10 Favourite Whitney Houston Songs

By Waiching

The cousin of the famous Dionne Warwick, goddaughter of the singing great, Aretha Franklin, born Whitney Elizabeth Houston, she was arguably the third biggest Black African American crossover artist after Michael Jackson and Prince to make an impact and impression on the commercial mainstream pop market, particularly in the 1980s by effortlessly and richly melding R&B, soul and pop into one package. Since her breakout smash, I Wanna Dance With Somebody that helped put her on the map, Whitney's talents didn't go unnoticed. A forerunner of a true R&B & pop diva, Whitney's success paved the way for other female artists such as Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Beyonce and Rihanna to follow suit.

Her arrival on the pop scene during the mid-1980s ensued at a time when she was one of the very few pop artists and acts to not only have the looks, but also the singing voice to back it up as well: something that the pop scene didn't appear to have much to speak of. Whitney had one of the biggest, as well as legendary voices to ever grace the pop industry.

There is no denying the success Whitney Houston has managed to expand upon from pop to R&B, in addition to the hits she racked up from the 1980s to mid to late- 2000s whereby her music transitioned into adult contemporary and gospel, and even though she is best remembered for her ballads, Whitney was no slouch when it came to up-tempo numbers, either. She is a terrific vocalist, - always has been, always will be and in terms of records and anthems, she has had some amazing corkers under her belt that reigns as some of the best pop music ever made; there is one 'but', and that is and I'd wished she released more danceable and energetic songs and less so of the gloopy ballads. Some of these are good, some are all right, whilst the rest are somewhat over killed.

Whitney's biggest hit is the (somewhat) iconic Dolly Parton cover, I Will Always Love You, taken from The Bodyguard movie soundtrack, which spent a staggering 14 weeks at #1 in 1992.

Her tragic death in 2012 reignited and rekindled interest in not only her hits but also her unreleased material: B-sides, album tracks and so-called 'chart misses' that failed to crack the top 10. The chart success of the 2019 Kygo offering, Higher Love - a remake of a song that was exclusive in Japan- only & originally recorded and sung by Steve Winwood, further proves that Whitney's legacy still lives on today, and although she is gone, Whitney Houston will never be forgotten. Especially if her older songs are going to be updated & embraced by and for modern audiences and today's generation. 

1. So Emotional (1987) - My #1 choice when it comes to Whitney Houston songs, this takes elements from How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody and adds in a powerhouse, edgier rock feel, tinged with an 80s' electronica beat. Critics were on the fence with this song, but the sure-fire energy she injects into the record and upbeat feel it projects make it as one of the best songs penned by the duo of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly with Narada Michael Walden's masterful and slick production. It reigned on the U.S Billboard chart for over 3 months after reaching #1 in the Billboard Hot 100. One of Whitney's rare attempts at pop-rock, the end result is that So Emotional is an awesome record.

2. One Moment In Time (1988) - the anthem of the 1988 Seoul Olympic games, it needed someone with a booming voice as huge as Whitney's to bring this song to life. This majestic, inspirational, dynamic and rousing number also yielded her best performance of the song at the 1989 Grammy's. It is also the best Olympics song, ever produced that ought to be the official anthem of the Olympics. She has delivered so many times, but in One Moment In Time, as she hits those high notes with ease and perfection, vocally, this is amiably Whitney at her pinnacle best in that respect. 

3. Higher Love (1990) - later remade and re-recorded by Kygo as a dance-pop single in 2019 and it scored Whitney her first posthumous hit, as well as the #2 spot on the UK top 40 - almost 29 years after. Whitney's rendition was the bonus track on the Japanese version of the I'm Your Baby Tonight LP. This cover of the well-known Steve Winwood effort is great. There I said it; Whitney's version is so on point and if there was anyone who could bring that soul factor, it was going to be her. Both versions are great, but Whitney's twist doesn't diminish the song and make it any less inferior to the original, either.

4. My Love Is Your Love (1999) - a mellow neo-soul R&B number produced ex-Fugees' Wyclef Jean, it features a snippet of Bobbi Kristina, Whitney's daughter, it is emotional with a nice, steady pace and became a huge hit around the world with sales in the excess of 3 million copies sold. That, & the Wyclef Jean remix isn't too bad either.

