Customer Reviews

Waiting To Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, of all this is an exceptional soundtrack I don't know any soundtracks that every song on the soundtrack is good not to mention there are legends on this album and a lot of people who have made a mark in music such as :Whitney, Aretha,Mary J.Blige, TLC, Faith Evans, Brandy, Chaka Khan, Toni Braxton, and Chant'e Moore!!!! this is good soundtrack with some fantastic songs if I missed giving anyone their props I sincerely apologize and am sorry for overlooking you !!!! But I would recommend anyone who likes any of these people mentioned to buy this album it is wonderful and I still enjoy listening to it!!!

This album came out in November of '95, so that means that at this time I had just begun the third grade. As such, when my aunt and mother used to play it non-stop, I didn't even realize the star power behind this soundtrack. I, of course, knew the Whitney Houston tracks because (1)she was in the movie, and (2)her voice is so distinctive, but the only other artists I knew just from a listen were Aretha Franklin, Mary J, Chaka Khan and Brandy (8-year-olds just don't read liner notes). That's surprising, now, because this soundtrack had some of my favorite R&B singers on it. Despite this fact, I've loved the disc from the very beginning, and I know almost every song verbatim--and that includes the ad-libs at the end; I'm telling you at eight, I could riff with the best of 'em.

Exhale - although this is the "signature" song for the movie, this track is actually not the best here; with that said, Whitney's voice and those infectious, almost trilling "shoops" are enough to make it standout...9/10

Why Does It Hurt So Bad- this one is also good, but made almost great by Ms. Houston's vocals...9/10

Let It Flow - here we have Toni Braxton who wraps her golden voice around this this airy, truly "flowing" piece; in some lines she makes you rethink just how low the female voice can go, and I find the dichotomy of placing her just after the trilling soprano of Whitney Houston interesting...9.8/10

It Hurts Like Hell - I always enjoyed this number by the Queen of Soul, but could never sing along with it, because 3rd graders aren't allowed to curse (i.e, hell); still you should delight in how fresh and rangy her voice still sounded amongst all those younger gals (Patty and Chaka, excluded)...9.8/10

Sittin' Up In My Room - this is Brandy's selection: so sweet and teenage it is, in lyric and production; I believe this song was quite popular (I think I saw the video) and it's one of her best...9.9/10

This Is How It Works - my parents didn't actually play this song that much, and thus it is more unfamiliar to me than the other songs; it's typical of TLC at the time, but not necesarily good (more like a filler cut for Crazy, Sexy, Cool)...8/10-->What can I say? Crazy, Sexy, Cool was a good album

Not Gon' Cry - Here we have the disc's other Queen (of Hip-Hop Soul) and here she definitely reigns supreme; this is the standout track from the entire set; the voice was full of pain and power and emotion; 11 years y'all! I was singing this song straight up like I was ready to leave my husband too (except I'm male, and was eight at the time, but you get the point); it's very cathartic and probably even more so for someone who's hurting...on a side note, I'd like to point out that Mary J recorded this song, while she was still battling with drugs: if only Whitney could sound that good on dope; still they have very different instruments and throughout the course of their careers have used them differently, but I digress...11!/10

My Funny Valentine - here's Chaka! With a sound as distinctive and jazzy as her first name, Chaka Khan delivers a truly original and smoldering "Funny Valentine"...10/10

And I Gave My Love To You - this song is spoken word with a nice smooth chorus, by a woman whom I can only assume is a spoken word artist: Sonja Marie; at eight you don't really appreciate (or listen to) speaking adults, so I never "loved" this song; still, though you can groove to it, and now that I'm older I can appreciate her gifted speaking voice, even moreso because I don't have one...9/10

All Night Long - this is one of those surprises, where I found out who the artist was later; this song is atypically SWV; despite the racy subject matter the song only comes across as tasteful and sweet...it has some of the softest and pretty vocals lead-singer Coko has ever laid down...9.7/10

Wey U - I was so happy when I found out the title to this song, because before I thought I was crazy; this is one of those songs that you love even though you have no idea What the hell the artist is saying: in this song Chante Moore uses her sensuous rasp to scat to the slow groove; again most of the lyrics to this song aren't words, but it's still amazing...9.85/10

