Description:
Musicians :
Whitney Houston (vocals), Marc Russo (alto saxophone, horns), Randy Jackson (synthesizer, electric bass), Kenny G (tenor saxophone), Fred Zarr, Jack Waldman, Frank Martin, Randy Jackson, Michael Boddicker (synthesizer), Robbie Buchanan (piano, electric piano Fender Rhodes), Kashif, Ralph Schukett, Preston Glass (keyboards, synthesizer), Vincent Henry (saxophone), Roy Ayers (vibraphone), Nathan East, Marcus Miller (bass), Dan Huff, Ira Siegel, Paul Pesco (guitar), Shambhu Neil Vineberg (acoustic guitar), Jerry Hey, Premik Russell Tubbs, Wayne Wallace (horns), Randy Kerber (acoustic piano), Jennifer Hall, Jim Gilstrap, Kevin Dorsey, Kitty Beethoven, Myrna Matthews, Nikki Harris, Kashif, Claytoven Richardson, Cissy Houston (backing vocals), Figueroa (percussion), Paul Rekow (congas), Greg "Gigi" Gonaway, Bashiri Johnson, Paulinho Da Costa, Sammy Figueroa (percussion), John Robinson, Narada, Paul Leim (drums).
- MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES AND PRESSED AT RTI ON MOFI SUPERVINYL FOR SPECTACULAR SOUND !
- 1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe !
Whitney did more than turn Whitney Houston into a pioneering sensation known around the world by her first name. Originally released in June 1987, the singer's blockbuster sophomore record became the first album by a female artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart a position it claimed for a total of 11 weeks en route to selling more than 10 million copies in the U.S. The Diamond platinum effort also contains four N° 1 Hot 100 hits that, when combined with the three chart toppers from her 1985 debut, gave her seven consecutive N° 1 singles an accomplishment that no other artist has accomplished. Commercially and creatively, Whitney stands on hallowed ground especially now that the record plays with a sound that puts into perspective just how extraordinary, engaging, and vital Houston's music remains.
Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, Mobile Fidelity's 180 gram 33 RPM SuperVinyl LP of Whitney invites listeners to experience the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee's pivotal album in audiophile quality for the very first time. Free of the dynamic limitations and tonal flatness prevalent on prior vinyl and CD pressings, it lets the music breathe and reveals the copious detail, nuance, and texture within the immaculately produced songs. MoFi's SuperVinyl profile offers further advantages in the forms of a nearly inaudible noise floor, dead-quiet surfaces, and superb groove definition.
In addition to featuring extreme clarity and immediacy, this numbered-edition reissue does wonders for the attribute that inspired more than 20 million people around the globe to add Whitney to their record collections: that inimitable voice. Houston's trademark mezzo-soprano an acrobatic instrument equally capable of taking off on fantastic flights and unwinding for hushed meditations benefits from the fantastic airiness and transparency afforded by this meticulously restored edition. Whitney has never sounded or looked better. The crossover landmark deserves nothing less.
Issued just two years after Houston's breakthrough debut, Whitney immediately signaled the genre-defying singer's intent to continue to push ahead and expand her palette. Shot by photographer Richard Avedon, the album cover depicts an iconic image of Houston captured with a gleaming smile, bright eyes, teased-out afro, toned arms, and a right hand that appears to wave a friendly hello whose active, athletic profile stands in contrast to the extremely formal sit-down shot of her that graces her '85 record. The change is telling: Whitney overflows with unfettered joy, rhythmic vibes, and deep-seated emotions that forever endeared her to the hearts and minds of countless listeners and which set the standard for the wave after wave of divas that followed in her footsteps.
It's no coincidence that the first track on Whitney is the declarative "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Like Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Madonna's "Material Girl," the feel-good smash is one of the quintessential '80s gems a lithe, melodic, celebratory release of pent-up energy and loneliness that glides across club floors, shouts to the rooftops, and shrugs off any concerns about vulnerability or embarrassment. Houston's swooping voice moves in sync with the sleek beats and dipping-and-diving synths. She practically takes her fellow musicians by their hand and leads them in a blissful dance that nobody would dare sidestep. Focusing on Houston's singing a task made challenging only because of the impossible-to-ignore hooks and grooves showcases the virtuosic facets of not only her register but her control, discipline, smoothness, and warmth.
That she replicates those feats for the entirety of the nearly 53 minute-long album makes Whitney that much more special. Houston reaches back and channels her childhood gospel training on the R&B-flared "So Emotional"; effortlessly slips into Quiet Storm mode on the duet with her mother, gospel great Cissy Houston, on "I Know Him So Well"; flirts with smooth jazz and collaborates with tenor saxophonist Kenny G on the lush "Just the Lonely Talking Again"; conjures dreamscapes and shadow-boxes with supple funk on a romantic cover of the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You"; and, for the majestic power ballad "Didn't We Almost Have It All," displays the sky-scraping reach of her vocals amid a grand arrangement made even bigger by Houston's sweeping performance and triumphant finish.
Houston's once-in-a-generation talents weren't lost on the adoring public, radio deejays, or industry experts. In addition to harboring four N° 1 hits and receiving nominations for four Grammy Awards, Whitney generated another Top 10 success in the guise of the Afro-Cuban-leaning "Love Will Save the Day". The album also netted Houston four American Music Awards; two Billboard Music Awards; back-to-back People's Choice Awards; a Soul Train Award; and various other accolades. It all makes the crux of the Washington Post's July '87 review of the album appear prophetic : "Her voice sounds stronger still and the songs are varied but so consistent she could garner 10 Top 10s out of a field of 11".
That claim still holds true. A brilliant fusion of pop, R&B, smooth jazz, and soul, Whitney is a showstopper and one of the key reasons Houston is the most-awarded female artist of all time.
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