5. All The Man That I Need (1990) - a cover of a Sister Sledge and Linda Clifford song that didn't blow up the charts first time round, it became one of Whitney's chart-toppers as her second single off the 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' LP, & she single-handedly comes to life in this power ballad. This is one of my favourite ballads of hers that gives me goosebumps; probably in the top 3 for me. Forget 'I Will Always Love You' - this my Whitney ballad of choice. 

6. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (1987) - though she is best remembered for her ballads, this was our first introduction to Whitney and this uptempo number caught on and became a memorable classic. The Grammy award-winning song for best female pop vocal performance, it still gets airplay on radio stations today.

7. How Will I Know (1987) - originally for Janet Jackson she passed up on this one, this is a fun, upbeat & catchy poppy bop number written by Boy Meets Girl's George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam (who were also responsible for I Wanna Dance With with Somebody) with production by Michael Narada Walden

8. Takin' A Chance (1990) - a sizable hit as an exclusive single in Japan, but like with Higher Love, these were unreleased songs from I'm Your Baby Tonight LP, and Takin' A Chance, the B-side to the single, I'm Your Baby Tonight was co-written by Whitney, as well as Keith Thomas and Bebe Winans. After successfully tackling Higher Love, this is another lesser-known and unfamiliar Whitney Houston song with the late '80s - early '90s spunky feel that could do well with the Kygo revamp/remix treatment in today's pop climate.

9. Love Is A Contact Sport (1988) - 7'' vinyl B-side to One Moment In Time, it's a coincidence that both songs each have a sports connection: One Moment In Time was released as the official anthem and soundtrack that coincided with the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea; Whilst the main song was inspirational and sweeping, Love Is A Contact Sport is more of a celebratory fest, but a frothy & fun one too that you can work out to. 

10. My Name Is Not Susan (1990) - Funky early 90s' R&B penned by Kenneth Babyface Edwards, this is the cousin of I'm Your Baby Tonight and a really great song 


Honourable Mentions: I Have Nothing, I'm Your Baby Tonight, For The Love of You, Lover for Life, Anymore, I Belong to You, If I Told You That, I Learned From The Best, Saving All My Love For You, Shock Me (With Jermaine Jackson), Love Will Save The Day, My Name Is Not Susan, Like I Never Left (feat. Akon), Could I Have This Kiss Forever (feat Enrique Iglesias), Call You Tonight, Million Dollar Bill (remix), Moment of Truth

10 Favourite Katy Perry Music Videos

By Waiching

Crafting hit after hit, Katy Perry, as well as several music video producers, have managed to etch out some visually appealing music videos to accompany her songs & savvy and sassy attitude. 

Since 2008's breakout I Kissed a Girl, Santa Barbera's very own Katy Perry (born on October 25 in 1984) has managed to present as herself as both the girl-next-door type and someone who isn't afraid of challenging herself, as represented through her diverse and never-ending various looks, the ideas and concepts of her videos and her career, which has ignited and thrived for almost two decades after her first album. Despite some bumps along the way (with 2017's Witness being cited as the low point in her career by many), Katy has cranked out several hits, setting a trailblazing impact in the pop world and became the latest female solo pop star to rise to superstar stardom. The unique visual and creative ideas & aspects that accompany her pop videos set the standard for the pop world to live up to. 

These are my 10 chosen Katy Perry music videos to date: 

1. Swish Swish (2018) - It's one of the most entertaining music videos of Katy's I've enjoyed sitting through with its basketball theme, a cameo by Terry Crews and Katy Perry paying homage to the now late great Kobe Bryant, it's like a human version of Space Jam. What it lacks musically in terms of its pop-feel, there is never a dull moment around and always something happening every few seconds in the video. It's occasionally witty and humorous, poking fun and having fun with the sport.

