The double-disc 2011 U.K. collection
The Essential Whitney Houston bears some strong similarities to the 2000 U.S. set
The Greatest Hits, sharing 22 of its 35 songs. And it's not just the big hits that overlap: there are a clutch of remixes that carry over, all bunched together on the second disc just like they are on
The Greatest Hits. Consequently, The
Essential Whitney Houston plays much like
The Greatest Hits; even if it has a handful of songs not on the 2000 collection, it covers the same territory equally well and equally entertainingly. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine