| フォーマット | CDアルバム |
| 発売日 | 1991年10月14日 |
| 国内/輸入 | 輸入 |
| レーベル | Arista |
| 構成数 | 1 |
| パッケージ仕様 | - |
| 規格品番 | 8212 |
| SKU | 078221821223 |
構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:47:23
Personnel includes: Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston (vocals); Michael Gibbs (conductor); Shambbu Neil Vineberg (acoustic guitar); Paul Pesco, Ira Siegel, Dan Huff, Corrado Rustici, Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); Kenny G, Vincent Henry (saxophone); Jerry Hey, Marc Russo, Wayne Wallace (horns); Robbie Buchanan (Fender Rhodes piano); Preston Glass (keyboards, string synthesizer, percussion, programming); Kashif, Ralph Schukett, Walter "Baby Love" Afanasieff (keyboards, synthesizer); Randy Jackson (synthesizer, bass); Jack Waldman, Fred Zarr (synthesizer); Roy Ayers (vibraphone); Marcus Miller, Nathan East (bass); Narada Michael Walden, Paul Leim (drums); Greg "Gigi" Gonaway (electronic drums, tambourine); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).
Producers include: Narada Michael Walden; Jellybean, Kashif, Michael Masser.
Engineers include: Darroll Gustamachio, Michael DeLugg, Dean Burt.
Personnel: Whitney Houston (vocals); Cissy Houston, Julia Tillman Waters, Jermaine Jackson, Maxine Willard Waters, Oren Waters, Teddy Pendergrass, Yvonne Lewis (vocals); Dann Huff, David Williams , Ira Siegel, Timothy May (guitar); John Barnes (clarinet); Ernie Watts, Tom Scott (saxophone); Robbie Buchanan, Randy Kerber (keyboards); John "J.R." Robinson , Ed Greene (drums); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).
Audio Mixers: Michael Barbiero; Michael O'Reilly; Bill Bottrell; Bill Schnee.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Whitney Houston; Roy Wooten; John "J.R." Robinson ; David Williams ; Deborah Thomas; David Williams ; Fred Washington ; "Ready" Freddie Washington ; Mary Canty; Julia Tillman Waters; Michael Mancini; Greg Phillinganes; Ira Siegel; Joe Lala; Kashif; La La ; Maxine Willard Waters; Michael Masser; Michael O'Reilly; Paul Jackson, Jr. ; Randy Jackson ; Timothy May ; Yvonne Lewis.
Arrangers: Kashif; Narada Michael Walden.
As big a hit as it was -- and it was a multi-platinum blockbuster, spinning off several chart-toppers -- it's not easy to think of Whitney Houston's 1985 debut as the dawning of a new era, but it was. Arriving in the thick of MTV, when the slick sounds of yacht-soul were fading, Whitney Houston is the foundation of diva-pop, straddling clean, cheery R&B and big ballads designed with the adult contemporary audience in mind. Houston's background lay in the former -- actually, it was even riskier, encompassing a stint with the experimental Bill Laswell outfit Material -- and her benefactor Clive Davis knew all about selling records to the masses. Appealing as this album is, Davis may never have imagined how Whitney Houston would shift tastes, pushing toward skyscraping ballads where the singer's affectations, not the songs, were paramount -- a move that later led to hollow records, but on Whitney Houston the songs were as important as the immaculate productions. Certainly, the showstopping "Greatest Love of All" provided the blueprint for decades of divas, but it's the only overblown moment here, with the rest of the ballads -- notably "Saving All My Love for You" and "You Give Good Love" -- burning slowly and seductively, but what really impresses some 20-plus years on are the lighter tracks, particularly the breakthrough single "How Will I Know" and the unheralded "Thinking About You," a dance/R&B hit co-written by Kashif that remains one of Whitney's purest pop pleasures. These joyful, rhythmic moments faded away from Houston's later work -- and also rarely surfaced on the records of those who followed her -- but their presence on this debut turns this into a fully rounded record, the rare debut that manages to telegraph every aspect of an artist's career in a mere ten songs. [The 2010 25th anniversary edition of Whitney Houston is expanded with five bonus tracks -- remixes of "Thinking About You," "Someone for Me," "How Will I Know," a live version of "Greatest Love of All" from 1990, and a superfluous a cappella mix of "How Will I Know" -- and a bonus DVD containing music videos from the album, new interviews, and -- best of all -- Whitne
録音 : ステレオ (Studio)
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楽曲としての完成度の高い「すべてをあなたに」をはじめ、華やかなトップ・ランナー「恋は手さぐり」、G・ベンソンとは別モノの「グレイテスト・ラヴ・オブ・オール」、ドラマのクライマックスを演出する「オール・アット・ワンス」など、記憶に残る名曲が揃っている。秀曲が眩し過ぎるため、繋ぎの楽曲が湿地に思えてしまうほどだ。
そんな中、先行シングルに抜擢され、米盤ではオープニングを任されていた「そよ風の贈りもの」は、自分の中では長らく地味で印象の薄い存在だった。平均点は超えているがK点には達していない、無難にまとめてはいるが野心が覗えなかったところが高得点に至らなかったのかもしれない。踏み切りの後、特に失速したわけでもないのだが、曲のブリッジでの大ジャンプ(あるいはコペルニクス的転回)あるいは難易度の高い技を期待し過ぎたのかもしれない。ところが、最近、自分の中での評価が変わった。見えなかった景色が見えてきた、というか、聴こえなかった音が聴こえてきた、といった感じで、単に飛行距離だけでなく、飛形や着地の美しさにようやく気づくことができたのだ。自分にとっては大きな収穫だ。
この曲同様、第一印象は薄くても聴き込む度に自己評価が上がった楽曲というのがある。タイプは違うが、プレイヤーの「今こそ愛のとき」やローズ・ロイスの「アイ・ワナ・ゲット・ネクスト・トゥ・ユー」などがそれに当たる。例えが良くないかも知れないが…。