Whitney Houston
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She was the cousin of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, the God-daughter of Aretha Franklin, the daughter of solo soul artist, session singer and 'Sweet Inspiration' Cissy Houston. Even Judy Clay was an adopted cousin. Whitney had every advantage an R&B singer could desire because unlike many others she never started from scratch. Whitney Houston was born into a soul dynasty, and it could be argued that she became the jewel in that dynasty's crown, the most polished and perfect of them all, the ultimate product of the Warwick/Houston clan. Approximately two hundred and seventy pages long, it is the first third of the book which is of most interest to the soul aficionado as these trace her early days and family connections. This does not mean that the final two-thirds are poor, merely that the emphasis shifts to her adult life, which most would consider a post-soul era. Despite this time shift the author describes her with monotonous regularity as "a pop-soul" diva. Unquestionably she is technically gifted, unquestionably she sings with an impulse which emanates from the church and unquestionably she has a marvellous voice, but under Clive Davis her work was aimed at commercial success and any artistic considerations were subservient to making plenty of American Dollars. From page seventy onwards we leave the soul era behind and concentrate on film making, family conflicts, and her increasingly tempestuous relationship with husband Bobby Brown. In truth its gripping stuff, but her lifestyle had become so privileged it is difficult to find any sympathy for her personal problems. They were problems she was clearly in a position to rise above. After a while Diva's doing drugs become quite boring. In many ways this book reflects Whitney's own image problems as the black community condemned her for becoming too bland, too pop, too white. Her association with her R&B husband was seen by many as a confused attempt to address the issue. In fairness to Whitney she always claimed that music was not colour dependent. The author, James Robert Parish, writes well, but he seems to be unsure how best to deal with Witney's problems. Should he condemn or adopt a sympathetic stance? In the end he sits on the fence and takes a neutral position. The rare bold assertions he chooses to make are always well supported by evidence from the media. Unquestionably this is an interesting book, but probably more so for the amateur psychologist than the soul aficionado. From the soul lovers perspective only the first third could be described as essential reading. Whilst still of interest its latter pages are more relevant to the pop or modern R&B fan. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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