Whitney Houston

Bodyguard

The Bodyguard

Review Score:

(6/10)
Technically, this soundtrack should solely be known as a "Whitney Houston" recording for a few reasons. She dominates the first half of this soundtrack with stirring and powerful songs, while the other half of this soundtrack contains a random mix of artists. Even when people talk about this soundtrack to this day, they only mention Whitney Houston's name, but they never mention the other artists on this soundtrack. They make it seem as if she is the only artist on this soundtrack. Well, that's because Whitney's songs were the ones that made this soundtrack the multi-million selling phenomenon it became when it was released in the fall of 1992. The other artists are virtually non-existent with their bland and forgettable songs that should not have been included in the first place. All of Whitney's songs, with the exception of "Jesus Loves Me", are good songs that reflect the movie's plot about a love that develops between a superstar singer and the bodyguard who is hired to protect her. The exception that I mentioned, "Jesus Loves Me", is a random song that does not fit into this soundtrack. I wonder what relevance or connection this song had with the movie. The first track, "I Will Always Love You", is the central driving force and catalyst of this soundtrack. It's the song that people remember when they think of "The Bodyguard". I like Whitney's version of this Dolly Parton classic, but I also think people should check out Dolly Parton's version because it is just as stirring and beautiful (if not more so). Whitney also does an updated version of the Chaka Kahn classic, "I'm Every Woman". This song is a fast-paced and fun affirmation of the power and beauty of womanhood. It's nice that Whitney gives credit to Chaka Kahn in the song when she says "Chaka Kahn" a few times in the end.

Whitney's vocals are very powerful and the notes she hits are amazing (even if some notes become too much at times and a little too uncomfortable on the ears..."I Have Nothing"). With this song, and in general, Whitney should reach for more emotion as opposed to seeing how many high notes she can hit and how long she can hold them. I feel at times the songs are more about the execution of the notes, and not about the potential emotions that are embedded in them. At times, her singing comes off as too calculated or careful. I like the emotion and spontaneity I hear instead from Whitney's R&B contemporaries like Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans. Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans sound more organic in their songs.

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