Just Whitney

1	One of Those Days 4:15
2	Tell Me No 3:44
3	Things You Say 4:10
4	My Love / Bobby Brown 3:27
5	Love That Man 3:27
6	Try It on My Own 4:40
7	Dear John Letter 4:33
8	Unashamed 3:38
9	You Light Up My Life 3:41
10	Whatchulookinat 3:33

Barnes & Noble

Weathering rumors of drug addiction, spousal abuse, and even her demise following her skeletal appearance at 2001's Michael Jackson tribute concert, Whitney Houston strikes back with a bold disc. Attaching her peerless pipes to often unapologetic lyrics, the diva lets the music answer tabloid tattlers. On the dramatic, Babyface-produced "Tell Me No," Houston pleads, "You criticize my actions, but I don't see you standing in my shoes," and on the triumphant power ballad, "Try It on My Own" (also produced by 'Face), Houston blares, "I'm stronger now/ I've learned from my mistakes which way to go." Just a few lines later, however, the defiant songbird proclaims, "I'll live my life the way I feel/ No matter what I'll keep it real." Well, that's for sure. On the duet "My Love," she and Bobby Brown knock skeptics who thought their torrid, ten-year union wouldn't last, and on the mid-tempo "Unashamed" she declares she "lives her life with no regrets." Musically, Houston is most famous for soaring, chart-busting anthems such as her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," and she hopes to duplicate that success here with a reverential remake of Debby Boone's ubiquitous '70s hit "You Light Up My Life." Houston's spitfire personality, however, shines through best on sassy midtempo songs such as the She'kspere-produced "One of Those Days," which samples the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets," and the Missy Elliott-produced "Things You Say." Although the disc seems short at ten songs, the confessional Just Whitney... is more than enough to herald the return of this living legend. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

The four-year wait between 2002's Just Whitney and her previous album, 1998's My Love Is Your Love, was half that between that record and its predecessor, 1990's I'm Your Baby Tonight; Whitney retreated from the spotlight with this album, and as she canceled concerts, scrapped albums, and pulled out of public appearances, rumors swirled that she and husband Bobby Brown were dangerously addicted to drugs. Following a disastrous performance at the September 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert, where she looked as if she had already wasted away, the chattering reached a fever pitch and she needed to restore her reputation -- hence the title of Just Whitney: an assertion that she's returning to her basics. This self-styled comeback album is a 40-minute set of contemporary soul. Whitney is in fine voice she's fortunate enough to have Babyface for four productions, three of which are among the highlights of the album. Though Missy Elliott produces a track here, this is nowhere near as concerned with hip production as My Love is Your Love was, and who can blame her? [Also available with a bonus DVD.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine