In the span of one decade, Whitney Houston has attained the status of an internationally recognized mega-star in the field of music, motion pictures, and television. To date, her Arista recordings and videos have amassed global sales exceeding 100 million copies. The three films in which she has starred in the 1990s: The Bodyguard, Waiting To Exhale, and The Preacher's Wife - have not only broken box office records but have generated widely successful selling soundtrack albums and hit singles in the process. Whitney's recent roles as both star and Executive Producer of the "Wonderful World of Disney" all-star production of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" brought further praise and no less than seven Emmy award nominations. The "My Love Is Your Love" album is a milestone in Whitney Houston's recording career. This will mark Houston's fourth studio album and her first non-soundtrack related album in eight years. The specially chosen "A-List" of hit making producers and songwriters who contributed to the project include the acclaimed Wyclef Jean: top Hip-Hop star Missy Elliot, who penned and produced two tracks: Grammy Award winning producers Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and David Foster and the young hit producer Rodney Jenkins. The new album is heralded by Whitney's historic duet with Mariah Carey on "When You Believe [from The Prince Of Egypt)," written by reowned lyricist Stephen Schwartz and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, from Dreamworks animated Biblical epic. Other Babyface tracks include the Diane Warren written ballad "You'll Never Stand Alone" and his own stirring "Until You Come Back."
June 25th, 1999 = When I was in the orchestra pit to see Whitney perform live!
Tour book cover
My Whitney Houston Tour shirt
A Concert Review from Chicago: By Janine Jones
Hello, My name is Janine Jones and I went to the Chicago concert of whitney. It was da bomb. At first when we got there we was so excited that we went to the bathroom at least twice. Then when we picked up our tickets they said pit seats 2nd row. That really made our day and as soon as they opened up the doors they showed us where our seats were and we took off running. They were so close that Whitney could actually touch us if she wanted to. Anyway 112 came out and gave a performance which was a surprise because no one had mentioned it at all. They was great anyway. Then Whitney came out singing my favorite song, Get It Back. Strutting her stuff down the staircase. The whole time Whitney kept eye contact with my best friend Joi Harrell and I. Before the show we met a girl name Amber which was one of the lucky memebers that got to go on stage. We was asking her what the experience was like and she was excited. Then the lady that picked her to go on stage the night before came over to talk to her and we met her. As soon as she came over we said, " We wanna go on stage and meet Whitney, and she said are you in the fan club?", and we awnsered yes with the quickness. Then the show started as i said before and it was great. It was my first time ever going to a Whitney concert or a concert period and it was a great first time experience. as the show went on whitney was singing exhale shoop shoop and she saw Joi and I doing the bank head bounce and she did it right along with us smiling and replied " i'm banking i'm banking." i couldn't believe that she was talking to us. The show ended and i had forgotten all about us supposidly going up on stage but Joi's father, mr. percy harrell didn't. he said to us, "now you two were the two chosen to go on stage with Whitney, but she took it out of her show. as soon as he said that, Joi and I was running over to Lynn asking what happened and she told us the same thing. But we just kept on asking and she finally said " okay if you wait here we'll see what we can do.." so we waited and after some minutes she took us back there. Whitney is so normal that my mother and eveybody else just walked past her without noticing who she was. I didn't i knew as soon as i walked in. we had to wait for her to take pictures with arista so while we waited i saw Mrs. Cissy Houston sitting in a chair and so we spoke to her and got her autograph also. my mother and Jois mother got along with her so well that they were whispering to each other and talking like they were old times friends, it was truly funny. So our time had finally came and she gretted Joi first with Joi saying "Its Possible" and Whitney replied back with "yes it is, anythings possible". Then they hugged and Joi said what she had to say and got her autograph. Then it was my turn and i didn't know what to say. I was speechless. I hugged her and just kept smiling. all these years i wa planning what i was going to say if i ever met her and right then i couldn't say nothing. my mom says it was shock, and that whitney knew what i ws going through cause she just smiled back. i sure hope so cause i really didn't say a word. she gave me her autograph and everybody that was with us hugs. she was so nice to us. Then my mom told her we was in the fan club and i showed her my laminate and she was like " cool, yeah you are". so those laminates came in handy thanks fan club!!!!! Then it was time for us to leave and she left too. that was the most important day in my life and when i got home i got on my knees and really thanked god for that day. and what made it so special was that i got surprised with a limo. we arrived in a lincoln stretch limo. it was cool cause i actually felt like i was whitney. I want to thank Mr. and Mrs Harrell, my mom, robyn at the fan club, and lynn for making my night special. witheout any of you that night wouldn't have happened. and especially to joi for sharing that night with me i wouldn't have have had anyone else to spend it with besides you. That night just would have been nothing. whitney to for being so nice and proving to me even morre why i picked you as my role model and mentor. Bobbi Kris is really lucky to have someone like you in her life. not just because you're Whitney Houston but because you're a great human being and a good role model to girls of all ages and races. Keep up the good work.
