Although it seems longer, it’s been nearly seven years since we’ve heard anything new from Whitney Houston. After spending the last three years recording, she’s back with I Look to You, and she sounds better than ever.
Whitney explained the title saying, “The last several years spiritually, this song says all I wanted to say. There are times in life when we go through certain situations – some not so good. You have to reach for a higher strength, you have to reach deep inside yourself, spend time with yourself to make some corrections that go beyond your own understanding and lean on a higher understanding, for me this song puts it all in check. If I did not have my faith I wouldn’t be as strong today.”
It would be easy to mention all the things Whitney has endured over the last decade: her shockingly thin appearance at the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special, the infamous Diane Sawyer interview, the $100 million lawsuit against her, losing her father, Being Bobby Brown and ultimately divorcing her husband of 14 years.
But it’s also easy to see how I Look to You deals with all of that. “That makes it real,” Whitney says. “The changes that we go through, the transitions that we go through, the tests that we go through, being a mother, becoming a single mother. It all had its ups and its downs, but for the most part, I kept my faith and I kept my head up… I took my time. All the triumphs and the ups and downs and stuff, it’s all incorporated on the album, and hopefully not only does it inspire me, but inspires a whole lot of other people.”
I Look to You reunites Whitney with Clive Davis as executive producer and opens with the lead single, “Million Dollar Bill”. Written by Alicia Keys and produced by Swizz Beats, the track is a perfect dance groove about love as Whitney belts out strong vocals. “Nothin’ But Love” follows as Whitney shouts out those who love her and those who try to hate on her on this uptempo track, produced by Danja.
The title track, written by R. Kelly and produced by Tricky and Harvey Mason Jr., is where Whitney shines. Beautifully-written lyrics sound even more beautiful as Whitney sings them full of emotion, reaching out to anyone who’s ever faced adversity. “Like I Never Left” is a fitting track title, with Akon helping out on this light and airy track.
Whitney takes on the Leon Russell classic, “A Song for You”, made popular by Donnie Hathaway. But this is nothing like Donnie’s version; Whitney flips it into a club banger, which takes some getting used to. “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”, written by Diane Warren and produced with David Foster, is another triumph over adversity tracks and one of the best of the album.
The album concludes with “Salute”, another R. Kelly track, with Whitney declaring, “Don’t call it a comeback/No, I’ve been here for years.” The song is a clear message that Whitney is moving on and, “Well, I’m not done.” Glad to hear it! I Look to You marks the beginning of Whitney’s triumphant return to the top.
Make sure you pick up your copy of Whitney’s I Look to You in stores or online today.
GLAD TO SEE WHITNEY IS BACK I WAS UP EARLY THIS MORNING TO PURCHASE A COPY OF YOUR CD FOR ME AND MY MOTHER.
It amazes me how us as BLACK people cannot just be there for each other and acknowlegde when somebody is trying to do something positive with their lives. Yeah whitney doesnt sound as good as she did 20yrs ago. HELLO dumbazzes that was two decades ago. Whitney still has a much better voice than rihanna, ciara, keri hilson, amerie, ashanti, etc. Stop being some FU(King haters and learn to congratulate. We’ll see who’s still hating when these first week album sales come out. Whitney is the great and i will always love her. If u don’t like her move the FU(K on and listen to something else.DUH!!!
And all those crackhead comments are LATE!!! U b@stards are quick to judge somebody when theyre down. but when they try to do something good you point out all the flaws. I have nothing else to say. Yall h0es make me sick!
I HOPE SHE WONT TAKE GRAMMYS CUZ THE JURY WILL HAVE PITY FOR HER CAUSE THAT SH!T RIGHT THERE IS JUST OK, GOOD LYRICS, NOT FABULOUS, SHE IS WHITNEY I MEAN….OF COURSE WHY DO WE EVEN EXPECT HER TO SING LIKE SHE DID 20 YEARS AGO? NOT ONLY AGE BUT ALL THAT MESS AROUND ALCOHOL AND DRUGS DID THAT DIAMOND VOICE BAD AND SHE IS STILL ON DRUGS I FELT THAT AT THIS YEARS GRAMMYS. SMH SHE DID TEH ALBUM FOR CASH I GUESS… BUT GLAD TO SEE HER SO RELEAVED AND WELL. SHE LOOKS GRETA TA LEAST.
BUT I HAVE TO SAY TO THE PPL WHO WENT HARD ON NUMBER ONE YES WE ALL LOVE WHITNEY YES SHE IS A GOOD MUSIC MAKER BUT CAN WE ESCAPE FROM THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN 2009??? NO DONT BLAME NUMBER ONE BLAME TIME DONT BLAME THAT NEW GENERATION BLAME YOURSELVES BLAME THE FAKE ARTISTS MUSIC LABELS GIVE YOU ARE HERE SUPPORTIN THOSE MEDIOCRE EVERYDAY FAMOUS FOR THEIR HAIR AND CLOTHES BEAUTY AND SEXINESS WHO MAKE MUSIC WITH NO SUBSTANCE AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU CANT STAND THE RARE TALENTED ONES WHO CAN ACTUALLY SING AND PERFORM AND HAVE SUBSTANCE AND SOUL IN THEIR SOUNDS YOU WANT THEM TO SIT DOWN OR YOU DOT EVEN CHECK THEM SO PLEASE TO ALL OF YOU TALKIN TRASH ABOUT NUMBER ONE SHUT THE HELL UP CUZ WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. AND ITS THE REALITY WHITNEY IS OLD AND IRRELEVANT SHE HAD HER TIME SHE WILL ALWAYS BE A LEGEND AND ONE OF THE BEST BUT WE ARE NOW IN A WORLD WHERE SHE CAN NOT HAVE A BIG ROOM. DEAL WITH IT.
@62 thk God you didnt mention Beyoncé in that sh!tty list of new so called singers. You know whats up.
Awwwwww,
look at my Whitney……….beautiful as always.
I just love her so much
!
I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COSIGN # 62.
CHILE YOU AIN’T NEVA LIED,
HALLELUJAH!!!
I LOVE Whitney, but the voice definitely isn’t the same. So far what I’ve heard is just OK.
@65
Honey i only speaks the truth. and that’s how i feel. thanks for agreeing with me. Its good to know that at least a few people got good god given natural sense in their heads. These other dummy’s must be listening to all that other BS they call music today.
….And Whitney girl please release “Worth It” as a single….she was SANGIN’ on that track.
Whitney is HOLDING back!!! I’ve seen some performances of her when she was on drugs and she sounded like her old self in some parts.
I like “Million Dollar Bill” and “I didn’t know my own strength”, but it doesn’t sound like Whitney, I’m more than glad that’s she’s back though.
@64
I like beyonce’….BUT she damn sure ain’t no Whitney.
The real singers out there never get their props…like:
Fantasia- she brings the house down….girl can sing…i feel what she’s singing in my soul
Jennifer Hudson- a powerhouse vocalist
Jazmine Sulllivan- her tone is so RICH and beautiful
Tamia-talented as shyt
Deborah Cox- another talented sister
Monica- ppl been sleeping on her for too damn long IMO
Keke Wyatt- She can blow
Kelly Price- VERY UNDERRATED….Kelly is a beast with the vocals
Mary J- she has her days…that’s all im gonna say
Chante Moore- she gotta voice on her
Toni Braxton- the ‘OLD’ Toni….love shoulda brought your ass home last night Toni lol
Faith Evans- She needs to come back out and stop bullshitting…..matter of fact that goes for all these SANGIN’ ladies…..Please put some music out and show these WEAK VOICE, NON SINGING, NO TALENT, FAKE PRETTY BYTCHES how its done.
@62.
One of the reasons why I do not really care for this site anymore is because of how young the visitors has gotten. They are ignorant and don’t know a damn thing about music. Whitney is above all that foolishness when it comes to talent. There is not one person out today INCLUDING BEYONCE that could out sing Whitney in her prime. Does this woman have to die for you to recognize how great she is?
We know this site is full of haters who don’t care about real music. When does this site ever feature REAL MUSIC?? Once every blue moon and trust they don’t get hardly any comments. As you can see 70 comments on this and trust they could post Rihanna scratching her foot and there would be 200+ comments within a few hours. So what do you expect coming from this site? You can expect to see childish arguments about who dresses better between Rihanna and Beyonce. Whose hair looks better Ciara or Keri Hilson? Aint nothing serious going on in here. I don’t want to blame it all on the owners because its the commentors that are going to ruin this blog.
I remember when it was basically all adults visiting this site but you see they took their political stuff down and barely ever do that history thing they used to do because the “kiddies” don’t give a damn.
Mark my words, she WILL flop, this is NOT the 90′s and she is too fucking OLD to be trying to make a comeback, she isn’t sexy, she doesn’t have any voice left, she is basically TALKING and you idiots falling for this bullshit? I will NOT! I KNOW what SANGIN is and it’s not this flat WEAK bullshit. SH!Tney is DONE, put a fork in that baldhead broke crackhead hoe.
@62
Oh yeah and I wasn’t speaking against you, just agreeing with you. If you were confused as to why I was talking to you.
somebody checking for whitney, her #1 all over the place, i am really curious to see how many cd she sell.