2. This Is How We Do (2014) - a pop art-style looking video for an (underrated) song which wasn't as successful as I'd thought it would be & should have been, it is accompanied by numerous outfit and hairstyle changes. Oh and the twerking ice cream cone, priceless

3. Chained To The Rhythm feat. Skip Marley (2017) - analysing the music video today, it appears that it was way ahead of its time, with the song's lyrics (penned by Sia) becoming more relevant particularly during the current coronavirus crisis. Bombed back in 2017 amidst the LP, Witness, it turns out Chained To The Rhythm is a really good song with a catchy chorus and melody, combined with a video that packs a strong & rather compelling political/social message, but is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 

4. E.T. (2011) - probably the game changer for Katy Perry in her evolution as a solo artist, her music videos up until this point weren't as dynamic and daring as this, but in E.T, as well as a cameo from Kanye West, we have a song about making out with an extraterrestrial and therein lies a bizarre-yet stylised intergalactic-themed, sci-fi video production. Its chart success led to more creatively ambitious and as equally bolder music videos of Katy's later on, as she transforms herself into an alien travelling through space.    

5. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) (2011) - a take on the 1980s with a teenybopper feel with guest appearances by Glee's Darren Criss and Kevin McHale, '80s singer, Debbie Gibson & Kenny G in a clip inspired by an '80s montage and Katy playing a nerdy teenager, Kathy Beth who goes through a transformation from a dork to a beauty queen with big hair.  

6. Bon Appetit feat. Migos & Quavo (2017) - MasterChef given the quirky Katy Perry twist, like Swish Swish, if it wasn't for the cannibalistic-ish, yet entertaining music video being as visually pleasing to the eye, I wouldn't have paid much attention to the song. But with the video, it made me like the song, just a little more. Talk about the expression, 'food porn', this is it, and a so-called flop that, nonetheless, garnered almost 1 billion views on Youtube, like Swish Swish, Bon Appetit represented the experimental period of Witness. 

Image credit: Popsugar 

7. Dark Horse feat. Juicy J (2014) - her first crossover moment blends pop with trap, hip- hop and R&B, the video sees Katy as a character named, Katy Patra - a play on Cleopatra in Memphis, Eygpt. In 2015, Dark Horse became the first music video by a female artist to hit 1 billion views for Vevo on YouTube and is nearing 3 billion to date. Not only is this one of the most unconventional songs coming from songwriter and producer Max Martin, but also from Perry herself.

8. Roar (2013) - this jungle-inspired hit and lead single off Prism has claimed over 3 billion views on YouTube and the video sees Katy Perry in the role of a female version of Tarzan. A fan favourite, Roar manages to get little kids and older fans singing at the top of their lungs. After her exploits here, I wouldn't mind seeing how Katy fares on 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!'

9. Smile (2020) - There are two versions of this latest song that she has released, but my favourite is the performance one with Katy dressed as and looking like a clown, - pardon my pun. She looked terrific here. The song itself is like a mixture of California Gurls with This is How We Do. The end result is that of being one of her best efforts of the late 2020s. 

10. Part of Me (2012) - a video that is not so much Private Benjamin as it is G.I Jane, Perry plays the role of a cadet/soldier who finds out her boyfriend cheated on her with another woman, dumps him and enrols herself in the U.S army. The video's theme, as well as song lyrics, affirmed themes of self-confidence, female empowerment, self-belief and battling against all the odds and triumphing in the end.


Honourable Mentions: Peacock, Rise, 365 feat. Zedd, Teenage Dream, Feels feat. Calvin Harris, Pharell Williams and Big Sean, Daisies (Can't Cancel Pride), Waking Up In Vegas, Never Really Over, Small Talk

Foreign Language Pop: Reggaeton's Struggle In The UK & Why We Need To Embrace It More

'if we sang in English, we would have global No.1's, and no one would say anything' - Nicky Jam


By Waiching

Back in the 1990s, - two decades before the explosion of the song, 2018's Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee's Despacito - which was remade & released for the mainstream Western market with Justin Bieber's vocals added, Spanish language music wasn't taken seriously, with novelty tracks in The Ketchup Song by Las Ketchup and Los Del Rio's smash hit of 1996, Macarena still etched in people's memories. &, lest not forget, one of the biggest one-hit wonders of all-time. Despacito spent 16 consecutive weeks at #1; thus it made Billboard chart history along with J.Balvin and Willy William's Mi Gente, with two non-English songs appearing in the top 10 simultaneously. With Despacito being the biggest and most successful Spanish-language pop song, it heralded a new wave of Latin music acts in the likes of J. Balvin, Ozuna, Bad Bunny, Rosalia, Maluma and singing & rapping in Spanish & showing that this is a good thing; that Spanish pop didn't have to be corny or cheesy, but that it can be cool and it has its own sound that no one has heard of before.