She is so lucky...she got to meet Whitney!!
Track Listning
1. It's Not Right But It's Okay
2. Heartbreak Hotel
3. My Love Is Your Love
4. When You Believe (Duet w/Mariah Carey
5. If I Told You That
6. In My Business
7. I Learned From The Best
8. Oh Yes
9. Get It Back
10. Until You Come Back
11. I Bow Out
12. You'll Never Stand Alone
13. I Was Made To Love Him
My Love Is Your Love is as diverse as Houston's five-octave range. The funky duo of Soulshock & Karlin produced "Heartbreak Hotel" which includes two of today's top female vocalists, Faith Evans and Kelly Price. David Foster produced the classic Whitney straight-from-the-heart ballad "I Learned From The Best," written by Diane Warren. Top young record producer Rodney Jenkins delivered three tracks including the infectious "It's Not Right, Buts It's Okay," the destined worldwide dance anthem "If I Told You That," and the hot "Get It Back." Whitney Houston's contemporary and edgy side prevails with the Missy Elliot written and produced track, "In My Business" and the ballad "Oh Yes," a classic side of Whitney rarely every heard before. The title-track of the album was produced by Wyclef Jean (of the Fugees). The haunting and emotional lyrics of "My Love Is Your Love" will not soon be forgotten. Summarizing the worldwide scope and impact of My Love Is Your Love, Arista Records President Clive Davis, the album's CO-producer (along with Whitney puts it best, "Every one of Whitney's legions of fans marvel at her instrument and it's range and depth, and truly never before has anyone heard her like this." She swoops, she caresses she hip-hops and she bells. Never younger, more contemporary or more soulful. This bar none is the best album she has ever recorded and solidifies her legacy and places in musical history. In short the new album adds luster to a career marked by one history-making success after another.
Ebony Article on Whitney and "My Love Is Your Love"
With 5-octave vocals, a dazzling production and high-style dance and fashion, Whitney Houston is taking the music world by storm with her first concert tour in five years.
No one is suprised by the success of the tour or the brilliance of Whitney's voice.
But the devine diva is creating quite a stir around the world, and her concert tickets are in great demand.
Kicking off in Chicago, and going on to thrill audiences in Detroit, Boston, NYC, Atlanta, Memphis, L.A. and other major US cities, she and her entourage have criss-crossed the country and created glowing headlines in the process. She is about to take the spectacular show to Europe, where a ticket frenzy already is in motion.
She reveals she has mixed emotions about the tour. "I love performing: that's what I do," she says. "I love singing and I love it with my soul The actual touring part is a strain. If you can just keep your focus on what you really love to do and what you're out there for, it can be a joyous thing."
"You get that love from the people. It lets me know that all the madness I go through, all the stuff that the business has to offer with all its madness; it makes it worthwhile.
Whitney adds that this time out, she wanted to do theaters rather than arenas; most of the venues have seating for 5000 to 6000 people. "I wanted to be closer to the people, more intimate," she explains.
During the interview, she explains that she is not pushing her daughter into show business prematurely, but that BK asked to participate and that already she is showing an inclination for performing.
Bobby chimes in, "All I can say is that they don't live with us; they never have", he says of critics. "Obviously they don't know love because if they knew love, they could look into our eyes and tell, without even reading the paper or listening to the tabloids or thinking about things that have happened personally with us.
"If the naysayers, would just do that, then I promise they'll get more music from her, they'll get more movies from us, they'll get everything they deserve". But it just takes them to back off and give us our space. Stop being cruel... it's our prerogative to love eachother. We can put all this in a song. She wants to dance with somebody who loves her."