Chart entered : 16 November 1985
Chart peak : 1
Number of hits : 35
Now we come to one of my least favourite artists; ask me to name my favourite song of her's and I'd really struggle to pick one and that isn't a compliment.
Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1963. Her mother was Cissy Houston, a hard working session vocalist and the aunt of Dionne Warwick .Contrary to many sources she was not related to disco singer Thelma Houston. Cissy encouraged her daughter to sing both at their Baptist church and at nightclubs where Cissy was performing. In 1977 Cissy was working with the Michael Zager Band and arranged for a 14 -year old Whitney to sing on their 1977 single Life's A Party . She did some work for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls the following year but then got sidetracked by modelling, appearing in Seventeen, Glamour and Cosmopolitan.
She returned to the studio in 1982 with the left-field funk project Material masterminded by producer Bill Laswell. She performed the lead vocal on a cover of the song "Memories" written by Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine. It's done straight as a drowsy jazz ballad with only the squally sax interventions of Archie Shepp hinting at the avant-garde. Whitney doesn't over-sing it but it 's a bit too downbeat for single release.
Cissy had rejected earlier contract offers but succumbed to Arista in 1983 after their A & R man saw Whitney performing with her in New York. Company president Clive Davis wanted to get things right for her and let her record duets with other artists to whet the appetite for her debut album. So in 1984 she recorded "Hold Me" with Teddy Pendergrass , a traditional soul ballad previously recorded by Diana Ross, on which she completely blows away her sadly stricken partner. The single reached 46 in the US but wasn't a hit in the UK until 1986. She also recorded "Take Good Care Of My Heart" with Jermaine Jackson , a pleasant enough pop dance tune on which Jermaine, who also produced the single, keeps her on a tight leash to avoid getting outclassed. It appeared on the B-side of his UK single "Dynamite " in 1985. Both duets eventually appeared on her debut LP.
Her eponymous album was released in February 1985. The release schedule of the singles here differed from that in the US. Her first UK single in April 1985 was a double A -side pairing the robotic and not particularly tuneful synth-pop of "Someone For Me" ( one of three tracks produced by Jackson ) and a dramatic reading of George Benson's 1977 hit "Greatest Love Of All ". It wasn't a hit although the latter song , re-released with a different track as its B-side was a big hit in 1986.
Next up was "You Gve Good Love" released first in the US to give her a good grounding with black music fans as it was perceived as the most soulful track. It's the first one where she really lets rip and that's where she leaves me behind. I appreciate that she's technically great but it's just not my thing. Whether it's genuine emotion or masterful technique it's just not what I want from music. Davis didn't expect it to cross over to the main chart but it did , reaching number 3 and establishing her as a major star.
Next came this one. The Popular take is here
Hmm, yes, the start of a style of female vocalists that simply leave me running away very quickly. I think I'd struggle to recall one of her songs that I could even consider bearable for a few seconds...
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