Originating as an underground genre in Puerto Rico in the 1980s and early 1990s, reggaeton's Afro-Latino roots lie in Jamaican and dancehall music and is a fusion of R&B, hip hop, salsa, merengue & reggae; it is also a genre that is primarily dominated by male artists & is often blighted by overt sexism and stereotypes of women and hyper-masculinity. Musically, it combines rap and singing, whilst the rhythms of reggaeton are strongly categorised by repetitions and the songs themselves are bouncy, upbeat and energetic. With its danceable beats & cultural-feel, reggaeton quickly spread in popularity amongst Hispanic Americans and throughout South American regions, as well as Spain and has become the preferred choice of music in trendy clubs, nightclubs and for party-goers & at the forefront of Spanish language music. The most notable and well-known reggaeton songs are Despacito, Gasolina by Daddy Yankee, Subeme La Radio with Enrique Iglesias featuring Descemer Bueno, Zion and Lennox, as well as Bailando (also by Enrique Iglesias). 

Reggaeton has shifted the music paradigm of Latin America & Spain in today's generation to the extent to which it has eclipsed other traditional Spanish-based music genres by evolving through its sound and still remaining current. 

Reggaeton is a big deal in the U.S. and in 2016, the Swedish music service, Spotify declared that it was the most popular type of music for many Spaniards, inasmuch as in the UK market this isn't a type of music that is particularly well known here, seeing it remains an inconspicuous sub-genre that is targeted at and marketed towards pan- Latino, as well as native and local Spanish speaking folks and one that hasn't been consumed by the masses, nor really been exploited. Perhaps this has to do with UK-based Latin and reggaeton artists, who are not getting the exposure and airplay on commercial radio; that they are overlooked by promoters, DJs and record producers in the music industry, of whom don't see reggaeton, & particularly UK reggaeton, as a viable and profitable market to invest money into it.

Perhaps this has to do with the language barrier and people's resistance to move past that aspect that partly explains why reggaeton, and foreign language pop, is not as popular and prominent over here. Back in the 1980s, foreign language pop was a rarity that Brit music lovers shrugged off and during the 1990s, European artists from Germany, Denmark, Sweden such as Ace of Base, The Real McCoy sang songs in English and in the late 1990s, in Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias, these Latin pop artists broke through the U.S and UK mainstream by releasing and performing songs in English, instead of native Spanish.  

Outside of the Latin American and Spanish markets, & like K-Pop, these are genres that have a small niche following outside the Western pop world; this has a lot to do with migrants from South America and Spain choosing to move over to and emigrate in America (America being 'the land of the free'), and America has one of the largest Latino communities and is second only to Mexico in terms of the global Spanish speaking population. By comparison, there are over 46 million people residing in native Spain, who speak Spanish but there aren't many Spanish speaking people living in the UK, in contrast to Los Angeles and parts of Southern U.S such as San Antonio, El Paso and Miami. Which is funny as a) Spanish is fast becoming to be the second most spoken language of choice in Britain behind English and b) Spain is one of the top holiday destinations for sun-loving British travellers and tourists. Hearing Spanish in spoken and conversational form is nothing new to them, yet hearing Spanish being sung and rapped by artists in musical form is a different thing that is cultural, and for many of them, unfamiliar. 

We also need to factor in reggaeton artists teaming up with American, Canadian and or British mainstream acts and finding crossover and chart success: as well as Justin Bieber and Luis Fonsi, there is boyband CNCO and UK girl group, Little Mix on Reggaeton Lento; Katy Perry with Daddy Yankee for Con Calma and just recently, Dua Lipa with J.Balvin, Bad Bunny and Tainy on Un Dia (One Day). Sure it makes it a tad more accessible for general audiences; it is that they feel there is a need to have an Anglophone/English speaking artist to make it more accessible and less complicated as they are singing or rapping in English & in us fully understanding and knowing what they are saying and for us to get behind the song and to like/love it. 

Herbie Hancock once said that music is an art form that transcends language, but many British audiences still take some convincing before they connect with a non-English language song.

Yet this may change with digital music services in Spotify, Youtube and online radio and streaming, whereby people from all over the world and outside the Americas can access and listen to radio stations that play Reggaeton and Spanish language songs and music and thus, they and we are listening more widely beyond the traditional UK stations especially of whom these rarely or don't play Latin & reggaeton music. Latin music's explosion and appeal in popularity are due in a small part to these platforms, which with that fans and music listeners could acquire and connect with these artists. The internet, I think what is great about music is even if you don't speak the language that well, or understand what they are singing or rapping out, the universality of the beats, the sounds and music itself has an emotional and powerful impact and can make us sing or dance or bring joy to us. 

''I think Spotify and Youtube have a lot to do with what's going on. Before music was curated by the record industry gatekeepers, who were generally middle class, middle-aged White men. And now, it's curated by the masses'' - Sebastian Krys, music producer

Reggaeton has its share of detractors, as well as fans; and whilst a lot of reggaeton is sung in Spanish, it is technically not a Spanish music genre derived from Spain aka Espana, as it hails from Puerto Rico, which is central American. 

I didn't fully get into reggaeton and Spanish & Latin pop until say March of this year, and I paid attention to it via online internet radio and now it has become one of my favourite genres alongside pop, R&B, dance, but the songs are a key factor, and there are a considerable number of reggaeton songs that I enjoy listening to a lot. 

A lot of pop music is sung in English, but there is always a place in the music world for artists of all nationalities and of all languages if people not only give reggaeton, K-pop, J-pop etc a chance, but who can connect to it and enjoy its beats, irrespective of where you come from. Language is of diversity, multicultural, it represents how extremely diverse and universal our world is and through the medium of music is part of the bigger and wider picture of how the industry perceives and markets the artists and our consumption habits, and that how audiences and listeners focus on the lyrical, vocal, cultural and to a lesser extent, racial aspects in order to know and to understand.

However, one doesn't have to completely understand the lyrics and translate them to English to appreciate a great song and one that is sung in a foreign language. It may help a little, but If I enjoy and love the song, then that means more to me than anything else. If only the UK and the UK music industry would see that reggaeton, Spanish pop, as well as K-Pop has a place in the music scene, just as by embracing and investing in its talent. 

Spotify- My Reggaeton Playlist

Mini Retro Review: The Shepherd (2008) #badmovies

The Shepherd
2008
Action

The Shepherd isn't a terrible film - it's a bland DTV/straight-to-DVD actioner that is just unbelievably boring and forgettable with a lazy approach going for it. Jean -Claude ditches the flashy moves in favour of a more wham, bam style in terms of fighting. A New Orleans cop relocates to New Mexico & help border patrol stem the flow of drug smugglers and illegal immigrants. The story is mundane and in all honesty, one watches a Van Damme film just to see him beat up the bad guys, although fights here are nothing you haven't seen before - and he had better fight scenes and action sequences in several films back in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of his films aren't great, but some of them do have an entertainment factor going for them: sadly though this offering just isn't it. Van Damme is okay, but the older Van Damme ditched the showboating antics, the script is questionable and weak and still, nobody who tunes in will care and the action is cliched. The use of sped-up footage can be offputting, whilst the main villain should have been Scott Adkins, as opposed to the other actor. The fight between Adkins and Van Damme wasn't bad though. As far as JCVD offerings go, I've seen several of them, and yet The Shepherd is the blandest I have come across so far. I just couldn't believe how tiresome this was. 


Is It Worth Watching?

Die-hard Jean- Claude fanatics only


Overall: