Dutch Remixer The Packxsz has produced a remix of a quite obscure Whitney Houston song "Fine" which was released as a single (only) in 2000. It has later featured on a compilation, curiously on "Whitney: The Greatest Hits" as this was one of probably very few of her singles that never charted!.
The song was produced and co written by Raphael Saadiq and Kamaal Fareed better known as Q-Tip (A
Tribe Called Quest).
The Packxsz has done many mixes including one for Raja-Nee's "I Don't Want You No More" in 2019.
The best thing is, is that it is FREE to download from his Bandcamp store in a range of digital formats from mp3 to wav!
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
It is no secret that Whitney Houston was not entirely happy with
the way she was managed and being directed to the mass pop market. Her
first love was gospel and a posthumous gospel album "I Go To The Rock" is slotted for release on 24 Mar '23.
The album will include six
previously unreleased tracks along with five songs taken from "The Preacher's Wife" OST (1996), one each from "The Bodyguard" OST (1992) and "Sparkle" OST (2012) plus the title track from "I Look to You" (2009).
The first two singles are both previously unreleased. "Testimony" (which she recorded aged 17 in 1981) dropped on 9 Feb and is a traditional gospel 'stomp' and "He Can Use Me" was released on 24 Feb which has more 'soul appeal'.
The other four unreleased songs are "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (with CeCe Winans at VH1 Awards), "This Day" (VH1 Honors), "I Found a Wonderful Way", and "He/I Believe".
A documentary about Houston's love of gospel is also planned
alongside the album which spans her first performance at a local
church through to the release of the soundtrack for The Preacher's
Wife album in 1996 that went on to become the best-selling collection
of gospel music in history.
Houston released just seven solo studio albums between
1985 and 2009 (along with another seven OSTs)before her untimely and tragic death aged 48 in
2012.
Only last year Houston's life was depicted in the biopic "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" with a soundtrack to go with it.
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the
artist.
On Friday (23 Dec '22) a new biopic movie of the life of Whitney Houston
will be premiered with the soundtrack for the movie "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (The Movie Whitney New, Classic and Reimagined)" being released last
Friday (16 Dec '22). At first I passed on it assuming it to be simply a
rehash of her 80s/90s hits but on closer inspection there are a handful of
previously unreleased songs along with new versions of
others.
I've no idea how long the movie is but the soundtrack contains 35 tracks
lasting 2 hours and 25 minutes!
The clear standout is a ballad from the vaults, "Far Enough", written by Michael Masser Leon Ware and Gerry Goffin. In addition "Moment of Truth" is culled from the 1986 "Whitney" album sessions along with a couple of
covers from The Winans family including "Tomorrow" featuring Samaria, and three versions of "Don't Cry for Me" which was originally sung by BeBe & CeCe Winans at the Commitment
to Life AIDS benefit concert in L.A. in 1994. There is an a cappella, a
full-length film version by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and a reimagined
recording by record producer Sam Feldt.
Most tracks won't be of much interest to die hard soul listeners, as let's be honest it's pop music, so I've only included "Far Enough" rather than the full 35 track album.
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
This came up on my YouTube feed the other day so I thought
I'd save it for a Sunday post. I distinctly remember buying Whitney Houston's debut
album when she burst onto the scene in 1985 and thinking what a talent she was. Sadly the record execs
saw dollar signs and steered her towards the pop/MOR market which was allegedly a contributory factor to her going off the rails with alcohol and
drugs as she wasn't entirely happy with the direction her career was being
steered. I wonder how she would be regarded in soul circles if she had gone the soul route but sadly we will never know.
In this 11 minute clip she sings four of her cousin Dionne Warwick's, Burt Bacharach (now 93) and Hal David (died in 2021 aged 91) written, 60s hits:
It was International Women's Day last Monday which I celebrated with posts
from some of the biggest female black music artists of the 20th
century. What I missed though was that Chaka Khan recorded a new
version of her debut solo single 'I'm Every Woman' with
Idina Menzel to commemorate the day.
I also found a 2021 rework by French DJ Kmell and a new release of a cover
of it by Tinashe, so thought I'd bundle them all into a single post along
with a few other noteworthy versions.
Chaka Khan & Idina Menzel [2021] - I'm Every Woman
Chaka Khan [2021] - I'm Every Woman (Kmell Rework 2021)
Tinashe Feat. TOKiMONSTA [2021] - I'm Every Woman (From 'Black History
Always / Music For the Movement Vol. 2') [Hollywood]
Released 26 Feb 2021. More style over substance methinks!
Deborah Cox [2017] - I'm Every Woman [Broadway]
Aretha Franklin [2014] - I'm Every Woman / Respect [RCA #88875 03488 1]
'Probably' the ultimate 'womans's anthem' must be this medley of 'I'm Every Woman & Respect' by Aretha Franklin from her 2014 album 'Sings Great Diva Classics'.
Whitney Houston [1993] - I'm Every Woman [Arista #07822-12519-7]
A few days ago I posted four different versions of Gladys Knight & The Pips classic 'Neither One Of Us' inspired by an 'amateur' YT version by Krystal Kleeer. I've found another of her videos singing the Leon Russell classic song, 'A Song For You', made famous by Donny Hathaway, so I thought I'd post what I consider some of the best versions.
The song was written and recorded first by Leon Russell in 1970 on his self-titled debut album, as far as I can tell it was never released as a single in US but it was subsequently released later, generally as a B side, in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Donny Hathaway recorded it on his eponymous 1971 album (his second) and was released as a B side to 'Put Your Hand In The Hand' 45 on Atco the same year.
Well over 200 artists have covered the song in every decade since it's inception including many of the greats including Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Lou Rawls, The Temptations, Peabo Bryson, Natalie Cole, Ann Nesby, Gerald Levert and pop artists such as Dusty Springfield, Amy Winehouse, Jack Jones, Lena Horne, Renee Geyer, Cher, Peggy Lee, The Carpenters, Simply Red.
Krystla Kleer Live 2019
Whitney Houston Live 1991
Recorded when she was still on top of her game.
H.E.R. Live 2019
H.E.R. means Having Everything Revealed - her real name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson and she was a child prodigy featuring on national TV aged 12. She changed her performing name to H.E.R. in 2016. She is a fantastic singer, I just wish she would sing more soul rather than R&B!
Herbie Hancock Feat. Christina Aguilera Live 2005
Christina is another fantastic singer who suffers from the material that is released. There are many clips on YT of her 'Sanging' real soul music e.g. Man's World, At Last, Somethings Got A Hold On Me and others. I wish she'd release a 'proper' soul album as she's got a terrific voice on the right material.
Ray Charles 1993
I don't know when the video was recorded but it was released as a single in 1993 by Warner Bros., so assume that this may have been the video promo for it?
Aretha Franklin Live 2016
Probably not her best version of this as it was recorded in 2016 only two years before her death but worth watching as she was 74 when she performed this and probably not in the best of health. For me, Aretha truly is, and fully deserves the title, 'The Queen of Soul'.
Nancy Wilson Live 1987
Nancy Wilson, one of the classiest jazz singers that ever lived, who had such a distinctive voice, performing at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1987. Another sad loss in 2018 along with Aretha.
To complete a trio of Christmas record postings, Sony have released the first official video of Whitney's 'One Wish (For Christmas)', which was the only single released from her 2003 'One Wish: The Holiday Album'.
She is in fine voice on this gospel 'tinged' Christmas ballad.
Well these selections may come as a surprise to many, but as I've said
previously, ... if it's good enough, it's good enough regardless of who it is.
This post features 3 of her better and lesser known recordings. Two are B
sides only, 'Feels So Good' and 'Dancin' On The Smooth Edge', neither of
which have ever featured on any of her albums (they may have been put on
compilations, but I haven't checked). The 3rd single 'I Belong To You'
is one of very few by her that never charted. As an added bonus I've also
included David Lasley's version of 'Dancin' On The Smooth Edge' which he wrote
and recorded as a demo and stayed unreleased until 2000.
Whitney Houston [1990] - Feels So Good [Arista # 613 594]
Tipped on this one reading a back issue of Blues & Soul from 1990 in
Richard Searling's column 'Soul Sauce'. It came out on the B side to her
'I'm your Baby Tonight' but only on the 12" (and some CD singles). It
was excluded from the album of the same name.
Whitney Houston [1990/95] - Dancin' On The Smooth Edge [Arista #AS-1256 /
07822-12885-7]
I never realised that I had this as very rarely, if ever, do I play Whitney
Houston 45s, but it was tucked away on the B side to the follow-up to 'I'm
Your Baby Tonight', 'All The Man I Need' and what a tune this is, I
can't stop listening to it! If you've never heard it then brace yourself to
be blown away.
The fact that Whitney was grossly mismanaged and made to record and release
material that she was not happy with, or proud of, is fairly well documented
in the many movies/documentaries made after her death. If she had only
been allowed to release more material like this and the one above, then
perhaps she may still be with us and not gone down the slippery slope of
drug and alcohol abuse?
I'm not quite sure how to describe it, slow jam yes ..but no, ballad ...
yes ... but not really, stepper perhaps - just a fine piece of music to
these ears without trying to categorise. It sounds like something Anita
Baker may have recorded. I wish she had recorded more like this. Just listen
for yourself.
The song was written by David Lasley (who wrote 'You Bring Me Joy' recorded
by Anita Baker along with many others) and Robbie Long.
There are two issues of this track, the original, slightly shorter 5:50, in
1990 on the flip of 'All The Man That I Need' and the 6:19 version from 1995
on flip to Exhale (Shoop Shoop). I don't think it has appeared on any
of her albums.
David Lasley [2000] - Dancin' On A Smooth Edge [Expansion #XECD 251]
As an added bonus here's the writer's own version. It was released on
'Expectations Of Love' album, originally released in the UK by Expansion in
2000, and released the following year in US on Thursday Market Music.
According to the sleeve notes the album is a collection of demos which he
recorded to showcase his songs for potential artists to record.
Whitney Houston [1991] - I Belong To You [Arista #07822-12369-7]
Perversely, another single of hers which I think is better than her norm
from around the same time, is one of the few of hers that didn't
chart.
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