Whitney Houston

( 4 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As big a hit as it was -- and it was a multi-platinum blockbuster, spinning off several chart-toppers -- it's not easy to think of Whitney Houston's 1985 debut as the dawning of a new era, but it was. Arriving in the thick of MTV, when the slick sounds of yacht-soul were fading, Whitney Houston is the foundation of diva-pop, straddling clean, cheery R&B and big ballads designed with the adult contemporary audience in mind. Houston's background lay in the former -- actually, it was even riskier, encompassing a stint with the experimental Bill Laswell outfit Material -- and her benefactor Clive Davis knew all about selling records to the masses. Appealing as ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As big a hit as it was -- and it was a multi-platinum blockbuster, spinning off several chart-toppers -- it's not easy to think of Whitney Houston's 1985 debut as the dawning of a new era, but it was. Arriving in the thick of MTV, when the slick sounds of yacht-soul were fading, Whitney Houston is the foundation of diva-pop, straddling clean, cheery R&B and big ballads designed with the adult contemporary audience in mind. Houston's background lay in the former -- actually, it was even riskier, encompassing a stint with the experimental Bill Laswell outfit Material -- and her benefactor Clive Davis knew all about selling records to the masses. Appealing as this album is, Davis may never have imagined how Whitney Houston would shift tastes, pushing toward skyscraping ballads where the singer's affectations, not the songs, were paramount -- a move that later led to hollow records, but on Whitney Houston the songs were as important as the immaculate productions. Certainly, the showstopping "Greatest Love of All" provided the blueprint for decades of divas, but it's the only overblown moment here, with the rest of the ballads -- notably "Saving All My Love for You" and "You Give Good Love" -- burning slowly and seductively, but what really impresses some 20-plus years on are the lighter tracks, particularly the breakthrough single "How Will I Know" and the unheralded "Thinking About You," a dance/R&B hit co-written by Kashif that remains one of Whitney's purest pop pleasures. These joyful, rhythmic moments faded away from Houston's later work -- and also rarely surfaced on the records of those who followed her -- but their presence on this debut turns this into a fully rounded record, the rare debut that manages to telegraph every aspect of an artist's career in a mere ten songs. [The 2010 25th anniversary edition of Whitney Houston is expanded with five bonus tracks -- remixes of "Thinking About You," "Someone for Me," "How Will I Know," a live version of "Greatest Love of All" from 1990, and a superfluous a cappella mix of "How Will I Know" -- and a bonus DVD containing music videos from the album, new interviews, and -- best of all -- Whitney's star-making 1983 performance on The Merv Griffin Show.]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/25/1990
  • Label: Arista
  • UPC: 078221821223
  • Catalog Number: 8212
  • Sales rank: 8,659

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 You Give Good Love (4:36)
  2. 2 Thinking About You (5:25)
  3. 3 Someone for Me (4:59)
  4. 4 Saving All My Love for You (3:58)
  5. 5 Nobody Loves Me Like You Do - Jermaine Jackson (3:46)
  6. 6 How Will I Know (4:34)
  7. 7 All at Once (4:27)
  8. 8 Take Good Care of My Heart - Jermaine Jackson (4:15)
  9. 9 Greatest Love of All (4:50)
  10. 10 Hold Me - Teddy Pendergrass (5:59)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Whitney Houston Primary Artist, Vocals
Jermaine Jackson Vocals, Track Performer
Teddy Pendergrass Vocals, Track Performer
Tom Scott Saxophone
Louie Shelton Track Performer
John Barnes Clarinet, Track Performer
Bashiri Johnson Percussion, Track Performer
Robbie Buchanan Keyboards, Track Performer
Cissy Houston Vocals, Track Performer
Nathan East Bass, Track Performer
Preston Glass Track Performer
Ed Greene Drums, Track Performer
Dann Huff Guitar, Track Performer
Randy Kerber Keyboards, Track Performer
Yogi Lee Track Performer
J.T. Lewis Track Performer
Yvonne Lewis Vocals
Richard Marx Track Performer
Tim May Guitar
Narada Michael Walden Track Performer
John "J.R." Robinson Drums
Steve Rucker Track Performer
Corrado Rustici Track Performer
Julia Tillman Waters Vocals
Ira Siegel Guitar
Premik Russell Tubbs Track Performer
Maxine Willard Waters Vocals
Oren Waters Vocals, Track Performer
Ernie Watts Saxophone, Track Performer
David Williams Guitar
Julia Waters Track Performer
Ray Wooten Track Performer
David E. Williams Track Performer
John "4 Daddman" Robinson Track Performer
Debbie Thomas Track Performer
Technical Credits
Whitney Houston Contributor
Jermaine Jackson Producer, Duet
Kashif Arranger, Composer, Producer, Contributor
La La Contributor
Gerry Goffin Composer
Michael Barbiero Engineer
Mary Canty Contributor
Linda Creed Composer
Clive Davis Executive Producer
Steve Dorff Composer
Paul Jackson Jr. Contributor
Raymond Jones Composer
Joe Lala Contributor
Yvonne Lewis Contributor
Michael Mancini Engineer, Contributor
Michael Masser Composer, Producer, Contributor
Tim May Contributor
George Merrill Composer
Narada Michael Walden Arranger, Producer
Michael O'Reilly Engineer, Contributor
Jeffrey Osborne Composer
Greg Phillinganes Contributor
John "J.R." Robinson Contributor
Shannon Rubicam Composer
Julia Tillman Waters Contributor
Russell Schmitt Engineer
Ira Siegel Contributor
Deborah Thomas Contributor
Fred Washington Contributor
Maxine Willard Waters Contributor
David Williams Contributor
Roy Wooten Contributor
James Patrick Dunne Composer
David Williams Contributor
Randy Jackson Contributor
Freddie "Ready Freddie" Washington Contributor
Donn Davenport Art Direction
Pamela Phillips-Oland Composer
Freddy Washington Composer
Pete McCann Composer
Tiagi Lambert Fashion Stylist
Lala Brothers Composer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 4 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

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2 Star

(1)

1 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    One of Whitney's Greatest Work Ever

    Whitney's debut album would've have to be one of her greatest work ever. It's got upbeat songs like "How Will I Know" and "Thinking About You" and the soulful ballads like "Greatest Love of All" and "Saving All My Love For You." Whitney sounds so soulful and she is one of the strongest female singers of all time.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Whitney has voice out of this world

    When Whitney´s debut album was realized in spring 1985 i was just 11 years old and i fell for her voice wow she is incredible and that big powerhouse voice of hers no one can beat Whitney not then and not now. The songs on this album isn´t all my faves but my all time favorit songs here are The Greatest Love Of All,All At Once,How Will I Know Take care Of My Heart and You Give Good Love. I Recommend This album to all fans of Whitney and divas such as Celine and Mariah Carey.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 14, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 7, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews