Whitney's Comeback

Whitney Houston is 46 years old. But to most of us she's still the 20-something smiling and singing her heart out on her biggest 80's hits. But on her first album in 7 years, she's sounds older. And wiser. The voice isn't as pure as it was 20 years ago. There's a fray around the edges. Her life has played out in front of us, and recently it wasn't pretty. And now those years have caught up to her. But the roughness suits her. She now sounds like a woman, a 46 year old woman, who has lived and seen much more than she ever thought she would. Or maybe she now realizes how influential she really has been. No Mariah, Mary J., Beyonce without her? It's possible. Under the guidance of Clive Davis, she still gets the hippest names, if not the best songs. There are no classics here, but the Alicia Keys one that leads off is the best (and it's uptempo).
I Look To You is a surprise because my expectations were so low. And who would have thought that a few years ago?