Whitney; "the voice" no more

[B_Stronzo]

I intentionally watched Dancing with the Stars tonight to see Whitney Houston perform the second leg of her long-awaited comeback.

I was a passionate fan of Whitney Houston prior to her entanglement with Bobby Brown and her disappearance into a drug haze.

Too many years of Bobby Brown and self-indulgence have done this incredible talent too much harm. Her back-up singers carried the melody in one of her signature hits I Wanna Dance with Somebody with Whitney attempting the odd note here and there.

From one of the finest and strongest pop singers of our time to this at the age of only forty-six.

Yes Whitney "Crack is whack". Fucking pity.

 

[DaveyR]

She performed on X factor a few weeks back and although her singing performance was first class the stage interview afterwards was embarrassing. The woman was off her face and out of it. Big big shame.

 

[mycockrocksat10.5]

It is sad to see what she once was and to what she is now! She used to have the best voice on the planet, but she got on that stuff and it killed her voice!

 

[jjsjr]

that was such a huge disappointment!

 

[Man-thango]

I agree Stronzo. That woman lost a priceless gift from the big man upstairs.

 

[D_Ivana Dickenside]

From one of the finest and strongest pop singers of our time to this at the age of only forty-six.

Yes Whitney "Crack is whack". Fucking pity.

are you serious?! i thought she was waaaaaaaaaaaaay older than that?!!! wow, i'm amazed at the things drugs will do to a person.

 

[798686]

*shhhh don't tell Nubian!*

Poor ol' Whitters. I'm glad at least her vocal performance was good on X Factor, even if the interview was difficult. I've never been a huge Houston fan, but I admire these stars who've got the balls to attempt a comeback after great difficulties.

Britney and Robbie Williams had similarly awkward come-backs on X Factor, and I think they received too much criticism, tbh. To deal with mental problems and anxiety in the public eye, and still go for it, I think takes guts and deserves credit. Give 'em a bit more support, I say.

 

[Tank30]

I really like her new cd and the way her voice sounds on it. Like, I said before I like deeper voices on a female singer. But her live singing voice does not even sound like her voice on her new cd. I knew she would not be able to sing her old songs, because her voice is too different for them. But she can't even sing her new songs live. That saddens me. She talks the lyrics, when she trys to sing, her voice cracks and she should not even attempt to hit high notes, because she really sounds bad.

 

[B_VinylBoy]

Come on... after her long hiatus we were expecting her to be on point, and as pitch perfect as she was in the early 90s? It's like expecting an athlete to be in the same exact form after taking more than a decade off from training.

The main focus for Whitney was to just show that she can get back on stage and do SOMETHING. Her latest album and her performance on the AMAs proved that. Over time, she can train and get her voice back to perfection. But even with her flaws, she's still better than the majority of "pop acts" out there who still need to sing live through auto-tune or even lip sync.

 

[Viking_UK]

She performed on X factor a few weeks back and although her singing performance was first class the stage interview afterwards was embarrassing. The woman was off her face and out of it. Big big shame.

Did I watch the same performance as you? I thought she slurred her way through the lyrics. She looked as if she was drunk and she seemed to lurch around on the stage. Maybe she's going for a new style of performance, but if so I think it needs a bit of work.

See the clip here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WSd6eRUDQ8

 

[B_Stronzo]

Come on... after her long hiatus we were expecting her to be on point, and as pitch perfect as she was in the early 90s? It's like expecting an athlete to be in the same exact form after taking more than a decade off from training.

Absolutely not. But that was no "hiatus" it was a drugfest. Watch Diane Sawyer's "Crack is whack" interview". I was expecting her to sing her song to the best of her ability not have her "covered" by her backups. She seemed high and nearly stumbled. I have consummate respect for her gift. I once had respect for her. I have none now. If this is her comeback she was decidedly not ready.

The main focus for Whitney was to just show that she can get back on stage and do SOMETHING. Her latest album and her performance on the AMAs proved that. Over time, she can train and get her voice back to perfection. But even with her flaws, she's still better than the majority of "pop acts" out there who still need to sing live through auto-tune or even lip sync.

I see what you're saying but I say she wasn't ready. That "something" should not have been broadcast in my view.

I'm willing to cut her great slack since I love (loved) her voice so much but the woman made her own choices and those choices have taken their toll. She didn't even carry the tune in I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Certainly that could not have been lost on you.

 

[B_theOtherJJ]

What i notice about whitney lately when she performs is that sh always seems to be sweating profusely, as if going thru some sort of withdrawal. Yes its brave for her to "comeback", and she seems to genuinely want to leave her infamous past behind her. But I am not sure she has exorcised her demons. There is still something going on with her, for which i am sad.

 

[superbot]

Personally, I think that someone needs to tell her that there is a difference between singing and SHOUTINGGGGGG!!....

 

[2322]

Did I watch the same performance as you? I thought she slurred her way through the lyrics. She looked as if she was drunk and she seemed to lurch around on the stage. Maybe she's going for a new style of performance, but if so I think it needs a bit of work.

See the clip here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WSd6eRUDQ8

I'm sorry Davey but she really was very poor. She misses words and I believe she twice missed entire lines. It seems like she was lip synching the more difficult parts while singing others. Her backup singers are fantastic. They should be given some kind of award as they cover for her inability very well. Try to focus only on her mouth and watch where the microphone is (and isn't) when she's supposedly singing, particularly toward the end.

Absolutely not. But that was no "hiatus" it was a drugfest. Watch Diane Sawyer's "Crack is whack" interview". I was expecting her to sing her song to the best of her ability not have her "covered" by her backups. She seemed high and nearly stumbled. I have consummate respect for her gift. I once had respect for her. I have none now. If this is her comeback she was decidedly not ready.

I think she has some breathing problems. She doesn't seem able to breathe through her songs and simply runs out of breath and can't catch-up in time. The profuse sweating could be a simple sign that she's completely out of physical as well as vocal shape. She should have waited a good six months spending that time on physical therapy and crafting a catalog that she can sing. Maybe she should switch to slower songs with less range? Either way, she can't sing her biggest hit at that point and that's sure to disappoint her fans when it comes time to tour.

My heart goes out to Whitney. She had a stunning talent that seems to be a mere shadow of its former self and I don't know that she'll ever get it back. She's fallen very far and for all the wrong reasons. I hope she finds some peace and happiness.

 

[DaveyR]

Did I watch the same performance as you? I thought she slurred her way through the lyrics. She looked as if she was drunk and she seemed to lurch around on the stage. Maybe she's going for a new style of performance, but if so I think it needs a bit of work.

See the clip here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WSd6eRUDQ8

You know after watching it again you are right.

Either my short term memory is going :redface: or I got carried away with the X factor hype as I love the show.

 

[chicagosam]

It would be interesting to compare the key of "I wanna Dance" from when we first heard that song to the key it was in last night. It would reveal a lot.

Yes, she had limited range, if in fact she was singing live. The flexibility, the range, the nuance of her youth were not there. Perhaps one of her ballads would be more telling.

One could go on and on about the negatives, but I have to give the lady credit for even doing a live perfomance on a show that would be seen by millions and still generating a wonderful response.

I think we often tend to forget many great singers who have been through much in their lives and still perform in a lesser state than we originally admired them. Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and others at the mid to end of their careers were not what they once were. They still drew huge crowds. We can still appreciate these singers for what they bring (or brought) to a performance, forgiving and overlooking the current flaws in remembrance of the perfection they once had. Voices age, life happens—we allow for ourselves and the people around us. Why not them?

It would be wonderful to see if Whitney could regain what she has lost. It will take a lot of work and a great vocal coach if there is no damage to her vocal cords. She was once driven and dedicated to her craft. If she can regain that, we may see the comeback of the century.

 

[nudeyorker]

Does art imitate life or vise versa?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQL6eV77tjI&feature=related

 

[B_VinylBoy]

Absolutely not. But that was no "hiatus" it was a drugfest.

It's still "time off", regardless of the circumstances.

Watch Diane Sawyer's "Crack is whack" interview".

I think we've all seen this, and at one point could re-enact the interview word per word. :biggrin1:

I was expecting her to sing her song to the best of her ability not have her "covered" by her backups.

Funny, but I could still hear her loud and clear over the chorus on her AMA performance. And there was one brief point where she was really off. But I can excuse a few imperfections in a performance... in fact, I expect them to happen. I'm just glad that she's back. She looks good and can still carry a tune better than the majority of women currently making hits in R&B and Pop. To be honest, I would have been more put off if Whitney sang live through the use of Auto Tune or lip synched like everyone else on the AMAs... that included Janet Jackson & Alicia Keys and I still like them as entertainers. She's making a noble effort to return.

She seemed high and nearly stumbled. I have consummate respect for her gift. I once had respect for her. I have none now. If this is her comeback she was decidedly not ready. I see what you're saying but I say she wasn't ready. That "something" should not have been broadcast in my view.

The problem is, if anyone is expecting to hear the same Whitney that sang on The Bodyguard soundtrack then she will never be ready. Beyond the drug use (which only is part of the equation since some of our best songs came from those who had some kind of chemical dependency), she's older. If looking and sounding the way she does at 46 is wrong, then how is she supposed to look and sound?

I'm willing to cut her great slack since I love (loved) her voice so much but the woman made her own choices and those choices have taken their toll. She didn't even carry the tune in I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Certainly that could not have been lost on you.

You do realize that record came out in 1987, right? I wouldn't expect a 46 year old woman to ever sing a song in the same pitch and timbre as they did when they were twenty-five. I mean, if we had Cher sing "If I Could Turn Back Time" right now I'm sure we'd notice a vocal difference. While we're at it, let's get Bette Midler to sing "Wind Beneath My Wings" and expect her to hit every note exactly the same. Let's see if Mariah Carey can chirp those close to dog whistle notes on demand anymore?

In closing... <CHRIS CROCKER>LEAVE WHITNEY ALOOOOOOONE!!!!</CHRIS CROCKER>

:biggrin1: :biggrin1:

 

[SilverTrain]

Whitney's story makes me so sad. A true "innocence lost" tale. It makes me want to do horrible things to Bobby Brown. To this day, when I see clips of her early videos, I am charmed and enchanted.

Her singing in the clip seemed pretty darn good to me, all things considered. The post-song interview, though, was ugly. I thought she was clean now?

 

[Bbucko]

I gotta agree with VB on this.

As someone who always felt that Whitney was more hype and bellowing than musical genius anyway, I watched the X Factor clip with the jaded eye of someone not expecting much. From that prospective, she matched my expectations without exceeding any of them: it wasn't good but it sure wasn't horrible.

One thing I noticed straight off was her walk down the slippery lit stairs in the dark in high heels. If she'd been drunk or out-of-control high she'd have never been able to pull that off. The second thing I noticed is how incredibly self-conscious she was. Performers need to find their zone and lose themselves inside of it if they're gonna be any good, and she obviously never did.

She also had some sort of wardrobe malfunction: there's a strap hanging off her left side that distracts her completely. She even acknowledges this to the judges at about 2:30 in the clip, after which she loses whatever shred of professionalism she came out with (and there wasn't much).

I really think that her lack of breath control, pitchy, off-key singing and lackluster stage presence came from a place of morbid self-consciousness (most probably fear) and complete distraction. She seemed to have been poorly rehearsed if she bothered to rehearse at all.

It also doesn't help that the song she performed is so very dull to begin with: I'm not sure how much life she could have brought to such mindless, flaccid material at the height of her career, let alone now.