Gay News from London: Whitney Houston Is Back In Business

TABLOID HEADLINES AND DIVORCE DRAMA COULDN’T KEEP A RADIANT WHITNEY HOUSTON AWAY FROM SHOWING OFF HER PEARLY WHITES AT THE CAROUSEL OF HOPE BALL LAST WEEK, AS THE GREATEST VOICE EVER STEPPED BACK INTO THE SPOTLIGHT, REVEALING SHE IS NOT ONLY STEPPING OUT, SHE IS ALSO STEPPING BACK UP TO THE MICROPHONE.

Although initially a slow seller, her self-titled debut album that was released in 1985, meant the kick off of Whitney’s successful music career. Eventually the album sold twenty-four million copies worldwide, and became the best selling debut album by a female artist, until that record was broken by Britney Spears Baby One More Time in 1998. Between 1987 and 1990 Whitney produced two more album before trying her luck in an acting career. All with big success.

When Whitney releases Your Love Is My Love in 1998, her fourth studio album, she surprised the world with a complete new sound. The album, originally planned as a greatest hits, was more hip hop and R&B driven. The album sold eleven million worldwide, just like her Greatest Hits that was released two years later. Unfortunately this also seemed to be the end of a successful career. Shortly before the release of her Greatest Hits album in 2000, airport security discovered several grams of marijuana in Whitney’s luggage but she and Bobby boarded the plane before the police arrived.

Even though Whitney signed the biggest record deal in history in 2001, she failed to match the success she enjoyed in her earlier years. Just Whitney, released in 2002 was received mostly modest reviews and her long anticipated 2003 Christmas album did not even make it to the gold status, and became her first album not to do so. Whitney lost her top place in the hit charts and only made it to publicity with rumors about her drug addiction, that became confirmed when the singer entered drug rehabilitation facilities in March 2004 and again in March 2005, and marriages problems.

Now, 21 years after her successful career start, Whitney seems to take control in her own hands again. She quite her drugs and she recently she filed for divorce from her husband-since-14-years Bobby Brown. And announced the release of a brand new studio album in Spring 2007. With a new attitude and a new album, Whitney Houston is back in business. -B-