whitney: the ballads

Whitney Houston is a legend.

More than three decades after her debut, her name is still a household term, and her songs remain to be radio staples. Regardless of her previous fallings, she is still undeniably one of the remaining genuine superstars of contemporary music who have had such a massive impact on the industry. Her breakthrough paved the way for other talents like Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson to make their own histories in the pop culture.

This year, under the guidance of the industry guru, Clive Davis, the diva is attempting to make a comeback with her latest effort, I Look To You. Claimed to be the record that will showcase the real Whitney Houston, I Look To You is expected to contain soulful dance music, and of course, the trademark power ballads.

Houston have accumulated such a vast number of ballads throughout her career. While her latest single, I Look To You, may not be representative of such claim, it's worth looking back at her earlier works for the ten best Whitney Houston ballads ever made.

This is Whitney... then:

10. I KNOW HIM SO WELL (Whitney, 1988)
Sung with her mother, Cissy Houston, I Know Him So Well is a beautiful remake of the Elaine Page/Barbara Dickson classic. Written by Tim Rice, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (of ABBA fame) for the musical Chess, the song remains to be one of the greatest bittersweet love songs of all time.

09. COUNT ON ME (OST - Waiting To Exhale, 1996)
While the last song lets the listeners drown in their own bitterness, Count On Me, does the opposite. Whitney Houston and Cece Winans, lent their soulful voices to deliver one of the signature tracks from the 1995 romantic film, Waiting To Exhale. It's one of those songs that will make you appreciate the presence of the people who really matter in your life.

08. EXHALE (SHOOP, SHOOP) (OST - Waiting To Exhale, 1995)
Similar to Count On Me, Exhale (Shoop Shoop) is also a feel-good song
featured on the soundtrack of Waiting To Exhale. It reiterates the value of friendship when dealing with the emotional pain brought by love, or its loss. On top of its empowering words, Houston's "shoop, shoops" are equally soothing as well.

07. GREATEST LOVE OF ALL (Whitney Houston, 1986)
It has been agreed by critics that Greatest Love Of All is the centerpiece of Houston's debut album, if not her entire career. Houston's rendition of the George Benson original puts her majestic vocals front and center as it glides along smooth piano chords, singing about self-worth and dignity with such conviction and power that it would be nearly impossible not to be moved. A definite classic that will stand the test of time. This is Houston at her best.

06. I BELIEVE IN YOU AND ME (OST - The Preacher's Wife, 1996)
It would be surprising to know that this Whitney Houston classic is another cover song. Back in 1983, the song became a moderate hit for the R&B group The Four Tops. Thirteen years later, it became the lead single off the best-selling gospel album in history, the soundtrack to The Preacher's Wife. Much like any of her power ballads, I Believe In You And Me reminds people why her voice used to be a force to be reckoned with.

05. WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO? (Whitney, 1988)
Where Do Broken Hearts Go is perhaps the best among the cookie cutter works of pre-2007 Whitney Houston. The production sounds a bit outdated but the manner in which it was delivered, and the message - "and if somebody loves you, won't they always love you" - is beyond doubt, timeless.

04. MIRACLE (I'm Your Baby Tonight, 1991)
Dazzling! Magnificent! Fabulous! Miracle is indeed the best abortion song, ever.

03. RUN TO YOU (OST - The Bodyguard, 1993)
As Houston sings, "what's the sense of trying hard to find your dreams, without someone to share it with? Tell me what does it mean", you'll realize just how much Jesus loves this song. It's sheer perfection.

02. SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU (Whitney Houston, 1985)
It's not so much of the emotions, as Houston's earlier works is somewhat devoid of it, but this karaoke-friendly track is just about the sweetest and most popular anthem a person involved in an extra-marital affair could identify with. For some reason, Saving All My Love For You somehow makes the act a little bit normal.

01. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU (OST - The Bodyguard, 1992)
This epic ballad may be a tad too saccharine, and well, dull at times but I Will Always Love You will always be the biggest single of Houston's three-decade career. It would take more than a miracle for her to replicate the success of her Dolly Parton cover. The song is a bittersweet reminder of how insanely good she once were.