Whitney Houston's comeback album delayed because drug abuse damaged vocal cords

Diva Whitney Houston's highly-anticipated comeback album was delayed by an unforeseen problem.

Her years of drug abuse had ravaged her vocal cords so badly that when she hit the studio she sounded less like The Greatest Voice Of All and move like Mavis the karaoke queen down your local.

She couldn't even hold the high notes of her own song I Will Always Love You.

So top music industry exec Clive Davis insisted she have singing lessons.

But we're glad to tell something clearly worked - she sounds pitch perfect on the new record.

A source said: "She was smoking a lot and taking a lot of drugs. Her voice was almost unrecognisable. Thousands have been shelled out to train her back up to the original.

"But now she sounds terrific - she is going to blow everybody away."

The yet-to-benamed album is out on November 10.

We can't wait...
[Edited 7/16/08 8:29am]

She hasn't been able to hit the high notes in IWALY in years. 2006 Olympics was the worst ever.

JackieBlue said:

I was fixin to say the SAME thing. Whitney's voice hasn't been great since the 90s. She's been talking her way through the high notes for ages. Just like her mama her voice changed drastically as she got older and of course the smoking didn't help.

JackieBlue said:

Maybe that's what they were talking about. She started recording the album that same year.

dammme said:

LOL, I can imagine Andy going too...

I think I must unleach my inner bitch more...

JackieBlue said:

I was just thinking about that right there. That was as sad as it could be. I have to admit, I laughed too I hope that her voice is on point again cause if she still sounds like 2006, then she's done.

Hang in there Whitney!!

Even on her worse day, Whitney has more singing talent than most. She could sing circles around the likes of Britney, Janet, Madonna, Ciara, Rihanna, Jessica and Ashley.

I can't wait for the new album

purplecam said:

I don't know if it's still on YouTube but there were some videos that showed Whitney performing this year in Morocco and she is not in that same state she was in then. She sounded real good. Nothing like the hoarse and ravaged voice we heard at Torino on that fateful year.

purplecam said:

She should have passed sounding like that. I couldn't believe my ears.

JackieBlue said:

She has, lol. Google "Whitney Houston" and "Morocco", and see if her performances (from this year) are there. She's way passed that.

Timmy84 said:

There was no where to go but up after that mess. I did hear she had to relearn how to sing and I don't think Clive would bother if she wasn't doing better. She's actually quite fortunate.

JackieBlue said:

Yeah and, well I have to say it, she sure can thank Clive for bringing her back from the brink. I thought she was a goner after '06.

Timmy84 said:

I thought she was a goner in '01!

JackieBlue said:

I totally forgot about that! They even said she died in a few articles.

Timmy84 said:

That was such a horrible time. Aaliyah had just died. Whitney looked like a stick and I remember the rumor that she died. Then there was a rumor that Mariah had killed herself or died. Michael’s mouth/face was shot. And then the next day the towers fell.

JackieBlue said:

2001 was a TERRIBLE year especially for the divas, MJ (poor guy released a decent R&B album but argued with Tommy Motolla, not to mention him looking like he got hung over for three days straight), and of course America in general.
[Edited 7/16/08 10:08am]

JackieBlue said:

Shoot, I thought Mike was a goner in 01.

It's good to see Whitney back, turning her life around, een if her voice isn't as stellar as it once was. Personally, I'd rather hear her at half strength than to have her silenced by addiction.

Timmy84 said:

He did. Poor guy.

Anyways, I am looking forward to her new album and wish her well.
[Edited 7/16/08 13:24pm]

JackieBlue said:

Don't forget Glitter.

Wasn't this the same critique of the "Just Whitney" album. Her voice wasn't powerful but sounded good....the songs themselves, though...Could be 100% true or fan fiction.

Matronik said:

More?

did anyone heard that R kelly song he wrote for whitney? i look to you? its all over youtube and i think it would fit her

I think these reports are totally exaggerated. Who cares if there are one or two notes that are no longer in her range? She is still Whitney, she can still sang, she will give her fans what they want, she's a pro - what, have all other great singers who've taken drugs like Chaka and Natalie lost their voices too?

Where's Andy?

This piece started off tragic, then it ended like damage control to fight the inevitable rumors that could cost millions.

badujunkie said:

No they have not. But to not recognize Whitney has spent the last near decade with a damaged instrument with detriorated capacity is seeing things through rose colored glasses. It's very clear that all those years of smoking and inhaling crack have has destroyed Whitney's voice. There's plenty of proof of THAT floating all over youtube. For me, I recognized the beginning of this starting in 1994 during her'Concert for a New South Africa' performance. This is right around the time all the profuse sweating, cracked notes, and sing talking through material began. Who knows... maybe if like Cole and Khan she would have snorted or shot up her drug of choice instead of smoking it, she would have been better off vocally. In any event she's clean now, what's wrong with her physically can be made right and yes, proper vocal istruction can help bring her back to being the vocal powerhouse we once knew. Other big-voiced singers like Shirley Bassey and Celine Dion, though they didn't do drugs, actually went through vocal traumas where they completely lost abilility to sing or even talk at all, having ruined their voices from improper technique. With the help of doctors and teachers they re-leanrned how to breathe, speak out loud, and eventually sing again as if nothing had ever happened. Now that Whit is clean, I'm sure that with proper care paid to vocal health by a good ear, nose, and throat man, as well as rebuildng of technique from a killer teacher, she's going to just fine.

...but don't get it twisted... there was a time when watching her performances painful, because she was clearly 'sick', and quite frankly sucked.

[Edited 7/17/08 0:12am]

She needs to give up making music altogether, get back on drugs, and let a camera crew follow her around on her crack smoking escapades for a reality series. That would be entertaining. Her music never was.