I Look to You by Whitney Houston (CD, Oct-2009, Arista)

Finally she's back! With this comes an overwhelming amount of expectations considering her past domain as the number 1 diva. And then comes the endless stories of the press since her last release. If one must take just a minimum of these seriously, one could easily fear the worst outcome of this comeback.

So I did when I sat down to listen to this piece very carefully not to miss any detail, not to miss the gold!

At first, her voice. Her "million dollar" voice. It has clearly been damaged! As a fan I'm the first to mourn that. Her softness is gone. Ok, she's become much older. But the age is not an excuse when it comes to that! Her lifestyle must be the main reason for this. And more importantly! Too many of the tracks sound like "it's just a job". Not many chances are taken, and she doesn't reach the limit of her voice. This is what used to make so many of her previous songs so wonderfully thrilling, powerful, and passionate.

Never the less! I still get the thrills :), especially from the two ballads, #4 and #7(Diane Warren never seem to go wrong). Both songs are very good compositions amazingly well produced, and they take me back to her golden days. Whitney's magic is still there, somehow! But why?, I ask myself. Her voice is damaged and less powerful?: It must be a combination of her unique sound of voice and her personal expression! Also #3 and #5 touch me as the best tracks together with the ballads. But a few of the last tracks and the album simply seem like "extras" not giving me anything.

Overall:
Despite her damaged voice compared to earlier days, she still has it! I still enjoy her voice, she' still amazing. And any newcomer of pop / RnB would die to have made this album! 7/10

Thomas

It doesn't take a second listening to fall in love with this album. Whitney's long awaited comeback "I Look To You" delivers a living proof that, once a diva, always a diva.

The first half of this album is better than the second, in my honest opinion. Chilling songs, dancing ballads, perfect production, flawless singing, a surprising remake of "A Song for You" and a self-revealing/confessional tune "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" makes it a great investiment that was worth the wait.

I purchased this cd after seeing Whitney Houston on Oprah Winfrey. I heard her tell much of her experience with Bobby Brown and her life on drugs.

I was a great Whitney Houston fan when she first started out. I purchased her first two albums, taped her videos for my own viewing, purchased her "Bodyguard" cd, and was disappointed that she wasn't in good enough condition to even fill the cd with her own songs. I recently heard her 2003 Christmas cd with her daughter, and that was okay. This cd lacks all the life and inspiration and heart-felt vibrance of her first 2 cd's. I was excited to become a Whitney fan again, but have concluded after listening to this cd, that the years of Bobby Brown, drugs, her lifestyle, and her absense, have played a major toll on her career that may never be able to be re-capped. With so many artists that have survived decades of musical talent that didn't start out with any gift like Whitney Houston had, it is a shame that such a gifted individual that had a musical talent from God, Himself, would throw it all away on an abusive relationship with negative relationships with Bobby Brown and drugs. This reminds me of the story in the Bible of Sampson, who through away his entire gift and life over the wrong relationships, and forgot God.

As we saw Whitney perform LIVE recently, we didnt hear the true strength of her vocals.Fortunately, they were able to tweak her voice, pitch and riffs in the studio. She has tremendous spirit on this album after many years, as each song seems to be a testimony of God's grace and mercy. People can knock religion/spirituality if they want to. It is evident that a spiritual inspiration was the guiding force which caused her to return to what she does best: communicate through the gift of song. Many people have rough lives and NEVER RETURN TO THE TOP. May God continue to bless her as she continues to seek the center of her Joy----GOD!! Bless u Whitney.

The big issue is that with such a long gap between CD's the expectations grow, and this one is just not up to par with her other great albums. I would like to know the true condition of her voice without the "studio". Let's not call this one a come back, but a stepping stone towards greater success with better written material (sorry clive). Those who are whitney fans will be curious to listen for themselves, but I can't see her capturing any new fans. Let's hope for a quick follow-up and don't let it be with with B. Brown.