The new disc’s Million Dollar Bill is a neo-disco natural made specifically for the dance floor, and Houston sounds top-notch in the heavily produced track. The titular ballad is overwrought, but Houston has always had a way of taking the overwrought and making a hit out of it. Her all-too-familiar alto guides the record through each explosion of vocal fireworks, and while it sometimes sounds anachronistic, it also sounds distinctly Whitney — and fans have missed her.
I Look to You is evidence of a diva’s power. It’s not even released yet, but it’s already one of the most talked-about titles of the year.
When Streisand releases Love Is the Answer on Sept. 29, the world will pay attention. Sure, Diana Krall produced the record. That’s a big deal. An even bigger deal? It’s Barbra — Babs! She doesn’t have the numbers she once had. But she’s a legend, a diva.
The same day Streisand’s record hits the streets, Carey’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and Madonna’s Celebration land on shelves. Memoirs could reposition Carey at the top of the pop charts, and that would be huge. (With Carey’s last record, E=MC², she beat Elvis Presley’s record of No. 1 singles on the Billboard chart for a solo artist. It’s all gravy from here.)
And even though Celebration is a best-of compilation, Madonna fans are excited that it’s being released as a single CD, a double-CD and a DVD — and leave it to a diva to excite the masses by repackaging the old as something new and flashy.
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