Essentials You May Have Never Heard: Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston was my childhood crush. Okay, stop giggling. Seriously, she was such a magnetic figure; and I was endlessly fascinated with her Voice, attitude, and sophistication. Needless to say, Houston is one of the most well-known and celebrated artists of all-time. But her career catalog is chalk-full of forgotten (or never acknowledged) gems. Below are six songs that I believe are lesser-known Essentials; representatives of Houston’s immense talent and success… 

1. Salute 

Okay, I could’ve chosen any number of songs from her latest album, “I Look To You” (2009) but I’m going to go with this one. On that comeback album, we fans got a little of everything from Houston. She sang soaring ballads (the title track) and dance cuts (“A Song For You”) but ‘Salute’ doesn’t quite fit into either lane. Written by R. Kelly, the song plays like a combative kiss-off. Whitney delivers the lyrics with necessary flare, carrying an attitude (reminiscent of “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay”) and conviction that perfectly compliments the militant backdrop. At its core, this is a song about self empowerment. She’s singing that no matter what so-and-so says (or does) to me, I know I’m the shhhh, so I’m going to salute you and keep stepping. Alright, Whitney. 

Listening Occasion: Feeling like you need to be empowered. 

Favorite lyrical moment: “You think you know everything, and you think that your shit don't stink, well it do; And when it comes to me, you don't have a clue…” 

2. After We Make Love 

Whitney the singer is known for many things: vocal virtuoso, balladeer, and dance diva, but baby-maker ain’t one of them. ‘Love’ is a straight-up dugum track from her 1990 album, “I’m Your Baby Tonight” (she wasn’t kidding, either). Sure, this isn’t a raunch-fest. You won’t be “freakin’” to this…but during a slow, sensual night with your boo, this should definitely make the playlist. Her vocal swagger here just sways side-to-side. Actually, it reminds me of something Anita Baker would have sung. It could have been a Baker song, easy. 

Listening Occasion: Romantic night. 

Favorite lyrical moment: “After we make love, feels so good to be lost in the afterglow…” 

3. Why Does It Hurt So Bad 

If you’re familiar with the film (or its soundtrack) “Waiting To Exhale”, you probably know this cut already. If you aren’t, grab some Kleenex and a glass of wine, and get lost in one of Houston’s prettiest and most heartbreaking vocal performances ever. This isn’t an “I Have Nothing”. Here she’s quite understated, forgoing those high-notes for a more nuanced affair. It works magically. If you’ve ever been unable to get over a former love, you’ll relate. I swear that whole soundtrack is sad. From “It Hurts Like Hell” to “Not Gon’ Cry” to this, Babyface must’ve been having a moment when he wrote all these songs. Geez, I need a Prozac. 

Listening Occasion: A sad moment of reflection. 

Favorite lyrical moment: “…I thought I had let you go, so why does it hurt me so; gotta get you out of my head, it hurts so bad…” 

4. One Of Those Days 

This is a nice change of pace. Coming off of Whitney’s universally-panned 2002 album, “Just Whitney”, ‘Days’ (which samples the Isley Brothers’ “Between the Sheets”) is fun, fresh, and cool. Most importantly, it’s a danceable track that was age-appropriate for Houston. I remember when it was first released as a single, and to this day don’t understand why it wasn’t a hit. The best way I can describe the sound is “sophisticated funk” (those horns are infectious). You’ll want to blare it from your car speakers with the top-down (at least that’s what I do); and bump it for a few minutes of feel-good. I love the song, it’s fun, and Whitney sounds like she had a great time singing it. 

Listening Occasion: When you want some feel good music. 

Favorite lyrical moment: “Tonight, it's all about me, just wanna set my body free; Never mind the TV, tonight I'll just let a little TV watch me…” 

5. My Heart Is Calling 

My favorite Houston era was when she did “The Preacher’s Wife” projects (I think she was at her most beautiful at that time). Both the film and soundtrack made me fall in love with her. I used to wait with baited-breath for that “I Believe in You and Me” video to come on TV. And when she performed the song during the movie, everything stopped. Ms. Houston could do no wrong. ‘Calling’ also appeared in the movie. When she and Denzel are ice-skating and giving each other goo-goo eyes, we’re graced with this endearing mid-tempo ditty. Could I have gone with a more dynamic choice from that soundtrack? Sure. But we already know she can blow a pop-ballad out the water, and her gospel offerings are no surprise either, the lady was dynamite. But Houston didn’t make a career of belting mid-tempo R&B cuts (which is what this is), but she was equally capable of stunning you in that format as well. 

Listening Occasion: Smitten over a new flame. 

Favorite lyrical moment: “Who would imagine that, I'd find my happiness; Someone I barely know, I'd like to take it slow…” 

6. Just The Lonely Talking 

Oh, boy. Whitney put her foot all in this song. Everything about it has me grinnin’ and groovin’. Most potent, besides her incredibly superlative vocal performance, are the lyrics. She asks, “are you really ready for love boy? Or is it just the lonely talking again?” My goodness. ‘Talking’ is just the kind of song that would get lost in time. It’s an understated, jazzy, soft, adult contemporary-type performance, easily lost on an unfocused ear. It lacks the flash and vocal acrobatics of Houston’s biggest ballads, but its message resonates far greater than schmaltzy-fare like “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”. One of my favorites from her. 

Listening Occasion: Moment of self-reflection. 

Favorite lyrical moment: “You promised you’d be forever true to me, but all I got from you; Was lots and lots of talking, lonely nights filled with misery…”