One of the most surprising things about Whitney Houston’s legacy is that, despite being one of the highest selling artists of all time – she released a very limited number of studio projects.
The diva, who’s regarded as one of the greatest voices to ever stand behind the microphone, was in a way under-utilized in the studio – especially when you compare her with other all-time great singers of her status, like Streisand, Franklin, LaBelle, etc.
That is not to say, that her catalogue isn’t broad enough, but for an instrument as monumental as hers, it just wasn’t captured as much as it could have – perhaps also marred by her own personal tribulations that took a toll in her professional recording career, later on.
But putting all that aside, the diva still boasts of some of the biggest and most memorable hits in Popular culture, that have catapulted her status among the titans of Popular music.
Today, we rank her best albums – released to date, including those that were soundtracks.
Here’s counting down Whitney Houston’s best albums of all time:
10) Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances
Capturing some of the most inspiring vocal moments of one of the best live singers of all time. A live album from a vocalist of her level could’ve easily become her best, but the only reason why this isn’t placed any higher on the list, is because of the incoherent selection of performances from various eras that make it lack consistency of sound. But the album still manages to capture some of her most iconic performances, with vocals to take your breath away. Perhaps an even better live album would be a full concert release, something in the line of ‘Aretha Live at Fillmore West’, that could be a more conventional addition to her illustrious discography. But for now, her first and only live album, released posthumously and truly featuring some of her best live performances, kicks off our list at #10.
9) I Look To You
The songstress’ final studio album, which was also hailed as a comeback album of sorts – marking an advent of a new chapter in both her personal and professional lives. Despite the evident changes in her voice, there was still a magic to her angelic tonal quality and her story-telling skills, that made this album a standout experience and one of the best female albums to have come out that year – even when compared with her much younger counterparts. Aside from a few cuts that were lyrically and musically underwhelming, especially for an artist of her stature, her vocals, even with just a fraction of her glory days, are still a delight to listen to. The two standout songs on this project were ‘I Look To You’ and ‘I Didn’t Know My Own Strength’, which were not only a testimony to her own personal trials, but also turned into an inspiration for many.
8) One Wish: The Holiday Album
Her first and only Christmas album, which featured her delivering a soulful take on classic Holiday tunes, aside from a few originals. The overall warmth and tone of this musically rich experience, makes this something that can stay in your playlist outside of the Holiday season, as well. The production is simplistic and it puts her vocals to the fore, as she ventures into all the high’s and low’s of her instrument, and curates some standout renditions of classics like – ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘O Come O Come Emanuel’. A delightful musical experience featuring some of the most soulful vocal moments of her career.
7) I’m Your Baby Tonight
Her first advent into a more RnB sound after two successful Pop records, allowing her to be freed from being typecast. While the high-octane ballad ‘All The Man That I Need’ – might just be one of the most stunning love songs ever recorded, special mention also goes to some lesser known tracks like ‘I’m Knocking’ (which was co-composed by Houston, along with her band-composer Ricky Minor) and her Grammy nominated RnB hit – ‘I Belong To You’ – which showcased a sultry yet sharp vocal delivery from the diva. Not to mention, the title track is perhaps her most sophisticated uptempo of all time.
6) The Bodyguard OST
The biggest selling album by a female in history. A gigantic record it continues to hold, decades after it’s release. Soundtrack to her first motion picture as a leading actress, this album featured her signature ballad that has inarguably become the first thing you think about, when somebody says her name – ‘I Will Always Love You.’ Not to mention, it is also the best selling song in the world, by a female, even still. The theatrical production of the album’s love ballads, showcasing the very heights of her talents in songs like ‘Run To You’ and ‘I Have Nothing’ (both nominated at the 1994 Oscars), makes this a breath-taking listening experience. But our favorite cut has to be her heart-rendering studio performance in the gospel hymn, ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and the definitive female anthem of all time – ‘I’m Every Woman.’
5) Just Whitney
Her most under-rated album, which has often been overlooked by the coverage her personal life received, around the time of it’s release. The songs on this album were not only very ‘telling’ of her own experiences in showbiz, but were also the most ‘diverse’ in terms of what they allowed her to sing about. If ‘Try It On My Own’ features her learning to live life in her own terms after being led into things by other people, the song ‘Watchulookinat’ is a direct diss at the paparazzi and tabloids, who tried to disrupt her peace of mind. The song ‘Unashamed’ is an unabashed display owning up to everything that you are, while ‘Tell Me No’ challenges all the naysayers to watch her overcome it all. But perhaps her most overlooked vocal performance on this album is showcased on the song, ‘Things You Say’, which makes her sound so vulnerable in love, that it would make your heart melt.
4) Whitney
The sophomore album which earned her no less than 4 #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (a record for several years), this worldwide bestseller is reminiscent of everything that was the 80’s. The music was almost as colorful as her iconic wardrobe from the video of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, and her vocal-ability had perhaps reached it’s pinnacle, displaying both the depth of her later years and the agility and brightness of her youth. Her astonishing delivery on lesser known gems like ‘You’re Still My Man’ and ‘Just The Lonely Talk Again’, showcases her ability to emote any love song like it’s the world of God, and sing it with the same fervor as she would in a church. An ability that put her in the same league as Aretha Franklin, if not above.
3) Whitney Houston
There was an effortless quality in Houston’s first studio album, released in the year 1985, which validated all of it’s effervescence, instead of turning it into something tawdry. It was the youthful innocence on her delivery of Pop songs like ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘Someone For Me’, that allowed us to believe in every word she sang. Yet it was her poignant and epiphanic delivery on a song like ‘Greatest Love Of All’, that made it a theme-song of countless lives, for generations to come. Not to mention her first Billboard #1 ‘Saving All My Love For You’, a seductive ballad about falling in love with a married man, which turned her into a nation’s sweetheart. Aside from all of it’s juggernaut commercial impact, that opened the doors for other black female singer who came after her, the album secures it’s place in musical history for introducing to the world, one of it’s most special voices.
2) The Preacher’s Wife
An album mostly filled with Gospel and Holiday standards, allowed this magnificent voice to venture into an area, it knew best. Whitney musically co-produced almost all songs of this album, along with Mervyn Warren, and the high-octane production, led with an uninhibited sound of the drums and the piano, amidst some more of it’s heavy orchestration – brought out the most juicy musical extravagance churned-out by Houston in her career. The depth and tonal quality of her voice around this era (mid 90’s) topped with the roof-raising sound of the Georgia Mass Choir, and the several goosebumps-inducing moments – in which the two go head-to-head, makes this whole album a musical experience like no other.
1) My Love Is Your Love
Whitney’s most critically acclaimed album, My Love Is Your Love – released in the year 1998, was also one of her most consistent albums, in terms of it’s constant string of unskippable bops. With an updated RnB and Hip-Hop inspired sound, typically reminiscent of the late 90’s, the album featured productions from some of the hottest producers of that time and granted us the privilege of experiencing all layers of her complex vocal gift, through a variety of tracks. From the cold-blooded delivery on ‘I Learned From The Best’ to a more vulnerable sound on a song like ‘You’ll Never Stand Alone’, or even her most sexually-charged vocal on ‘Oh, Yes’, this album showcased more of her versatility than all her previous ones, apart from featuring her most refined material, and hence it takes the top spot.
Let us know what you think of our rankings…