diva? Take one who has not had a hit in at least a decade and who had to cope with problems like domestic abuse, divorce, drugs plus vocal and physical deterioration. Getting somebody like this back on her feet seems like a tall order but if the diva is Whitney Houston, there is one man you can turn to, Arista founder Clive Davis.

It was Davis who jeaned Broadway diva Barbra Streisand and made her a pop star. He got Simon and Garfunkle together. He brought new life to Barry Manilow’s moribund career with a series of oldies CDs. It was also the legendary Davis, who steered the singing career of Whitney, then a 17-year-old model, to unprecedented heights in the late ’70s.

Whitney calls Davis her “industry father.” And rightly so. It was with him at Arista that she recorded the hit songs that have generated over $170-M in combined sales of albums, singles and videos, worldwide. Saving All My Love For You, How Will I Know, I’m Your Baby Tonight, The Greatest Love Of All, I Have Nothing, I Will Always Love You, Exhale (Shoop Shoop) and It’s Not Right But It’s OK are among her most memorable songs, while The Bodyguard, her recordbreaking film debut still boasts of having the biggest-selling soundtrack album of all time.

Like most fathers, Davis will do anything for “daughter” Whitney. In this case, it means giving her what she needs most to get her career back on track, a hit album. So with reins in hand, Davis assembled the finest hitmaking talents available to help Whitney put her new CD together. I Look To You, her first album in seven years was released last Sept. 1. The line-up of names in the credits reads like a who’s who of the music business. R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Akon are some of them.

One cut is an instant standout, the ballad I Didn’t Know My Own Strength. This was composed by Diane Warren, produced and arranged by David Foster who also played keyboards. Warren is known for hits, I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing for Aerosmith, Un-break My Heart for Toni Braxton. Foster, of course is the same producer who discovered Groban and Bublé and made hits for Barbra, Natalie, MJ and Whitney with her own Bodyguard album.

A collaboration by David with Diane brought about Because You Loved Me for Celine. Looks like they have another biggie here. There is no way that I Didn’t Know My Own Strength can miss, more so when fans discover the allusions to Whitney’s personal problems in the song and the inspiring message it brings. There is no way that this one will not be the first single.

The song I like best though is the gospel-tinged title cut. I Look To You is R. Kelly at his most commercial. Think I Believe I Can Fly and Whitney has the right chops for it. She also sounds like she means every word and the listener cannot help but empathize with her. She also does very well with the other R. Kelly track, the street ballad Salute. She is assured of two great singles with these ones and also with her club-styled cover of the Leon Russell classic A Song For You should they decide to release it.

I Look To You is great to listen to and the fact that it says Whitney is back and in good form doubles the treat. OK, the singing is not as powerful and flawless as before. But if I wanted perfect singing I’d listen to the Vienna Boys Choir. I’d rather have the emotions she expresses and hear the little kinks in the throat that says this is a woman who has known suffering but is triumphant again. Besides, the elegance of the phrasing I have always liked in Whitney is there in all its glory.

Also included are Million Dollar Bill, co-written by Alicia Keys, who also produced and arranged the vocals; Nothin’ But Love; Call You Tonight co-written by John Legend; Like I Never Left feat. Akon co-written by Whitney; Worth It, also co-written by John Legend; For The Lovers; and I Got You, also co-written by Whitney.

Billboard’s top hits

The hits of the week as per Billboard’s 100 list are the following: I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas; Party In The U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus; Down by Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne; You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift; Run This Town by Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West; Use Somebody by Kings Of Leon; Best I Ever Tried by Drake; Knock You Down by Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West and Ne-Yo; Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester; and Hotel Room Service by Pitbull.

The Top 10 albums are Keep On Loving You, the latest from Country Music legend Reba McEntire; Twang by George Strait, another Country Music great; Ursa Major by Third Eye Blind, who were cute as The Kinks in the TV series American Dreams; Only By The Night by Kings Of Leon; The E.N.D. by The Black Eyed Peas; Hot August Night/NYC by Neil Diamond; Hannah Montana The Movie Soundtrack by Various Artists; Fearless by Taylor Swift; Leave This Town by Daughtry; and Now 31 by Various Artists.