I've always been a huge Whitney Houston fan, and I'm looking forward to her new album. I really feel that she is a national treasure to us.
With that being said, of course she has had some definite pitfalls with her marriage to Bobby Brown (and don't get me started on that one, or all hell with break loose). And she's had her substance abuse problems which hopeully she has worked through.
I'm also a vocalist and her voice doesn't have the same placement as before. I don't know if it's just an age thing, or if she has damaged her chords with substance abuse. But it has a little more nasaly sound, and not that rich, round ring it used to have.
But in the end, I will always appreciate her talent because as a vocalist, she is one of the true storytellers, and sings from the heart. When I pay money to hear a vocalist, I want to be told a story from the heart. I'm not paying to hear vocal exercises. So many new singers have copied Whitney to the "T", but for me there is just no connection because it's just a "Look At Me!!, Look At Me!!" approach. A good example is Christina Aguilera. Great chops, and puts on a great "act", but totally leaves me flat. No connection, no real emotion, nothing speaks to me from the heart. There are so many other singers like that out there.
Other singers I enjoy for being great storytellers are Joni Mitchell, Frank Sinatra, Steve Perry, Gladys Knight, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, etc. These people all put themselves out there on the real and I feel a connection with their stories.
Anyway, I hope Whitney is on the path to balance in her life, as we agents even know the importance of.
