Why Whitney Houston Will Make a Comeback, Or Why She Won't

When I was a young headbanger the metal scene dominated the Billboard charts - except for a young soul singer from New Jersey (1). Whitney Houston was all over the place in mid and late 1980s. She was one of those artists who could belch on record and it would be a number one hit.

But as the 90s hit the hits stopped coming. She got married to Bobby Brown, botched a potential appearance at the Oscars and ended up in rehab (2). Now she has released her first solo album in seven years with "I Look To You". Her first single, the title track, charted at no. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1). Can she return to number one status? Here's why she will - or won't.

Why She Will

Robert Downey Jr. received heaps of critical praise in the 1980s for his roles in such movies as "Less Than Zero". He spent a lot of years in a drug-induced haze that also involved some jail time. Now he's back in the graces of those who make the A-List with turns in "Iron Man" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". (3) Why was he allowed back in to the party (without the favors)? Nobody ever questioned his talent. Even in movies that didn't make the critics' choice ("Back To School" and "Weird Science" come to mind) he added something to what could have been throwaway roles. He's played everything from serial killers to Charlie Chaplin and done it with aplomb.

Even if you're not a fan of Whitney Houston's music you can't deny that she is blessed with a special voice. She belted out one of the most memorable National Anthems in sports history and has a multi-octave range with tremendous vocal strength. Now that she is free from the distractions that led to her career downfall she can concentrate on bringing her talent back to the forefront ahead of negative headlines much like Downey did.

Why She Won't

There's a reason Whitney stuck out like an oddball among the metal-dominated 1980s. It was probably the only album that the over-30 crowd was buying back in those days. Houston has tried to cater to a younger crowd with some success ("Heartbreak Hotel" was a successful hit with hip-hop overtones") and her current album features a song that was co-written by Alicia Keys ("Million Dollar Bill").

However, today's younger crowd doesn't have an image of Whitney Houston other than the woman that had a troubled marriage and a drug problem. The current over-30 crowd includes teenagers from the 1980s who have probably moved on and are listening to other artists. The over-30 crowd that bought a lot of her 1980s output aren't likely to be forgiving of her past transgressions.

Conclusion

If Whitney Houston is looking to be a world-wide phenomena again with this current disc she should look elsewhere. If she's content to have a solid career rebirth she will find happiness.

Sources

1 - Billboard (www.billboard.com)
2 - "With 'I Look To You' Whitney Houston Eyes A Comeback" by Allison Stewart. Washington Post, August 31, 2009.
3 - Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com)