In the fall of 2002, R&B music was a changing landscape. However, that didn’t stop The Prom Queen Of Soul, a.k.a., Mrs. Whitney Houston, from releasing her fifth album Just Whitney on December 10th, 2022. Just Whitney was Houston’s fifth studio album and the first after she renewed her contract with Arista for $100 million. She could have efficiently utilized the formula from her previous studio album, My Love Is Your Love, which incorporated R&B, hip hop, and reggae. In-demand producers like The Neptunes, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, and Mike City could’ve provided Mrs. Houston with some heat. Surprisingly, Whitney doesn’t chase trends and returns to what made her a star.
Just Whitney finds Houston taking a route that mixes R&B ballads, R&B mid-tempo numbers, and dance songs. In an interview before the album’s release, Houston said: “This album is about surviving, raising a family, being a wife or girlfriend, and all the challenges that go along with those things.
While Whitney was still a legend, the public talked more about her than her music. The album’s first single, “Whatchulookinat,” was produced by Houston’s then-husband Bobby Brown and co-written by Houston. The theme of the song found the singer attacking the media. While the remixes found some chart success, overall, the song is pretty much forgotten.
Houston fared better with the second single, “One of Those Days,” which featured the production skills of Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs. The mid-tempo R&B track samples The Isley Brothers’ “Between the Sheets.” Rather than being a sexy slow jam, the lyrics are about getting away from everyday stress. For the album’s third single, “Try It On My Own,” Houston linked up her go-to hitmaker Babyface.
At the time, the song was regarded by some critics as the best on the disc. A pop ballad, the song tells the story of overcoming doubts or fears in order for a person to get to the point in their life where they can “try it on their own” and reach that point in life. It’s classic Whitney and shows she still has the pipes.
Babyface and Rob Fusari oversaw the album’s final single, “Love That Man.” A joyful R&B Bop, the song will remind listeners of eighties soul with a simple bass line and uncomplicated production. It’s clear that Whitney was singing about her then-husband Bobby Brown, which is fine as we know the two had a different kind of love.
The remainder of the album is textbook Whitney, but it works. There’s a cover song (Kasey Cisyk’s “You Light Up My Life), a duet with Mr. Brown (“My Love”), and a fire album track from Missy Elliot (“Things You Say”). While Just Whitney doesn’t feature any classic songs or reach the chart success of her previous work, it’s by no means a bad album.
Final Grade: B
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.