I know I will lose some helpful reviews here, maybe maybe not, but This is the best Album Whitney ever released. When this came out, I remember my mom and me rushing out to Target to buy it. We paid like 10 bucks for the cassette, cuz we didn't graduate to CD's until 1993. We played it all the way home, then rushed to continue it on the stereo inside. We didn't dislike one track. I still don't dislike one track here. This was a Family Favorite until it was eaten up in the car's tape deck. I cried that day. My sister found me a copy of the CD at a garage sale for a quarter. I was shocked at the price, and have had the same copy since 1995. I cherish this album and here, I plan to share my thoughts of the songs, and how they are in my opinion...
1)I'm Your Baby Tonight: A great tough opener, no more wanting to dance with somebody...only dancing she wants to do is in the sheets it sounds like...and for good reason, a good girl is only good for a while. The temptation is too much to bare, hence the lyric "From the moment you touched me, I was ready to die...I've never been fatal, you're my first time" For a first single it was an across the board smash and lies very unappreciated in her catalog.
2)My Name Is Not Susan: Another tough song, shedding the pop image attached to her from earlier dance hits. This track has her angry again from matters of the heart. The beat is once again strong and funky, still sounds fresh nearly 20 years later!
3)All The Man I Need: This was the first ballad single from the album, very brooding reminding me of at-the-time labelmate Jeffrey Osbornes 1990 Smash Only Human (Another album and song milestone of the year) where they tell a story, and have great vocal stylings throughout. Brought her the 2nd #1 on the album, and more success for duet partner Kenny G.
4)Lover For Life: Popular quiet storm radio aired track, that is gorgeous and midtempo. A slight departure from the tough edge but definitely sexy and different, featuring some vibes playing, a gauzy airy synth and a fantastic sax solo from Gerald Albright.
5)Anymore: A full blown dance song from Whitney and Babyface, features a fun call and response near the end "Sing It Face..." I used to adore this song when I was younger.
6)Miracle: The only possible candidate for the shlock cannon is here. A beautiful song but perhaps a little overdone, and over used (I had it on a Ford Audio Sampler, and played the song out, so my opinion is kind of biased) I do love the song, but it takes some getting used to, especially if you played it a lot at first, then tired of it afterward.
7)I Belong To You: One of the reasons why Narada Michael Walden is such a great producer is because he writes dreamy songs for his artists (Check out Taylor Dayne's If You Were Mine, or Tevin Campbell's Brown Eyed Girl) Another mid tempo track, and the 3rd hit from the record. This one is a scorcher
8)Who Do You Love?: You can tell this one was written and produced by Luther. Gospel edge, great hook, great bridge, and background vocals to die for. The man was truly one of a kind, he should have produced more for her, this song is fun, and humourous!!
9)We Didn't Know (Duet With Stevie Wonder): You can hear on this track that the pair recorded together. They have such an emotion and chemistry. Whitney compliments Stevie so well and vice versa. The line "Best Of Friends...The Best" is sexy and sentimental all at once, and one fan wishes they had done more together. Much more charisma than her cousin had with Wonder.
10)After We Make Love: The lone track produced by Michael Masser, Houston's former right hand man. Ended up being the second true ballad and wasn't released. The song is beautiful, enhanced by an extreme amount of reverb, but not annoyingly so, with a mellow drum beat and vocal acrobatics, it's a song about losing your virginity...but a good one!
11)I'm Knockin' : Another gospel influenced track, featuring CeCe Winans, this is a definite pot boiler, that starts sounding like another song to add to the dance pile, and adds on the charm at a very slinky breakdown, a very nice, simple close to an album very well done.
In these years Arista records had their share of fierce talent, from Whitney, to Jeffrey Osborne, and Jennifer Holliday, as well as Curtis Stigers, Kenny G, and Lisa Stansfield, the label released so many quality albums that they had nothing but hits on their hands. The fact that critics believed this was a stab for Whitney to gain street cred was just a tad rude, seeing as if you look at her now, it was no fluke that this sounded so genuine. The record got a bad rap, a lot of the white audience disliked it (my dad and a few neighbors happily excepted) but hopefully this won't be looked at as the mess it has been named to be. This will always be my favorite houston album and I stick by what i've written above. To me Houston through Hiatus, bad marriage, drug addiction and rage, has still managed to make good records, though becoming a tad more ghetto and or nervous in the process, I only hope she can surprise me as much as she did with 'I'm Your Baby Tonight'