Whitney is a living legend !!!!
After all the Micheal Jackson drama pass, Whitney will be named the biggest selling Black artist in the World. No other “living” musical act sold more than her. Micheal Jackson and Whitney was always number 1 and 2 in the world. And now that MJ is gone, she is number #1
We need to cherish what we have. And be glad Whitney is still here to step out in the world and represent us !!! Whitney has a calling, not just to sing. But to be a community leader !!!! Just watch… Whitney will be a leader fighting against drug addiction. I really hope she take on a ’cause”.
Wonderful CD!! I LOVE the song Worth It…..
@71/73
I completely understood what your were saying…and i agree with u 100% also… this site has really turned for the worst….its really sad to be honest.
and i dont understand why they keep leaving these retarded ass comments… like i said earlier if u dont like it boo GET THE FU(K ON WITH YOUR LIFE. No one cares about your input go listen to Soulja boy or somthing.
@76…..that is my SONG! she tore that shit all the way up….needs to be the next single if u ask me.
Thanks J. Dakar.
She looks great!! 
Thanks J. Dakar
She looks great!! 
@21: thanks for putting my exact sentiments more tactfully than i cared to.
stevie wonder, chaka khan, earth wind and fire, and tramaine hawkins all sound as good today as they did in their heydays 10, 20, or even 30 years ago.
what’s whitney’s excuse? [not her explanation, but her excuse. for what reason should i pretend it's all okay, 'cause she's still trying?]
BARBIE AND DOPY STFU. THIS IS NOT A RIHANNA POST. HATERS ARE SO OBSESSED WITH THAT GIRL IT’S PATHETIC.
SHON LEAVE J.DAKAR ALONE. THIS WAS HIS OPINION JUST LIKE YOU HAVE YOURS.
Worth it is hot, but Calling you tonight should be the next single
whitney’s excuse is she did drugs….duh! crack fucks up your voice…but she’s making a comeback so just be happy and if u can’t do that….move on! its that simple
and calling u tonight is good also….i also like i got you and salute
Im not even going to say nothing else because its pointless. everyone has their own
opinion so i guess i’ll respect that…..but lets try to support one another because
other races look down on us for this dumb stuff and yall know we can do better.
Much Love!
Whitney’s new CD is fiyah!!! She sounds great; this is real talent.
No one is looking for her to fail; but let’s not pretend that this album is a great album. This album serves more of an outgoing party for Clive Davis than a Comeback for Whitney Houston. The songs and her vocals are mediocre at best. It is time for her people (The Stans) to be honest and give a true and accurate review of the album. By attacking others who are not praising this release is just bad form. As a whole, the I LOOK TO YOU album is not a comeback record, an essential album nor the second coming of Jesus Christ. Accept it!
I have to speak it! Whitney has always been my #1. Her voice has always been something that could send chills down my spine. For that I will always be a loyal fan. When Whitney was #1 on the charts back in the day I was rocking with her and now that it’s 2009 I will still be rocking with her. Till the end of time…
Some people are saying that Whitney’s voice isn’t the same. Of course it’s not the same. This is not 1986! How do you expect people to sound the same when years and years have passed? Case in point: Mariah Carey. She sings NOTHING like her Vision of Love days. At least with Whitney you know what you are getting is real talent. Go to youtube.com for all you haters and check out Whitney singing live and then compare her to all these other so called singers singing live. I bet you’ll think twice.
Anyways, I got my CD today and like I said before I am rocking it! GO Whitney.
GREAT ALBUM! I SEE A GRAMMYS SWEEP IN HER FUTURE!
First and foremost, I am delighted to see a healthy, sober Whitney again. Her life has been rocked with turmoil, yet somehow here; bruised and scarred, but still here.
Now on to the music…it’s a little-known secret that Whitney hated the squeaky clean pop image that enveloped her at the beginning of her career, and she’s been rebelling against it ever since she married Bobby Brown. She grew up singing gospel and backing Chaka Khan, Aretha and cousin Dionne.
While those soaring, cookie-cutter ballads are fan favorites, Ms. Houston personally has always enjoyed soulful music…yet she teamed back up with Clive Davis, who’s always delivered Whitney perfectly soulless material to blow out of the water.
What are we to make of yet another formulaic smorgasbord album?
Whitney I will not be buying this album but I absolutely admire the strength in which you have enveloped your life in..wish you all the best girl!
i love whit and upon the first leaks of the material i will admit i was greatly disappointed. not that i was expecting her to sound like she did during the bodyguard era, but the so called IMPROVEMENT she’s been making (vocal lessons, surgery, etc etc)..i was expecting more than i got.