My Love, Sweet Love - I like this song because it is decidedly less high-octane than what you'd expect from Patti LaBelle; yet, it still maintains a goodly amount of soul (because you know, a soul-less Patti LaBelle gets the "next" button); the climax is also great because it satisfies your need for some "Patti" notes...9.7/10

Kissing You - Thank God (or Comcast) for the advent of digital cable (the Music Channels), because otherwise I would've never known this was Faith (another singer whom I adore); the vocals are distinctly mid-90s Faith Evans: high and seemingly endless soprano notes combine with the lower ones to make this effort truly unique from her debut album--which was out at around the same time...it is less bass-driven and presents a side that was more explored on her sophomore release; I just love this song...10/10

Love Will Be Waiting At Home - this song is by the R&B quartet For Real, and I'll admit that I'm not at all familiar with them, but this song is amazing...10/10

How Could You Call Her Baby - this song is by another artist of whom I've never heard, Shanna; yet, she was defintely the right choice for this song: her voice os the perfect vehicle for the lyrics; ever since I first heard the song, I could see the scenes laying about before me (in my mind, of course)...10/10

Count On Me - this, the Whitney Houston closer is the best selection featuring the "diva assoluta"; it is a decidedly un-"diva" effort, however, with it being a duet with Cece Winans. Their voices match up well, and are remarkably similar, especially when they are belting; this song is quite inspirational (if a bit saccharine) and very relevant to the movie; remember if you pair sappy lyrics with amazing voices, who cares about the lyrics...10/10

I could get my graphing calculator and average out my "grade" for all the songs and give a you a concrete figure; I'm not going to do that, however. All you need to know is it's a 10; and you should buy it.

For all intents and purposes, this soundtrack to the hit movie "Waiting to Exhale" is a Babyface record all the way. Here, Kenny Edmonds is in top form as a songwriter and producer, coming up with stellar tracks featuring a handful of the most respected female singers in r&b. "Why Does it Hurt So Bad" is Whitney's best, and most crushing, breakup song ever; the legendary Chaka shows off her pipes in her reworking of "My Funny Valentine," and Brandy gives her best single yet in the cutesy "Sittin' Up In My Room." Mary J. Blige brings the house down in "Not Gon' Cry," based on the movie's character, the troubled Bernadine. SWV shine in "All Night Long," and I absolutely love Chante Moore's seductively mellow "Wey You." This would be Babyface's last great project before he would experience a slow and steady decline, but you can always turn to this soundtrack, which was one of the best albums of the 1990s.

Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle on the same CD!? Oh and it don't stop there Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton and Chante Moore. Nope not done gospel legend Cece Winans and the soulful/pop croons of SWV, TLC, Mary J Blige and Brandy! Yes and they all do their thang.

My favorites come from the old school Diva's Aretha Franklin "It Hurts Like Hell" She works that song.

Chaka Khan "My Funny Valentime" Jazzy/Soul and Chaka puts the Chaka Spin on it too.

Patti Labelle "My Love Sweet Love" She's calm and then she does the Patti and you can just imagine her flying away.

Ofcourse Whitney holds her own and jams for us, every song she recorded on here is a hit! Mary J Blige puts that old school Aretha soul into her song and Brandy even with her limited range holds her own next to the supreme soul Diva's

This is a must have for any music lover!

Even if you hated the movie (which I know a lot of people that did), you cannot deny the musical force behind the music. The "diva" herself, Ms. Whitney starts it off on the title track, called "Exhale"...a beautiful song that not only goes perfectly with the movie, but allows Ms Houston to showcase her stunning vocals. She also returns on "Why Does It Hurt So Bad?" and on a duet with gospel-singer, CeCe Winans on the friendship-inspired, feel-good song, "Count On Me." Toni Braxton shows up to breathe life into "Let It Flow". Aretha thought she might embarrass herself on "It Hurts Like Hell". {Face it folks, her voice ain't what it used to be anymore.} Brandy brings us a funky song, "Sitting Up In My Room,". TLC's "This Is How It Works" was better left off this soundtrack. Mary J Blige told us that she was "Not Gon' Cry" and reminded us that she should've "left your ass a thousand times..." Chaka Khan does a cover of "My Funny Valentine," complete with lush, full vocals. {This song reminds me of a smoky, dimly lit lounge with just a baby grand piano and her belting out this tune. It just has that type of feel to it.} "And I Gave My Love To You.." is okay. I have never heard of this artist before, so forgive me. SWV re-unites (temporarily) to sing this one. Again, folks, this one should have been left off the album. "Wey U" by Chante Moore is very nice. Her vocals are very pleasing to the ear. "My Love, Sweet Love," by Patti "Lady Marmalade" LaBelle is soooo pretty! I think of this as more a wedding song than anything else. Regardless, this song is one reason I purchased the soundtrack to begin with."Kissing You" by Faith, "Love Will Be Waiting At Home" by For Real, and "How Can You Call Her Baby?" by Shanna are some kind of nice, too. Not too much, but just enough. "Count On Me", is a very soft, inspirational tune that takes me back to church. Winans and Houstons vocals are incomparable! This is one of the best soundtracks to come out of the 90s. You are missing a treasure if you don't go get this one.

