Whitney Houston - ‘I Look to You’
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The fallen soul icon returns, with her new-found media circus in toe.
Evidently, due to her rather tempestuous relationship with fellow soul icon, Bobby Brown, Whitney’s music, at least in its frequency, has somewhat suffered. Back as a single
girl, exactly what point can this once untouchable diva reach?
Opening single, ‘Million Dollar Bill’ is as much a testament to old-school funk as it is to Whitney’s unmistakeable vocals. Indeed it seems, ‘The Voice’ is still in check, though not
sounding as unquestionably powerful as it once did. Still this is probably more
down to nostalgia than decline and this is a likeable, funky opener.
Second track, ‘Nothin’ But Love’ is almost like a remastered edition, adding lots of modern dance synth and
beats, courtesy of Britney’s favourite producer, Danja Hills. Lyrically, you’re looking at every professional songwriter’s dream – a troubled subject and naturally the impression of ‘deeply personal’ lyrics, with Whitney herself nowhere to be found in the credits.
If that was unspectacular, Stargate’s souped-up ‘Call You Tonight’ almost sounds like something from Ne-Yo (who, surprisingly, doesn’t contribute on the record). Sadly, Whitney’s vocals alone can’t win a track quite as well as they once did and this sounds very much like a
cheap clone.
R. Kelly lends a hand penning the title-track. And, unsurprisingly, it sounds very much
like one of his, in the mould of ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, though without the pop-friendly chorus. It’s discreetly supported by a rather dull piano and will have you reaching for the
skip button faster than you can say ‘Space Jam’.
The serial featuring offender and Auto-Tune disciple, Akon, unsurprisingly pops up on ‘Like I Never Left’. This is one of Houston’s only literary contributions and if released, will probably feature on numerous
‘smooth’ compilations. At best, this is easy-listening; at worst, it’s slightly dull.
If ever an attempt was made to slide Whitney into the market, it would oddly
probably be the cover of Leon Russell’s ‘A Song for You’. Houston’s vocals are at their strongest in a subtle melody, before Stargate’s clubland beat rather wrecks the party into the car-crash it becomes.
Not to be confused with lyric-a-like ‘Worth It’, ‘For the Lovers’ is a step in the direction of funk. With Danja behind the decks this was always
going to happen and although sounding more like Michael Jackson than her, but I think it works rather well and is a stand-out. Of course, ‘Worth It’ is more contemporary Whitney and works just as well.
The musical direction of ‘I Got You’ – slightly modernized but emphasis is more on Whitney’s vocals over-riding the music is the commercial direction to go. Certainly not
the way of souled-out epics like ‘I Didn’t Know My Own Strength’.
Key Tracks:
‘Million Dollar Bill’
‘Worth It’
‘For Lovers’
Worst Tracks:
‘I Didn’t Know My Own Strength’
‘I Look to You’
‘A Song for You’
‘Nothin’ But Love’
Music has evolved since Whitney was in her prime. This is an album that
struggles to find its place in the market and is like a PR whirlwind with the
third-party ‘personal’ lyrics and public appearances. Maybe more time should have been spent
establishing what direction to take, rather than a scatter-gun approach. 4/10 CM
Noah and the Whale - ‘The First Days
of Spring’
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Concept album alert...
Can anyone solve a problem like Noah?
Someone’s going to need to explain to me the musical genius of this group. Famous for
penning what was possibly the most annoying ‘summer tune’ of 2008, they have now returned with what is probably the biggest antidote to
that happy vibe they became so notorious for.
The album is a concept one and is about the heartening reality of a break-up.
Title-track, the six minute epic, is a little taster of what to expect -
booming drums,
depressing strings and lots of metaphors about the season. Lead, Charlie Fink’s voice is solemn and reeks of heartache, which is generally quite touching.
‘Our Window’ continues in this downbeat vein and in fairness, is probably the most poignant
track here – very reminiscent of the modern heartache warbling of Gary Lightbody. If you hadn’t noticed, the window is a metaphor for the ‘special’ place a couple have and so invokes rather tear-stained feelings from Fink.
Somewhere between ‘I Have Nothing’ and ‘My Broken Heart’ is probably where you will get sick of the ultra-depressing vibes. Whilst I’m not averse to themed albums, continuous downbeat crooning about the same old
subjects – take me back, I’m nothing without you etc. gets more than just a little tiresome.
We have the bizarre and somewhat un-needed orchestral interlude of the two
instrumentals and the odd, ‘Love of an Orchestra’ – which is absolutely irrelevant. Course by the time that’s over, it’s back to the depressed musings of ‘Stranger’, which as you might have gathered, is about sleeping with a stranger. It even
announces itself straight away, which just comes off as rather desperate to be
accepted, as if you could have no doubt about the subject.
In a similar public announcement vein comes ‘Blue Skies’: “This is a song for anyone who’s had a broken heart/can’t get out of bed.” Whilst it touches on familiar grounds of break-ups, particularly painful ones,
whether it would a) help or b) bring back the realities of those feelings to past sufferers, I can certainly
report the latter to be untrue. Musically, it’s not much cop either...
As a past sufferer of painful relations, it is rather odd how impersonal it all
sounds. Whilst it might not be possible to capture every emotion of it in song,
it certainly is to discuss relevant topics that go through the sufferer’s mind. And none of that is really addressed here, particularly on ‘Slow Glass’ and ‘My Door is Always Open’ – which is about as miserable an ending as was probably deserved.
Key Tracks:
‘Our Window’
‘The First Day of Spring’
Worst Tracks:
Tracks 5-7 (‘Instrumental I / II’ and ‘Love of an Orchestra’)
‘My Broken Heart’
‘I Have Nothing’
‘Slow Glass’
‘My Door is Always Open’
Whilst you can admire the simplicity and the heartache of the opening two
tracks, the lack of real cut-throat lyrics and stand-offish themes mean that
this record soon wears thin. A concept album is supposed to discuss relevant
areas of its subject and there are very few examples of well-addressed topics
on this pointlessly depressing collection. 3/10 CM
(c) ChrisOnline.biz 2009
