Art + Culture

Whitney Houston: The Voice, The Music, The Inspiration

February 10, 2013

hitney Houston was a powerhouse-an icon who made just as much impact in her death last year as in her life. Her rollercoaster story intrigued audiences, garnering incredible attention with every high, low and in-between. A recent book "Whitney Houston: The Voice, the Music, the Inspiration" (Insight Editions, November 2012, $24.99), by Narada Michael Walden and Richard Buskin, serves as a personal and poignant peek into the famed singer's professional career and personal life, as told by music producer and longtime friend, Walden.

Instead of focusing on the songstress' pitfalls, the author shares intimate stories, and Houston's close friends celebrate the years Houston was catapulted into pop stardom and soared into success. It focuses heavily on Whitney in the '80s, detailing the experiences of the Whitney we all fell in love with-and the Whitney who will forever be in our memories.

The seven-chapter book opens with a short, thoughtful foreword by Chaka Khan. The music legend reflects on her days working in the studio with Whitney's mother, Cissy Houston, and the day she met Whitney Houston.

Each chapter of "Whitney Houston" is separated by quotes from a range of people-recording engineers, guitarists, a producer, a drummer, a vocalist-with whom Houston worked, and each contributes favorite memories of the singer, giving the work a personal feel. The book's 16 pages of photos serve as a backstage pass into her career and continue to carry on the personal theme.

While the book's intent was to pay tribute to the music and spirit that was Whitney's life, her low points don't go ignored. In the final chapter, the author touches on the last time he saw and spoke to Whitney in the midst of her downfall, a year before she died.

Conversations with Houston are the bones of this book, which captures Houston's spirit, an element powerful enough to keep the reader captivated.