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By J. MATTHEW COBB For two decades, Whitney Houston epitomized the pop world with her grace, beauty and that voice. Yes, that voice. It became like an Olympic torch, blazing with clarity and perseverance, marching onward to a place called victory. Her career was golden and challenged the idea of what a number one single is. "I Will Always Love You," a song originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton, was revamped into a power ballad by Houston and made history by becoming one of the greatest #1 singles of all time; spending fourteen weeks perched at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. To her credit, Houston has sold over 140 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide and is ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the U.S. She possesses one of those proven records that very few musicians are able to pull off. But like the old saying goes, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall." A career stumbling block met her with a ten-year marriage to Bobby Brown; leading to a tumultuous lifestyle, a crack habit and behavior problems escalated by a Diane Sawyer interview that undeniably proved her stumbles. Clearly this wasn't the diva we all grew to love. Sure, like any rock star and superstar diva, drugs, sex and behavior issues are bound to bring doom into the picture. But these events in Houston's life was not that welcoming. Thankfully, it all ended. A public divorce, drug rehab and the music savior Clive Davis rushing to Houston's aid led her to her return to being our royal highness.
As of September 1, Whitney Houston began her media takeover campaign that signaled her most-anticipated comeback. Reports from Billboard are already giving her the #1 spot on the pop and R&B charts with her new studio album release in over seven years, I Look to You. iTunes, the popular Internet musicstore, has already given the star the royal treatment of a queen with her own Whithey Houston week. Three unprecedented radio singles from the album (the R. Kelly composition "I Look to You," the upbeat disco burner "Million Dollar Bill" and the Akon-produced "Like I Never Left") are also adding to the album's sensation. And with surging record sales and publicity, out comes the jeers and flat-out degrading messages from doubters and nay-sayers trying to get in the spotlight of attention. Those individuals, probably disgusted by all the hoopla surrounding Houston maina, are trying to voice their opinion, even if their opposition is clouded with hints of jealousy and condemnation. The commentary from YouTubers, Facebookers and Twitters, and the message boards from almost every type of genre and culture, remained focus on Houston's return. But the language is marred with disappointment, gloom and disenchantment. Her loyal fans stand by her, even after they are most certain that Houston, now in her late forties, will never reach the kind of luster and stride she had when belting songs like "I Have Nothing" and her first set of classics like "Saving All My Love for You" and "How Will I Know." Still, the type of commentary fueling Houston protests, some coming from tweenies who idolize the vocal components of Beyonce', Ciara and Mary J. Blige, are a bit hasty in their approach. And with a mini-concert on Good Morning America opening up their Fall Concert series, the Houston attacks continued to unfold. It was clear that Houston was having some problems vocally. She cracked a few times and whispered phrases on the heartfelt ballad "I Look to You." She even offered an apology to the exuberant crowd and reminded them that she was "not a morning person" and a lengthy interview the day before added much strain to her vocal chords. The excuses were no match for a few online confessed Christians who decided to release some of their adrenaline-rushing condemnation on the pop star.
Rather than encourage Houston's restoration and redemption, brutal comments, fueled by the press and the public, are multiplying on message boards and Facebook pages since Houston's new album, I Look to You, made its debut. It's quite interesting reading some of the dialogue and language from the online threads since the same posters and support groups have expressed their disinterest in the reviews and coverage at our web site. People are entitled to their own opinion and have a right to voice their viewpoint anyway they choose, but it's quite alarming to witness a public Christian degrading an artist with their past and failures as if they were being taunted or bullied to death. We still are responsible for our actions and should consistently aim to reflect what is pleasing in God's sight. Our actions still reflect who we are as individuals. Therefore wisdom should always be our road map to healthy decision-making. Lately, some people, eager to poke fun and even slander the survivor, have done a very poor job at doing that. Must we be reminded that you never know who is watching you. Just remember, when you ever fall from grace, remember how you treated others, because that's probably how you're going to be treated in return. On her new album, Houston briefly addresses her share of "haters" on a song called "Nothin' But Love."
What a perfect and classy way of dealing with the attacks. Instead of using hate to dispose a fire, use the power of love. Love is the more excellent way.
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