Customer Reviews

I Look to You

5 star:		(199)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

If you're looking for the old Whitney when you get this CD, then you'll be disappointed. The range and caliber of her voice has inarguably deteriorated (I'm not going to speculate into all the debatable reasons why, but I'm sure a part of it has to do with age, vocal nodules, etc). As a result, the songs on this album seemed to have been chosen to fit with Whitney's new, much more limited voice. You won't find an I Will Always Love You or All the Man I Need song on this album. That's just not happening. At first listen, I was a little disappointed with many of the songs. But that was because I was comparing 40something Whitney to 20something Whitney, and I was expecting more ballads, even though few people nowadays even sing them. But on second listen, taking the album for what it was, not comparing her to who she was, but simply listening to the music, I realized this is an excellent album. So from this point in the review, I'll be talking about the songs on the album itself, not how Whitney of today compares with Whitney of yesteryear.

Of the two slow, ballad-like songs on the album only I Look To You is worth listening to. Though I love the message in I Didn't Know My Own Strength, it's a pretty mundane ballad and Whitney's voice is nearly monotonous throughout the entire song. No "wow" moments in there. It was great for getting her messge out, but I doubt you'll be putting it on repeat. On the other hand, her vocals in I Look To You are delivered much more soothingly, with much more impassioned vocals. It's also a very well-written song, R Kelly did a wonderful job on both lyrics and composition.

Most of the other songs pretty much fit with the trend of today's music: dance/club songs. Million Dllar Bill straddles the line between good and great. It may take some getting used to due to the 70s disco beat at the beginning, but when you get into the song it'll definitely have you "going left, right, up, down, got you spinning 'round and 'round."

"Nothing But love" has a great beat to it, and her vocals are excellent. You'll definitely be bumping this in the car. It's motivational, and the lyrics attack all the haters that we know have attacked Whitney. Definiely one of the best songs. Also at the top of the list: A Song For You. If only for the note she holds at the end. The song is one of the few that showcase her vocals. Maybe Whit decided to go all out because she's been singing it for so long. Who knows? But she's hitting some clear, high notes and holding some long vibrato notes. It's also got a great, fast, disco-type beat about a minute into it. And seriously, you gotta hear that note she holds at the end. It's like 20 seconds long. That's Whit for you.

My favorite song on the album is Call You Tonight. It's mid-tempo, she seems to do her best work on mid-tempo songs. It has a smooth beat that'll have you swaying back and forth, trying to sing along with Whitney, but failing of course. It's also cross-generational. Not with the message of the lyrics, but with the flow of it. I'm 25 and played this for my married 51-year-old mother who listens to gospel music all the time and she loved it.

My mother did not, however, like some of the lyrics in Salute, which I really enjoyed. In particular, she had a problem with the line "you think your s*** don't stink, but it do." I'm not sure if it was the incorrect grammar, or the fact that Whitney said it but my mother replied upon hearing it, quote, "that doesn't sound right." I love it though. I think some of the lyrics are lazy(R.Kelly wrote it) but "Queen of the Night" Whitney sings it and you can tell she's feeling it. It sounds like a response to both her ex and the media.

There are other gems on this album, including Like I Never Left. But I heard that when it leaked last year, so it's pretty old to me now. But if you haven't heard it, it'll definitely be one of your favs. I could do without Akon singing on it though.

Worth It and For the Lovers are good, not great. For the Lovers sounds like a club dance song and will have you swinging yor hands, so maybe you shouldn't drive and listen to this one, might have an accident. Worth It is about, well...as Whitney sings "somebody's gonna make love to this song tonight." Great vocals in here too, and you can hear her easily shift from chest voice to head voice, a trait which she's known for.

I don't know how I feel about I Got You. It's got a smooth Jamaican-type vibe to it. It's not bad, but she's not really singing in it...just kinda talking and doing a hollow, calling out type thing. You may sway to it, but I'm glad it's at the end of the CD. I just wish it wasn't before Salute.

Overall, Whitney and Clive did a great job picking songs for this album. Only a few songs are lacking (as can be expected with any album), but all the great ones make up for it. The songs also mesh well with Whitney's voice, and brings her into the music industry of today without sacrificing her class.

Whitney's absence from the music scene has been well chronicled by others and there's no need to revisit all of that gossip here. The question is whether I Look To You makes for a great listening experience.

And the answer is most certainly YES!

Back with strong vocals, albeit in a more limited range, Whitney's newest album is a new sound but still an enjoyable listen. Huskier and more gravelly than we remember, her voice is still The Voice and we should rejoice in a new era rather than mourn the passing of the past.

Its tempting to read more into her lyrics than perhaps she intended, but thats what great music allows for.

When she sings the title cut "I Look to You" by R. Kelly, which some have called churchy and schmaltzy, I wonder who she is really singing to...God? Perhaps...but maybe its really intended for her daughter whom she has credited with bringing her strength during her time away. I know I looked to mine as I conquered a period of depression and substance abuse in my life. "Who on earth can I turn to? I look to you...". Thank you Bobbi Christina!

On the track "Like I Never Left" with Akon we might think she is speaking to a former lover, but I wonder: is she really talking to Clive Davis? Her snubs of him were famous in the early 2000s and she eventually turned away from his guiding hand. Her last studio album, Just Whitney, was produced not by Clive but by Bobby Brown. And it was a dismal disappointment. Is Clive's girl back, and back on top? Lets hope so.

I have read most of the reviews of this album on here and in the print and online media and the thing that strikes me is how each track is a favorite of different writers, which speaks to the consistent strength of the entire album. Now that is classic Whitney.

I love this album, not because it soars like her previous albums but because it soars in new ways, with a new found emotional commitment to the lyric and the melody. Music we will remember, for sure!

I have listened to this CD more than I've listened to any of Whitney's other CDS. Every song on this CD is good. She and Clive really picked out some nice ones. While her voice does not sound the same, she can STILL sing. So if you were expecting her to sound exactly the same as she did 20 years ago, you may be disappointed.

But I wasn't disappointed. I don't care if Whitney sounds like she has razor blades in her throat, the fact that she is singing anything at all is amazing to me. To even attempt a comeback, after all she's been through, had to take a lot of courage so I am very proud of her.

Now I'm no sugar-coater. If the CD sounded bad, I would say that but it doesn't. This is a really nice CD. You can start from track 1 and let 'er rip. It's been a long time since I've bought a CD and liked all of the songs (the CD may have 2 songs on it I like, then the rest of it is garbage). All she's doing is singing in a key that is comfortable for her and I don't see what's so wrong with that. Like I said, she can still sing, she just sings differently.

And for those who have a problem embracing Whitney's new singing style, they obviously weren't fans in the first place, so she hasn't lost much. A true fan is supportive no matter what. At this time in her life, she doesn't need criticism. She needs the love and support of her true fans, like me. Love You Whitney!

On an early track of her latest CD, Whitney Houston poignantly sings "I want you to love me/Like I never left." Having listened twice through now, I can wholeheartedly claim that I still do. Which is not to say that "I Look to You" is a great album, or even a good one. But, hold on, it's not really a bad one, either. For the most part it plays out like a greatest hits collection in that we pretty much know what's coming next. Early bubblegum ("Million Dollar Bill") is followed by some power ballads (like the title track), followed by some mild flirtations with electronic hip-hop ("For the Lovers" for example). Houston is playing squarely in her comfort zone here, but she's earned it, no? Not every album can, should or needs to reinvent the wheel. The only true misfire is a disco (yes, you heard it here first) version of the Donny Hathaway classic "A Song for You." It's bizarre, to say the least, unlikely to be remembered as one of that song's best renditions.

And how is Houston's voice? A little heavier and thicker than it was, frankly, but still quite strong and supple. Perhaps the single most telling indication that something's changed is that every song stays solidly in the same key from beginning to end. A couple of times I thought, "Here comes the old Whitney Houston kick-ass modulation"...but it never happened. OK, so now we know, we can all move on.

Neither a triumphant return to form nor a crash-and-burn disaster, "I Look to You" is the uneventful return of an old friend. I, for one, am just fine with that.

There are so many different ways to say what a triumph this CD is, but at the end of the day, it's just a sheer pleasure to be able to say the words "I love the new Whitney CD!" after 11 years of waiting (and no, I don't count the quickly-cobbled-together "Just Whitney" or her Christmas album).

Yeah, her voice is older and smokier than in the past, and if that's the only litmus test you have for her new CD you might be tempted to rate it lower. But there is still nobody in music who can sing like Whitney, there just isn't. When every wannabe singer on American Idol tries to replicate her voice and her delivery, they just can't. There is/always will be only on Whitney.

As for the music - I would have listened to her sing her ABC's and loved it, but I really do genuinely like this whole set. A great mix of slow/mid/uptempo R&B, there's something here for every mood. She seems to realize that her voice and her range can suitably fit just about any genre, but the selection of songs here (including the totally club-ready torch song "A Song for You" - one of my favorites) shows that she is once again in the masterful hands of Clive Davis, the man who made her career and, ultimately, saved her life in every sense of the word.

LOVE this CD and am so, so glad that Whitney is back.

PS - since some reviewers are commenting that the vocal acrobatics are absent from this CD: she doesn't need them. Put a gospel song in front of her today and I can guarantee you she would sing her face off. That she took so much heat for them in the past and is now taking heat for NOT having them is amusing - she has nothing to prove, and she sounds better for knowing so.

It's apparent that Whitney has learned a great deal from life's experiences. It comes out in her latest CD and (in my opinion), is her best work yet. As I listen to the CD, I'm so happy to say, "Whitney is still Whitney!"

Kelly Clarkson? Oh, how cute. Keri Hilson? Just adorable. Step aside. Jordin Sparks? Come back in a few years. Rihanna? Never in this lifetime.

After all this time, including seven years since 2002's uneven grab-bag "Just Whitney," the incomparable Whitney Houston shows up with her shining new studio album "I Look to You" and proves she has a talent that simply refuses to be written off.

It is true that Houston's voice is not the unstoppable instrument that it was 20 years ago. How many singers retain the full range, vibrato and ebullience of their youth into midlife? It is unfair to compare this fine vocalist, who tosses aside her younger chart rivals like nail clippings, to her 25-year-old self.

The plum list of top song writing talent on "I Look to You" - R. Kelly, Johnta Austin and Diane Warren being some of the most notable names - give Houston plush, state of the art material to wrap her signature voice around, and for the first time in eons she sounds maximally invested in savoring each syllable and absolutely delivering.

What makes "I Look for You" particularly remarkable is how well the self-conscious biographical thread the songwriters help Houston weave comes off seamlessly and without an ounce of pretense. Not only is this an unabashed comeback album, but Houston is ready to hit the clubs with her girlfriends, celebrate life and acknowledge her past missteps with a look to the future. This particularly informs the Alicia Keys-penned feel-good club thumper "Million Dollar Bill" and R. Kelly's soul-searching "Salute," both of which bookend the disc.

Houston's voice soars confidently with boundless joie de vivre. The kinetic "Nothin' But Love," which packs the nervous, unrelenting urgency of a ticking time bomb, is a particularly fine example. "There've been haters since this world's been goin' round" she confidently sings. "Why they take a dream and try to push it down? I ain't even tryin' to hold on to that now. I ain't got nothin' got nothin' but love for ya."

The songs rub against each other ideally. The emotionally manipulative yet achingly beautiful R. Kelly-penned titled track fits snugly between the warm island breeze of "Like I Never Left" featuring Akon (which is perhaps the most transparent example here of art imitating life) and the Stargate-produced velvety slow burn that is "Call You Tonight." The latter has the power to burn up the charts for months on end. Even the overly syrupy Diane Warren ballad "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" is an above-average selection, well-complemented by the mood of tracks that surround it.

She may not breathe new life into it, but Houston reminds that covering Leon Russell's unceasingly poignant classic "A Song for You" is worthwhile when the interpretive talent of the vocalist is sufficient. The choice to infect a portion of the song with hot dance beats (again, courtesy of Stargate) works surprisingly well. Other tracks, including the life-affirming "I Got You," which Houston co-penned, maintain the quality.

Whether "I Look to You" guzzles Grammys or falls off the charts in a matter of weeks, what really matters has already been accomplished - Houston has achieved a stunning, moving, entertaining return to form. She not only meets expectations but surpasses them.

Welcome home, Whitney. Please have a seat and stay awhile.

Miss Houston has paid a heavy price for her life style. As is evident to many that wonderful voice has been abused to the point that on this recording her voice is broken, off key, out of breath and volume. Yes, we can all cheer that she is brave to try a comeback - but at what price. I would rather remember the voice of the early 90s.

Whitney is back, and though her voice is huskier and she seems unable to hit those higher notes, she still sounds great and her phrasing is as impeccable as ever. Written and produced by an armada of songwriters and producers, "I look to you" features songs chronicling her past battles, as well as songs of strength and love.

There are two power ballads on offer, the R. Kelly penned title track, and the Diane Warren penned "I didn't know my own strength", both minimal efforts without backing vocals (except a few at the bridge for "I look to you"), pushing Houston's weathered vocals to the fore and lyrics telling us "She wasn't made to break". Simple and heartfelt!

Opening is the upbeat retro-disco "Million dollar bill", an Alicia Keys composition which reminds me of some eighties Luther Vandross song. It contains a sample from "We're Getting Stronger" as performed by Loleatta Holloway, and has a nice "Oh o oh o" refrain. The Danja-produced synth-heavy "Nothin' but love" is one of my favourites and is a shout out to her family, teachers (all those that moulded and/or stood by her), and even haters and those who wronged her in the past. "Call you tonight" is a lilting mid tempo Stargate production, and similar is the Akon produced "Like I never left" (which also features his vocals).

The lone cover is "A song for you" which starts as a piano ballad before kicking into an upbeat synth heavy club anthem. It also features the most outstanding vocals on the album, sweeping and belting in places (and with a killer long note held at the end). The piano tinkled "Worth it" reminds me a wee bit of Mary J Blige's "Be without you", and it is lovely. "For the lovers" is another upbeat synth-heavy Danja production (with haunting synth strings), and it just screams for club remixes.

My absolute favourite song is the awesome guitar festooned "I got you", an Akon production with heartfelt lyrics co-penned by Houston and a lilting Island feel similar to "My love is your love". "You are the reason, my heart is beating, I am alive" she sings. Closing is the stripped piano-sprinkled mid tempo R. Kelly composition "Salute". A kiss off to her ex hubby? Perhaps, but it could also be a look at her life/career. "Don't call it a comeback, no, I've been here for years" she sings.

This album is a real grower. The first time I listened to it, I admit I was rather underwhelmed and felt the production sounded dated in places, but I have grown to love it a lot. There really wasn't an attempt to make her sound like the current divas of the day, she sounds like vintage Whitney, well somewhat! Hope this finds her back on top of her game.

Still a force to be reckoned with at 46, pop diva Whitney Houston has made a 2009 comeback album which proves to be a natural successor to her best work as a recording artist, 1998's My Love Is Your Love. Had this album come out right afterward, my guess is that it would have been received with the right-level acclaim. The reality, however, is that eleven years have elapsed since then, and Houston's wildly swerving life and career have been constant tabloid fodder and obscured her enormous talents as a singer. There has been such a deliberate intent by executive producer Clive Davis to fan the flames of anticipation for this disc that the result is bound to disappoint at some level. Moreover, no matter how cautiously polished the production, there is no doubt that her voice has coarsened whether through the cumulative effects of her own personal turmoil or the inevitability of age. At the same time, her unfettered desire to be relevant and come out triumphant is admirable and comes through frequently enough on a variable selection of songs that range from traditional Whitney fare to streetwise hip-hop.

Dance tracks abound, although unfortunately, there is a stumble out the gate with the Alicia Keys co-penned "Million Dollar Bill", a tepid piece of dance pop. The opener is only partially offset by the grit of Houston's urban-hued throatiness on the Fernando Garibay-produced "Nothin' But Love", which percolates persistently on a Euro-club groove. There is also a continental tinge to the Akon-produced "I Got You", heavy on echo effects and synth riffs that compete with the multi-layered back-up vocals. Norwegian flavor-of-the month songwriters and producers StarGate give "Call You Tonight" a catchy new-jill beat with an odd country twang that Houston manages with confidence, while "Worth It" is similarly buoyant albeit rather interminable. For better or worse, "For the Lovers" sounds like a Michael Jackson outtake with its Quincy Jones-style percussion-synths combo and breathy choruses that evoke the Gloved One in his acne-laden youth.

It's not too surprising that Houston comes back to the power ballads that her fans demand. The title track is an appropriately bombastic R. Kelly-penned number that plays on the singer's excesses as well as her talents, an approach compounded by lyrical clichés and syrupy production. At times on this track, her raspy tone makes her sound strangely like Simply Red's Mick Hucknall. Houston's mid-tempo duet with Akon, "Like I Never Left", sounds like it's about a lovers' reconciliation, but one can't help thinking she's really talking about overcoming the disappointment of her fans. Tinkling piano opening aside, her cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" seems custom-made for her histrionic approach, but it denigrates into synth-filled disco funk instead of distilling into the plaintive confessional that Bette Midler and Karen Carpenter provided nearly four decades ago. Usually a sharp interpreter, Houston somehow misses the point of the lyric here.

The best tracks on the disc reflect the two extremes of her work and share a deeper sense of revelation about her recent personal problems. R. Kelly's "Salute" has a punchy vibe complemented by the singer's scornful though melodic delivery of lyrics that really say more about her than anything else on the album. However, the high point really comes with Diane Warren's "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", a resounding echo of early Whitney given David Foster's swelling, gossamer-gloss production. Somehow, the approach still works after all these years as her obvious turmoil comes across in a triumphant declaration. The net result is a Whitney Houston who may lack the bell-like clarity of her youth but instead offers a lived-in perspective that comes from someone intent on beating the odds. Had the material here consistently measured up to her innate sense of personal survival, this recording could have been something more significant than it is.