You've waited so long to be in a relationship with this man for about 3 years. When you first kiss him, the first thought that appears in your mind is, "I can't believe I'm KISSING YOU." In the beginning of the relationship, everything seems perfect. So finally you get used to being around him and get the hang of "the beginning relationship thing" and say to yourself, "so, THIS IS HOW IT WORKS. All I have to do know is sit back and, LET IT FLOW." Then you start getting goo, goo, ga, ga, over the man. You began writing him little love notes of poetry saying, " MY LOVE, SWEET LOVE, I bless the day we met and the way we hold each others hand. I loved the WAY U looked at me, I spent forever in your eyes that night and it was then that I GAVE MY LOVE TO YOU. Spend the night with me and when you get here you'll soon find out that LOVE WILL BE WAITING AT HOME where we can hold each other real tight and make passionate love ALL NIGHT LONG." Then in the middle of the relationship things begin taking its toll. You and your "pudding pie" are watching Midnight Love cuddled together in front of a cozy fire and all of a sudden, the phone rings. All you hear is "Uhuh, okay, yeah, alright baby, bye." You're like, "Who in the h.. was that?" He say's, "Oh that was just my ex, now lets cuddle." Then you say, " What, HOW COULD YOU CALL HER BABY?" He says, "Man dawg, I didn't say baby, I said maybe." You thinkin', "Yeah right." Anyway, you start getting strange phone calls from his ex. Uhh ohh, another case of the ex. She cusses you out everytime you pick up the phone, she tells you she and yo man been sleeping together and sometimes she just calls and hangs up whenever you answer the phone. One day, you get a phone call from your "boyfriend" who told you that he doesn't want you anymore, and that he's hooking back up with his ex because he thinks they can rekindle their old flame. You're fighting mad now. You tell yourself, "I'm NOT GON' CRY over him and be up here SITTIN' UP IN MY ROOM all my life." But you can't help but ponder, "I gave him the best years of my life and this is what he gives to me, man if this is his gift, IT HURTS LIKE HELL. Love ain't suppose to hurt like this I know, so WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD?" "Well I guess I got to go on" you say to youreself. So you call up one of your best friends who told you "Girl whenever you get into trouble or just need to vent, call me or I'll come by, if you need me, I'll be there, you can always, COUNT ON ME. You vent out to her telling her what went down and she tells you to slow down and EXHALE, it's over now. I know this was a wack story, but I was bored. You see how the title of every song is in this story.

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds has been known for many things. His great singles: "Whip Appeal", "For The Cool In You", "When Can I See You Again", "Everytime I Close My Eyes" etc. Babyface also is known for his production talents. Babyface's greatest work to date, in my opinion, is the "Waiting To Exhale" soundtrack. A lot of today's soundtracks don't have a theme. They are just produced to come up with an all-star cast that give lackluster performances. Many of the songs are just extra songs that the artist and their labels decided not to include on their album. Babyface wrote and produced most of the sountrack that includes most of today's reigning queens of r&b. The difference between this soundtrack and most others is that after listening to this CD, you can tell that a lot of time and effort was spent into the music for the movie. The CD's highlights include "Not Gon' Cry" by Mary J. Blige, "Love Will Be Waiting At Home" by For Real, "Kissing You" by Faith Evans, and "Let It Flow" by Toni Braxton. If all the movies did this with their soundtracks then there wouldn't be a problem. The closest any current movie has come to equaling the "Waiting To Exhale" soundtrack is "The Best Man" soundtrack.

This is one of the best soundtracks ever recorded! Moreso for the stellar lineup of powerhouse r&b female vocalists. I remember playing this disc over & over for months after its release and felt that each song matched perfectly the sentiments of the movie.

My fave tracks are: all of the Whitney tracks (hearing her on this makes you cry when you hear how she has ruined her beautiful God given instrument); 'Let It Flow' (classic Toni Braxton); 'Sittin Up In My Room; 'Not Gon' Cry' (classic MJB); 'My Funny Valentine'; 'My Love, Sweet Love' and 'Kissing You' (very underrated Faith Evans song, beautifully sung).

"Sometimes you'll laugh and sometimes you will cry, life never tells us the whens or why's, but when you've got friends to wish you well.. You'll find the point that you will exhale, Shoop Shoop.

This amazing soundtrack which featured some of the greatest female R&B singers of the 90's showcases the raw powerful talent of not only the female artists, but the man who wrote, produced, and arranged most of the songs of the soundtack, Babyface. I recommend this album to anyone who has seen the movie or if you love R&B music that this is an album that has to be included in your music collection. Let's begin with the first song, which brings forth the passion and power of the soundtrack

1)Exhale (Shoop Shoop)- Strong opening for the song. Ms. Houstons vocals were strong. The lyrics wonderful as they portrayed the emotional drama that occured during the movie

2)Why does it hurt so bad?- Wonder why some of us are still in love with someone who has hurt us so bad. Well Babyface and Whitney want to tell you and they do so brillantly. This incredible song demonstrates why Ms. Houston is one of our greatest singers of all time.

3)Let it flow- Have Toni Braxtons Secrets album, then you alredy know about this song. Now Say lalalalala

4)Hurts Like Hell- Bow down to the Queen of Soul, Ms. Franklin. This was probably one of the best songs of the album. Ms. Franklin talks about the hurt we all go through when love turns sour and how the survivial hurts like hell

5)Sitt'in in my room- At the time Brandy the soundtrack was released. Brandy was one of the youngest newcomers of the R&B scene. Although initially, I wanted Aaliyah to be on the soundtrack and wondered why she was not there, Brandy did a great job with the song, it brought a youthful approach about love and romance.

6)This is how it works- This before the fan mail CD was probabaly TLC's most provocative song out there. If your listening at work make sure to keep it at low volume.

7) Not Gon'Cry- This song totally fits the character of Angela Basset from the movie and for any woman who has been betrayed by her lover, friend, and or husband. Known to all of us, as the Queen of Hip Hop and Soul Babyface really knew what song to give Mary J. Blige and this song really showcases Mary's ability to do a variety of R&B styles not just with songs that have a Hip Hop edge to them

8)My Funny Valentine- Yes a remake of this incredible song, it can only be done by a great singer and Chaka Khan the legend that she is outdid herself immensely. Her voice was so sultry, and inviting that the song really gets you in the mood for umm some long loving....

9)And I Gave My Love to You- When I hear this song I think of soul, hip hop,and poetry.

10)All Night Long- Great song to seduce your man into getting him into the mood.

11)Wey U- Even though I did not understand the lyrics. Chante Moores voice is so great that you overlook it

12)My Love, Sweet Love- Ms. Labelle is not going to let these other girls get all the attention with this sweet song. Yes, she is going to sing nice and slow, but towards the end she is going to give us a wave of emotion which only Patti can give.

13)Kissing You- One of my favorite songs from Faith Evans. Ms. Evans at this time had just barely entered the R&B scene and Babyface knew what song to give to her really push her out to mainstream.

14)Love will be waiting at home- The last songs of the soundtrack show a variety of artists who were not really known in the music scene. For Real was an incredible R&B group that showcased great singer but sadly did not make it to mainstream

15)How could you call her baby- Want to win an agrument with your man if he is cheating. Play this song.

16)Count on Me- What do you when you feature the greatest singer of our time (Ms. Houston) and match her with one of the greatest Gospel vocalists of our time (Ms. Winans). An incredible song that talks about being there for someone you care for.

All In All this soundtrack was incredible

As much as I luv the move I gotta say that the soundtrack is so good! All of the Female Artists on this album really took it to another level. BUY THE ALBUM!