The Whitney Houston Effect By Raymond Tyler

1985's FRESHEST FACE!

This is the Whitney Houston I was first introduced to and
this is the Whitney I loved most.

It was 1985 and I had been a full time/part time DJ for about 2 years. There was no question that hip hop music was the defining music in my life. 

R&B music was there too. There was Luther Vandross, there New Edition and of course there was this guy Michael Joseph Jackson (he's going to be good one day.) 

However, hip hop was the music that drove my days and nights.

ENTER WHITNEY HOUSTON

My Favorite Whitney Houston Song

Her debut LP WHITNEY HOUSTON was a breath of fresh air. I was excited from the time I heard about this young woman who was a super model. Her first LP along with Five Star's were on constant play on my mix tapes.

To me WHITNEY represented a return to the simple but heart felt music of Motown.

Whitney's music was just about turning on the volume and listening with your ears and your heart...no other gimmicks needed to appreciate it.

Whitney didn't need back up dancers or anything other than a mic and some music and an attentive set of ears.

Unfortunately I was personally disappointed by the follow ups of both Whitney Houston and Five Star.

In Five Star's case their second LP was too much a reflection of their debut.

In Whitney's case...her debut LP left me wanting more of the same but she found a different audience a pop audience and it seemed her music was now about all gimmicks and lights and mirrors and not enough about the music that connected to the heart.

(That's just my opinion)

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Whitney's Legacy

Despite my problems with playing Whitney Houston on my turntables, I loved Whitney Houston for her effect. She and Michael Jackson saved MTV, with out them MTV would be a trivia question. In fact with out a Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson today there is very little music on MTV.

While I am not a pop guy, I understand pop music has it's place. Whitney to me will forever be the Queen of pop.  I will go so far as to say (with defference to Lady Ga Ga) she is pop's last real super star.

See the success of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston trickled down to people outside of music.

Inside of music Whitney always remained connected to The Urban Market in some way such as when she teamed up with Faith Evans, and Kelly Price. In my opinion her LP I'm Your Baby Tonight is also a soul classic which pairs her with Kenneth "Baby Face" Edmonds and Monie Love on "My Name Is Not Susan."

While I give props for the vocal performance of I Will Always Love You. I was more moved by 

I'm Your Baby Tonight!

It was a grown woman who recruited Faith Evans and Kelly price on the soulful track 

Heart Break Hotel!

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Whitney's Personal Life

For me Whitney's personal life was her personal. 

I understand why she married and loved Bobby Brown.

I will not understand the drug use but I don't judge much of it.

Now if she was smoking crack in the music video...that would have been a different story.

I will not speculate on her death at all, other than to say it came too soon.

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I am not sure we can learn much from her life. 

I don't know if she cared if we did one way or the other.

What I do know. Is that there has not be 5 artists I can mention off the top of my head who can sing with nothing more than a mic and some music and make a connection.