WHITNEY HOUSTON
"JUST WHITNEY"
4/5

Pros:
Mostly great songs, collectively one of the better Whitney albums.

Cons:
The album is too short and the ballads aren't as good as her previous efforts.

The Bottom Line:
Definitely one of the better Whitney albums. The perfect balance of R&B and Pop. There are really good songs but, the ballads do suffer on this very short album.

Full Review:
I was really surprised by this album. Looking at all Whitney, excuse me, Mrs. Brown has been through since her last album, the Hip-Hop infused "My Love Is Your Love". I really wasn't expecting this album to be as good as it is. And as the title states, this album is basically "Just Whitney" in all her glory, leaving the guest list to a minimum.

I'm gonna start by putting my utter disgust for Bobby Brown to the side right now to objectively review this album. Oh come on, you know you don't like him either. It has been said though that he is the force behind Whitney's deeper exploration into the forays of R&B, abandoning the fluffiness of 80's pop hits like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" for a more soulful, youthful, accessibility, making her everybody's down-home "jersey-girl" diva. This exploration that has kept Whitney current, yet timeless, something that the divas of the moment are dying for. We must thank Mr. Brown or as Whitney calls him, "The King Of R&B" [Ever heard of Ron Isley, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, or Sam Cooke?] for that.

Like I've stated, this album is really short, only 11 short tracks, 43 minutes and 24 seconds, most songs don't even reach the 4 minute mark. This really sets Whitney apart from most of today's divas with their average of 14 tracks and albums commonly crossing over and savagely beating the 70 minute mark. To illustrate this I've decided to add the track times with the song titles so you can better get what I'm talking about.

Now to the album...

-Whatchulookinat? 3:36

Produced by Bobby Brown, this answer to the media for their scrutiny of the Houston-Brown's for the last ten years, has a nice danceable beat. Complain, complain, complain, that's all the multi-millionaire superstars seem to do nowadays. A good song though.

-Tell Me No 3:45
featuring Carlos Santana

This soaring inspirational hit has to be one of the best songs on the album. Basically it's message is one of strength, overcoming adversity, and downright c*cky bravado, with a chorus that says "...Tell me no and I'll show you I can. And tell me no and I'll dig my feet right in. Tell me no, just tell me that I can't win. C'mon, I'm sure, I'll prove you wrong, C'mon and go. Tell me no." Lyrics like "And I can't wait for the day, I'll rub things in your face..." imply bad sportmanship, but like I said, this is a great song ending with a guitar solo by Carlos Santana.

-Love That Man 3:28

Another pop hit for Whitney Houston. I absolutely love this song. It's really catchy hook and melody will even get haters of Mrs. Brown on the dance floor. Just a plain feel good song, pop radio hit is written all over it!

-Things You Say 4:10

The most the soulful of the meager 11 tracks on this album. This song has a real sexy, almost neo-soul vibe to it. Lyrics like "I dig your actions but I love your words" add to the 70's soul vibe of this song. I'm feeling this one too.

-My Love 3:28
featuring Mr. Bobby Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Brown really shine on this soulful midtempo jam. Even if you're not a fan of the "King Of R&B" I'm sure you'll still like this one, I do.

-One Of Those Days 4:15

Now we're talking, this is my favorite song on the album. It's produced my Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, a smooth laid-back departure from the in-your-face rhytmic soul-pop sound he is known for with girl groups like Destiny's Child and newcomers Isyss. This song is a feel good convertible anthem, too bad it's almost winter. Definitely too cold to blast out of your shiny new 'whatever car you drive'.

-On My Own 4:40

Okay Whitney, this is where you lost me. This, the first true ballad of the album is an absolute mess. This song is not worthy to be the stand that holds the candle to "I Will Always Love You", "I Have Nothing" or "Saving My Love For You". Lyrics like "...no matter what, I'll keep it real..." sound ridiculously out of place in what is meant to be a timeless ballad... NOT! Skip this one.

-Dear John Letter 4:34

A hot R&B flashback to 1998's "My Love Is Your Love". This cleverly written song has a hot beat and a catchy hook. Another hot one Whitney.

-Unashamed 3:38

This almost auto-biographical song lets us know that Whitney is basically "Unashamed of the life she leads." I'm feeling this one too.

-You Light Up My Life 3:42

A cover of the classic ballad, nothing to write home to Mom about.

-Whatchulookinat? [P. Diddy Remix] 4:08
featuring P. Diddy

A little deviation from the regular version of the song. Diddy though aptly sums Whitney up though in the last seconds of the song by saying "We love you, you strong black woman, you" And yes Whitney, we do love you.

Alrighty, that's all folks. I told you this one is short. I guess instead of giving us a truckload of album filler Whitney gave us 9 gems and 2 duds. Even though the ballads on this one are not up to par, the other songs more than make up for it. I still recommend this album to Whitney fans and non-fans alike. Definitely one of the better Whitney albums.

Peace

"You Light Up My Life?" That proves she's on drugs.

2 decent songs max - Unashamed and One of those days. and its only about 34 mins long??? Diva is totally losing it. Ditto Mariah, her new cd just sits there.

great review, Harlepolis. hmmm.. under 45 minutes? YAY! shot me an album over 45 minutes and i'll show you the filler.

wonder if this is the right one for me. i don't think she's ever going to top the last one.

Harlepolis said:

What ever possessed her?...nevermind.

FreezerBurn said:

Am I the *ONLY* person who would admit to liking this song?

DavidEye said:

Probably not. Where's RD?

Supernova said:

That's cold

Ifsixwuz9 said: