Does Whitney Still Have It?

OK...Whitney's back! We've seen the Oprah Interview and we may have heard a couple of the cuts from her new recording, "I Look to You." The reviews are in and they're mixed.

Some say that she's lost the "national treasure" -- the voice of her youth -- due to her age, her addictions, or both. Others are simply die-hard Whitney fans and would love her if she croaked like a frog. Let me voice my never-to-be-humble opinion, and then I'd like to hear from YOU.

None of us who remember songs like "Savin' All My Love," and "I Will Always Love You," or "The Greatest Love of All" will ever forget THAT VOICE. Nor will we forget the hypnotic beauty of the young Whitney in "The Bodyguard," "The Preacher's Wife," and "Waiting to Exhale." Whitney Houston was simply mesmerizing!

But, in all those early years, I have to say that for me personally, I was never a hardcore Whitney fan. Oh, sure I got a chill when she hit that amazing high note in the 1991 Superbowl National Anthem. But down inside I wondered if these Whitney Houston Moments were just well-plannned arrangements and productions designed to showcase her amazing pipes and keep her the Superstar she had become. For me, the focus was always on Whitney. My thoughts were, "Wow! She's something else! What a voice and what a beauty!" But somehow she never really "connected" with me. I was never brought to tears thinking..."Yes, that's me! That's REAL."

Then Life happened. And now Whitney's back. Her voice is definitely different. Lower, weathered, a bit gritty even. But now Whitney has a MESSAGE! Now she truly IS "Every Woman." She's joined the Fellowship of the Broken and has come back stronger than ever. As I watched her sing the new Diane Warren song, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," on the Oprah show this past week, she definitely CONNECTED with me. She was not "performing." She was "communicating" because this was her story. Her eyes, her hands, her face, her voice, and yes, her spirit -- all came together in an honesty that brought me to tears.

I'm no prophet, but I predict that if Whitney keeps doing what she's doing now, her best and most important work is yet to come. I'd rather hear and feel an honest MESSAGE than to listen to the vibration of a perfect set of vocal cords. Think about Joe Cocker singing, "You Are So Beautiful." Great voice? Heck no! But talk about communication! And message? Oh yes..."You Are So Beautiful" is and always will be Every Man's song to the woman he loves. And Every Woman loves that voice that sounds so raw, so authentic -- even when it cracks a bit with emotion at the end.

That's the kind of genuine passion that Whitney conveys now. She's been humbled by Life. She's walked out to the brink of despiar, but, thank God, she's come back from the edge and is still with us. Her past career may be over, but I believe her greatest impact has just begun.

What do you think?