The Ultimate Collection - Whitney Houston Album Review

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Album Review

Record breaking Diva: on the verge of a comeback? Surely.

Whitney Houston shot to fame in the UK with her debut single Saving All My Love For You in November 1985. Since then she's clocked- up numerous accolades and awards. When you've got a back catalogue like Whitney's, it's not too hard putting together a compilation like this. The multi-award-winning, record-shattering singer, born Whitney Elizabeth Houston (niece of singer Dionne Warwick and daughter of Cissy Houston) from New Jersey scored a record seven successive number ones on America's Billboard Hot 100. In 2001, with sales exceeding 140 million, she signed a record breaking $100m recoding deal. UK-wise she topped the singles chart four times with debut single Saving Love For You (1985) I Wanna Dance With Somebody (1987) One Moment In Time (1988) and a cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You ( selling 1,355,055 copies / 10million world-wide) from the soundtrack to chick-flick The Bodyguard, starring alongside Kevin Costner.

The soundtrack is also one of the best selling albums of all time, and the best selling soundtrack ever.

'Ultimate', which peaked at 3 in the UK late last year, and this week ( w/c 8/1/08) dropped from 12 to 28 after 10 weeks on chart, is still hanging on well. It made the top ten in Denmark, New Zealand, Ireland, and Sweden, peaking at 34 in the United World Chart Alums Chart no less, which goes to prove that despite a troubled personal life and commercial decline from 2002 - 2005, she remains an artist with immense pulling power.

It tracks her hits spanning three decades, featuring her unique powerful dramatic soprano, melismatic infections and expansive vocal range.

From her 33 UK chart entries they've whittled it down to 18 tracks, running in non-chronological order, and it's not a bad choice either, but there are a couple of strange omissions such as the classic Step By Step and her last top ten entry, the amazing duet Could I Have This Kiss Forever with Enrique Iglesias, which should have replaced the lacklustre My Love is Your Love.

Best bits include the opening song I Will Always Love You, How Will I Know, So Emotional, It's Not Right But It's Okay.

Houston holds the Guinness World Record for the Most Awarded Female Artist ever. Listen to this and you understand why.

Just in case you hadn't realised, she's had a 'hits' album before: 2000's The Greatest Hits over two CDs.

File under: Essential, essential, essential.

Elly Roberts