Whitney Houston: Comes back with a strong voice

Whitney Houston: Comes back with a strong voice

Whitney Houston makes a confident comeback through her new album "I Look To You." Towards the end of the album, the singer declares, "Don't call it a comeback/I've been here for years."

In her new album she definitely sounds strong, confident and prepared for the well-orchestrated return that has been building for months.

This is going to be Houston's 6th studio album that is due for release on Monday. It is the first one since "Just Whitney" in 2002 and the best since 1998's 'My Love Is Your Love." It's loaded with tunes that are perfect for recapturing the magic that once made her a transcendent star.

Houston, forty six makes utmost use of the opportunity provided by Executive producer Clive Davis. He helped stack the deck in her favour with a raft of A-list songwriters and producers, including Alicia Keys , Johntà Austin, Diane Warren , R. Kelly, Nate "Danja" Hills, Akon, Harvey Mason Jr., Swizz Beatz and David Foster.

They provided her with beats and lyrics befitting someone making a fresh start. And Houston has proven that she hasn't forgotten how to sing, imbuing the material with emotional power without a lot of overly dramatic vocal runs.

On several occasions, Houston addresses her troubles but finds the inner resolve to overcome them. To her credit, she doesn't  wallow in pity for the tabloid-chronicled personal problems that derailed her career. She ather strives to come over the situation and move on.

On "Nothin' But Love" she sings: "I could hold onto the pain, but that ain't what my life's about."

On "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" she declares: "I wasn't built to break."
 
This is a lady who discovered herself to be very strong and not that fragile- pulling herself up from the hard fall. And though she never mentions ex-husband Bobby Brown by name, the Kelly-written closing kiss-off Salute surely could be aimed in his direction.

Returning to her classic sound, Houston should have no trouble reconnecting with those longtime fans who will always love her. But it is yet to be seen if her more contemporary collaborators can help her engage a new generation of fans and radio programmers.

She hopes, at least the fans will feel as she does on her duet with Akon and react "Like I Never Left."