Whitney Houston has also returned to centre stage, for the first time in 10 years. She has every reason to smile. Her latest album, I Look To You, and tour, Nothing But Love, are about strength, optimism, gratitude and love. "My intention is – I want the people to feel that it's coming from my heart," Houston says.
"At one point in time, I almost decided that I didn't want to be in it anymore. "The music had changed, the industry had changed, the quality had changed. And I didn't like it."
However, Houston felt encouraged by two things – supporters pleading for her to get back in the game and a new generation of powerhouse singers. "Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé – they stirred my curiosity about coming back and making a record. But that's only one part of the industry," Houston says firmly."To actually sing, perform and have people come to hear a real voice, a God-given gift, is really important to me."
Houston pulls no punches in her opinion of how the game lacks quality.
"It's almost like we were dealing with an industry that had turned to soft porn," she says. "Instead of listening to a voice, an instrument, a gift from God, we had to watch people take off their clothes constantly. It left nothing to the imagination, nothing you could long for. You couldn't say, 'Oh, that song, that melody, that voice'."
She does not name the offenders, but in citing Aguilera, Hudson and Knowles as inspirations, her hit list is obvious.http://www.classicwhitney.com/info/archive2010/february2010.htm
