Whitney, Dionne and Burt?

[Steve Schenck]

I've often thought that I'd like to hear Whitney do an album of BB/HD classics that her aunt(?)/cousin(?) Dionne made so famous. Anyone out there think it's possible, or even more, is it a worthwhile idea? I imagine it's tough for a Whitney to do an album of a relative's hits; could look like trying to ride her coat tails. But it could also be an "homage" to the great work done by the great Dionne... Just wondering out loud.

[ron hertel]

Dionne's cousin - Whitney - is considered to be one the greatest female vocalists; however, I personally do not think her voice and singing style are suited to take on the Bacharach/David songbook. I do not believe she has ever included a BB/HD song on any of her albums/CDs. Her mentor - Clive Davis - of Arista Records is one of the best in the business and would certainly have guided her toward the BB/HD catalog if he felt it was appropriate for her.
A future Dionne Warwick Tribute Project would likely include something by Whitney. Other than that I do not believe it will happen.
NOTE: I believe Dionne's late sister - Dee Dee - recorded only one BB/HD song - "ALFIE" (she handled it well!)

[BachtoBacharach]

When you compare Whitney's voice now at age 46 or so to her cousin Dionne's voice at age 46 (would have been around 1987 or so) there is no comparison...although Whitney is in good voice occasionally, the years of abuse have taken a toll and her pipes are very inconsistent. Whitney's voice has never had the character or tone that Dionne's had nor does Whitney have the phrasing and the agility. Even in her heydey, Whitney was better than her mostly sub-par material but even if given a chance to sing the Bacharach tunes Dionne was given, I can't see her being successful. She tried to sing a Warwick salute in a 1998 HBO special but just fell short...was ok I guess but it was not what you would expect. I don't think Whitney would have the discipline to work with Bacharach and after Bacharach kicked Whitney off the 2000 Oscar show, I doubt he would ever consider working with her again. And frankly, I don't think she will ever comeback to the level that Dionne did in 1979. She's shot, I think. Dionne's always been a consummate professional; always prepared and always disciplined...not so Whitney. And Bacharach has zero tolerance for folks who are not prepared and who lack discipline.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

So very true, Bachto Bacharach.

Sad to say, Whitney has been in the news just last week or maybe the week before. She was performing (in Australia, I believe it was) and the audience were booing her. It was a disaster for her, professionally speaking. What happened to her is a disgrace, a shame and a pity. She got into drugs and that, basically, ended it for her.

Here is some information I found on the web:

Whitney Houston's Australian comeback is under fire after fans criticised the opening night of her Australian tour claiming the singer sounded 'croaky and appeared 'disorientated'.

The American star struggled through the opening night of her first Australian tour since 1988, and was left breathless and exhausted after just two songs at her show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, it was claimed.

And even more bizarrely, the 46-year-old took a 20 minute break to catch her breath mid-way through the show.

After half a dozen songs she left the stage for twenty minutes to take a break, bringing on her brother, Gary Houston, to sing in her absence.

The band and backing singers then performed an energetic version of one of her biggest hits, Queen of the Night, from The Bodyguard soundtrack.
One fan interviewed on Australian TV after the show said: 'It was a disgrace.

'She can't sing. She didn't sing one song properly.

'She was disorientated and she needed a 20-minute break. It was the first concert I have walked out of in my life.'
Another fan said: 'She couldn't entertain a dead rat, to be honest.'

Other fans took to Facebook and Twitter to complain about the 'croaky' quality of her voice. '
'We just got back from Whitney Houston concert in Brizzy and I feel so sorry for her. She sounded croaky,' fan Rick Crystal said on Facebook.

'whitneyhouston should have toured 15 years ago. Voice not what it used to be,' adavidholloway said on Twitter after the concert.
Some fans said they would be demanding their money back.
'The multi-award winning singer appeared disoriented and failed to properly name some of her backing band as she introduced them to the audience, ' wrote the Australian Associated Press's music reviewer.
'But the final act faltered at the finale when she croaked her way through I Will Always Love You, pausing to get a drink and towel herself down just as she was about to hit the song's epic high note, which she turned into a soft coo,' he added.

Whitney has sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos, with her career soaring through the 1990s, but was later almost consumed by her heavy drug addiction and abusive relationship with singer Bobby Brown.

Meanwhile the singer's spokesman Andrew McManus said Whitney was 'surprised' by the negativity and rejected tabloid rumours that she was seriously ill after the performance.

U.S. tabloid the National Enquirer claimed the 46 year old had collapsed due to a drug and alcohol binge, and that her health has declined in recent months, with family members begging the star to postpone her planned concerts.
'It was not a train wreck,' McManus said. 'She was hitting most of the notes, yes her throat was a little croaky.
'Her health is fine but she's also not 22 years of age anymore.'
The Australian concerts are part of her comeback "Nothing But Love" tour which kicked off at the end of last year.

'She was not fit to perform,' wrote one on the Courier Mail newspaper's website.

'She seemed to be on another planet and the concert was laughable.'
US pop icon Britney Spears attracted the ire of Australian fans in November, with concert-goers reportedly walking out of her show because she was lip-synching.

The tour is scheduled to continue in Sydney, the Hunter Valley, Melbourne and Adelaide.