Whitney |
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Released: June 2, 1987 Peak: 111 US, 2 RB, 16 UK, 16 CN, 13 AU Sales (in millions): 10.8 US, 2.24 UK, 24.3 world (includes US and UK), 28.32 EAS Genre: pop/R&B |
Tracks:Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts.
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Rating: 4.043 out of 5.00 (average of 31 ratings)
Quotable:The album that “established Houston as the era’s top female star.” – Ron Wynn, AllMusic.comAwards:(Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album:Whitney Houston’s eponymous debut made her a star, selling 13 million in the U.S. and spending 14 weeks atop the Billboard album chart. The album fueled three #1 pop songs and a fourth hit which went to #3. After such miraculous success her first time out, a sophomore slump seemed inevitable.Instead, Whitney burst out of the gates as big as ever with 1987’s Whitney. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart TB putting her in elite company with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen, WK making her the first female artist to accomplish the feat. The first single, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, became Whitney’s fourth consecutive #1 song. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, who produced “How Will I Know” on her first album. He produced seven of the eleven tracks on Whitney. The song won the American Music Award for Pop/Rock Song of the Year and ranks in the top 1% of all songs, according to Dave’s Music Database. The second single, Didn’t We Almost Have It All, was another chart topper. It was produced by Michael Masser, who also produced the #1 hits “Saving All My Love for You” and “Greatest Love of All” on Houston’s first album. He also produced You’re Still My Man for the Whitney album. The latter “was originally recorded for the first album but was left off because Clive Davis felt it would be too much pop.” WK The album’s next two singles, So Emotional and Where Do Broken Hearts Go, were also produced by Warren. Both topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Houston the first artist in history to rack up seven consecutive #1 songs. AB She also tied the record for most #1 songs from one album, a feat which would be broken with Michael Jackson’s Bad album, released later that year. WK Love Will Save the Day, the fifth single from the album, failed to reach #1 but did make the top 10, giving Whitney Houston five top-10 hits from the album. Outside the U.S., I Know Him So Well was also released as a single. Like its predecessor, Whitney became one of the top 100 all-time worldwide bestsellers and one of the top 100 biggest #1 albums in U.S. chart history. It also got a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Not surprisingly, the album “established Houston as the era’s top female star. She later went on to more than solidify that status, with other hit albums and a budding film career. While this is a far cry from soul, it’s the ultimate in polished, super-produced urban contemporary material.” AM The album “served as a template for much of the contemporary R&B that followed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.” TB Upon the album’s release, critics generally acknowledged the “commercial value of the album” WK but, criticized her for not taking any risks or defining her personality through her songs. Rolling Stone’s Vince Aletti said, “the formula is more rigorously locked in than before…so…that Houston’s potential seems to have shrunk rather than expanded.” WK The Los Angeles Times’ Robert Hilburn said, “she has a sensational voice but didn’t assert much vocal character” WK on the second album. Time magazine’s Jon Pareles said, “Whitney plays everything safe. It uses three of the debut album’s producers…There are bouncy, tinkly songs aimed at teen-agers…and slow tunes aimed at sentimental adults, as before.” WK |
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First posted 6/26/2011; last updated 6/26/2025. |
