IN ?I LOOK TO YOU,? Whitney Houston covers the same musical ground ? pop, dance, R&B and gospel ? that first catapulted her to pop superstardom in her self-titled 1985 debut. The 11-track recording, which debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 1 last week, is Whitney?s first studio album since her 2003 Christmas collection, ?One Wish? ? and is by far the singer?s best opening since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. ?
A grand comeback for the Queen of Pop, indeed.

Whitney has been through major personal debacles in recent years, and if you?re looking for deeply intimate songs in the lineup that would clue you in on her problems, the album offers snippets of them ? particularly in the autobiographical (and self-penned) ?I Didn?t Know My Own Strength,? in which she admits how she had lost her soul in the midst of her marital woes. She sings, ?I lost sight of my dreams?I had no way to turn, I had no way to go/ I thought I?d never make it through/ I crashed out and tumbled, but I didn?t crumble. I picked myself back up?I didn?t know my own strength/ I was not built to break??

Collaboration

In ?Like I Never Left,? her collaboration with Akon, the complex curlicues and vocal ad-libs she?s famous for are still impressive albeit guarded, but they don?t glide smoothly as the songstress adjusts her placement from chest to head tone. And, in the stirring ballad, ?I Look to You,? the shifts are clean, but they?re no longer as seamless as before.

But, that?s not saying Houston?s latest collection is bad. On the contrary, ?I Look to You? boasts of an edgier sound that results from a gifted singer who now works harder than usual. This time, she displays a musicality that doesn?t get by on mere technical expertise. The emotions are real, not sugar-coated by a carefully calibrated or engineered interpretation.

The new sound gives her character ? and a lot of lived-in soulfulness. The album?s repertoire features songs (?For the Loves,? ?Salute,? ?Worth It?) whose infectious hooks and riffs are aided by Whitney?s vocal improvisations, a skill that keeps her popular among wannabe singers who ape her unique singing style.

Yes, the album shows how her troubles affected her soaring, crystalline voice ? it?s now rougher and huskier in texture and narrower in range. At the same time, the ?weary? quality and urgency in her singing give her gravitas.

And, because she?s familiar with her facility, she still manages to display her improvisational skills and soulful embellishments in the lower registers of her range ? as she beautifully does in the rousing ballad-to-dance makeover of ?A Song for You.?

Radio-friendly tracks come courtesy of Alicia Keys? groove-heavy ?Million Dollar Bill? and the catchy ?Call You Tonight.?

?I Look to You? doesn?t have lofty thematic ambitions, but the infectious sound it delivers is good enough to help Whitney Houston get back on her feet ? because a true talent deserves a second chance!