BUT..when i got the whole album..I LOVE IT!!! the album is pure fiyah. it takes a little adjusting to the “new whitney”..but she’s still whitney. the album is full of gems. and regardless of how she sounds now, she doesn’t sound BAD. that’s the trick…
different, but not BAD in the least bit. WORTH IT should so be the next single. GO WHIT! love ya girl…keep dem hataz hatin
#72 Youre a bonifide hater. I appreciate you tho, but guess what she aint singing to you or for you boo. YES YES YES Whitney’s voice has changed but for the people willing to take a listen to the album you’ll find a great portion of old Whitney resurface throughout the tracks. Whitney’s voice is a big reason why some of the demographic here is saying what they’re saying, I guess because I hate Mariah now I can understand because her chest voice is completely gone. But this is definately not the case with Whitney. She can still sing circles around 99.9% of these so called singers now. This album is solid – the songs are catchy, the music has meaning, and the singer is still singing. Yes theres rasp, and she sounds deeper than she used to however WOULD YOU HAD RATHER HER AUTOTUNE HERSELF TO DEATH AND THEN NOT BE ABLE TO REPRODUCE IT LIVE? I appreciate her not hiding the changes in her voice and coming back, and coming strong. The fact is theres no one to compare Whitney to but Whitney. For that some of you need to show some level of respect and stop hating because your life sucks ass at the moment. I CHALLENGE ANY OF YOU TO DO WHAT SHE DID THE WAY SHE DID WHEN SHE DID IT, DEAL WITH HER DEMONS, AND COME BACK SOUNDING LIKE SHE DID WHEN SHE WAS 20. I DARE YOU!!!!! Whitney’s voice isnt the same but it not gone for sure. When this album is number 1 next week go in the mirror and look at your face when u see it and see the hate on it. GRAMMY’S are coming and coming fast and you better believe she’s walking away with at least one. MARK MY WORDS. Cop that album because once u get past “oh she dont sound like she did 20years ago(yeah 20years ago)” you’ll realize shes still singing her face off and she still sounds awesome and the album is BANGING. For the Haters listen to “For The Lovers” and she’ll clearly tell u “aint singing to you” LOL
#71, I agree with you. This site is starting to take its toll on me a bit. There is no such thing as “construtive criticism”. It is full blown negative comments about everything and everybody. I feel that people have a right to their own opinions, but there is a line that has to be drawn when it comes to the tasteful of one’s comments.
Whitney, I will agree, does not have it like she use to, hence, the album still has quality that I can appreciate and enjoy. I don’t understand why people feel the need to always have to compare the younger artists with the older artists. I am glad that Whitney is not using gimmicks to try to sell an album and no sexy over the top promos.
I will continue to praise Whitney because she, in my opinion, did it the right way. She got herself together first, took care of business and then created this album. Artists today are too eager to get back in the studio and make album after album. Let’s also keep in mind that at her age, being tasteful and classy is where it’s at.
Thank you!
In the last paragraph I meant to say that, ” she did it the right way”.
I’m not usually one to post comments but I had to say this. I’ve read all of these comments and I am very disappoined by some of these responses. Although I do agree to some of the opinions that her voice isn’t what it use to be, but whose is. Now, I am not comparing her to another singer, but you can look at many of the veterans (Mariah, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Madonna, Elton John, Paul, etc…) and all of their voices are not what it use to be. Alicia Keys is one of my favorite arists, but her voice isn’t the same as when she started. If you have been down with Mary since ’92, you definitely know that her voice is MUCH better than it was before. I remember going to her concert and literally walking out because she was horrendous. But her lifestyle was similar to Whitney’s during that time. It wasn’t until she stopped the partying and drugs, did she improve. Now, I will attend any concert she gives. People’s voices change. That’s life. In my opinion, it is more about the content and less about how many high notes a person can reach. I believe that is why the music indistry is so messed up. Nobody is singing about anything. If it was really about talent, many of the high ranking African American stars of today would be replaced by others like India Irie, Jill Scott, Jaheim, and Mary Mary.
I am a true Whitney fan and I am happy that she is back and I will be buying the album. Black people need to start supporting each other through their hard times as well as their good times. If Britney Spears can rise back to the top, why can’t Whitney? We just need to give her a little time just like we did Mary J.
Also, age is just a number. The same people talking about her age, will go out and buy a Jay-Z CD. He is almost 40 but he is still relevant and still on top. Madonna is 50 and people still buy her album.
If you were a fan, you will always be one and you will appreciate her music and expect more from it than just her voice. The song I Look To You is a classic Whitney song and I love it.