Whitney Houston

I'm Your Baby Tonight

Patchwork

Review Score:

(6/10)
Some may argue that this was'nt amongst Whitney Houstons most favourable work after the runaway success of her first pair of classic albums, Whitney Houston (1985), Whitney (1987). She progesses from the high energy out and out pop sounds that occupied her second album, Whitney (I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Love Will Save The Day, Love Is A Contact Sport) in favour of a more mature, street sound that perfectly captured her stunningly unique vocal style, which is nothing but absolutley power-packed on this collection. Her razor sharp delivery on the title track, I'm Your Baby Tonight is vastly impressive to say the least. the album hosts a multiple number of producers to credit including L.A Reid and Baby Face on another of the albums highlights, Miracle, a sensual ballard with soulful qualities as well as My Name Is Not Susan and the track Anymore, which gently steers into Hip-Hop. Other producers include Narada Michael Walden on the tracks All The Man That I Need, which contains an impressivley magnificent vocal performance from Whitney as well as on the beautifully mellow Lover For Life, which just sweeps you away and I Belong To You, which again is track you can get swept away with by its beautifully mellow musical arrangements and nothing short of stunning performance from Houston. Other than the Whitney Houston and Rickey Minor produced track, I'm Knockin', the album does admitedly fall a little flat. Luther Vandross produced the lacklustre Who Do You Love whilst an even more surprising let down is the Stevie Wonder produced, We Did'nt Know, on which she duets with him (where there disjointed performances seem rather half hearted and simply don't gel together). There is some merit in Michael Masser's After We Make Love but it does tend to fall on the laborious, slushy side.

However on the whole, the album is very good, simply with the tracks just mentioned that are most noteworthy - I'm your baby tonight, All the man that I need, Lover For life, Miracle, I Belong To You and I'm Knockin' being the main highlights and reasons for buying this in the first place. Recommended!

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