I have to say this three time Grammy winning album was such a great piece of work from the songwriter and songstress, Anita Baker. From the Giving You the Best That I Got album, Priceless is the song that invites your heart to a sun kissed morning snuggled in a lover’s arms. The mood has a care free sentiment that simply bathes the soul in happiness. Any tune that creates that kind of joy is truly “priceless”.
Yes they truly were “Soul Men” and this classic could definitely be the definition when you look up Soul Music in the dictionary. Another reason that Stax was truly a force to be reckoned with and why the folks at Atlantic were pleased to have them under their wing.
I could say a lot about this Dolly Parton original that Whitney Houston stylishly recreated as her own signature song but why overdo it with words? Sing it Whitney!
The song Eternal Love is a compilation of the perfect musical storm. Released on the album Paul Jabara & Friends in 1983, this song showcased the prodigious vocal styling of Whitney Houston before her first album. Young in age, you hear this sharp purity that carries boldness in sound and a maturity in song interpretation. Plus who has legends like Deniece Williams and Patti Austin singing background vocals on their lead vocals??? Only Whitney Houston and only Eternal Love!! Here is the studio version and the live version where she talks a little about the song.
Today we have a double spin/treat for you. Several of Whitney’s singles were actually covers, but Whitney was such an amazing artist that you would have thought the singles were her original songs. “One of Those Days” is one of those tracks that is so breezy and melodic that it immediately mentally transports you to the very places Whitney describes in the lyrics,
Only “The Voice” could make the national anthem a top 10 platinum-selling hit and translate the feelings of an Olympian with such soul stirring delivery. Enjoy “Star Spangled Banner” and “One Moment In Time” from Whitney Houston.
This gem flies under the radar when it comes to Whitney Houston songs that are readily mentioned, but it is quite special. The melody is beautiful, the story that the lyrics tell is powerful and Whitney Houston’s and Deborah Cox’s voices compliment each other nicely. They both are able to show their ability without coming off like they are competing and the song shines. Dare I say even better than the Whitney/Mariah duet from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, which was heavily promoted. “Same Script, Different Cast”, written by Stacey Daniels, Shae Jones, Shep Crawford and Montell Jordan for the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits.
When Marvin Winans said that he thought Whitney Houston sounded a lot like his sister CeCe Winans at Whitney Houston’s funeral, there seemed to be an uncomfortable silence in the room. However I strongly agree and hear a lot of similarities in their voices and their delivery and the fact that they were friends, collaborated on “Count On Me” and often joined each other on stage during each other’s live performances just made life sweeter for me–like having two slices of pie instead of just one.
We had been waiting a while to get both these “sanging” divas on a track and they finally put it together on “When You Believe”, from the Prince of Egypt movie soundtrack. While the media tried to pit them against each other, they continued to make positive statements about one another. It proved to be true in the end that they did indeed care for each other as Mariah was at Whitney’s homegoing service. This song may not have been the most memorable of Whitney’s collaborations, but it may be of the most historic ones. To have these two voices together on the same track is something for our generation to treasure.
