A Delightful Package!
CD Image Courtesy of Amazon.com
The package is a 25th anniversary repackaging and expansion of her Arista debut album “Whitney Houston” with a plethora of added tracks.
Arista Records/Legacy recordings is set to release this 25th anniversary edition of this groundbreaking album on January 26th of 2010.
Why is this album so delightful you ask? To me this album is an album that runs the gamut from fun pop, to heartwrenching ballads, and then thoughtful rather inspiring lyrics. Listening to this album upon its initial release helped me get through and to process many strong emotions at a time in my life when I was experiencing a great deal of anguish due to physical health issues.
“Whitney Houston” included very little filler within its track list. The inclusion of each track seemed to be designed in order to appeal to a wide array of listeners. Another highpoint was that it also contained vocal pairings with two music legends, Jermaine Jackson and Teddy Pendergrass. These duet partnerships served to present a point and counterpoint as well as displaying the shared emotion of the songs “characters.”
Four singles that were released from the album were You Give Good Love, Saving All My Love For You, How Will I Know and Greatest Love of All
However as good as the released singles were, those were not my favorite songs. The ballads All At Once, Nobody Loves Me Like You Do and Hold Me held those honors.
This celebratory edition of “Whitney Houston” contains all 10 tracks from the original album with 5 additional bonus tracks. (For complete track listing see end) Also included is a bonus DVD which contains 3 hard-to-find live performances as well as four music videos and an interview with Houston and Arista head Clive Davis. This edition of this classic album is a treasure trove for collectors and Houston enthusiasts.
“Whitney Houston” Trivia:
- Clive Davis had a hard time finding pop songs for her to record as many popular songwriters felt that Houston’s gospel stylings might pose a hindrance to her success as a pop or dance music artist.
- The song “How Will I Know” was originally written for Janet Jackson. The song was written by Boy Meets Girl members Shannon Rubicam & George Merrill. This songwriting duo would later also write the lead single for her sophomore album “Whitney”
Track Listing:
| 1. You Give Good Love |
| 2. Thinking About You |
| 3. Someone For Me |
| 4. Saving All My Love For You |
| 5. Nobody Loves Me Like You Do (duet with Jermaine Jackson) |
| 6. How Will I Know |
| 7. All At Once |
| 8. Take Good Care of My Heart (Duet with Jermaine Jackson) |
| 9. Greatest Love Of All |
| 10. Hold Me (Duet with Teddy Pendergrass) |
| 11. Thinking About You (12-inch dance remix by Bruce Forest) (Bonus Track) |
| 12. Someone For Me (12-inch dance remix by Alan Coulthard)(Bonus Track) |
| 13. How Will I Know (Acappella) (Bonus Track) |
| 14. How Will I Know (12-inch dance remix by Jellybean) (Bonus Track) |
| 15. Greatest Love Of All (live from Radio City Music Hall, 1990) (Bonus Track) |
