Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances

Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances
Live album by Whitney Houston
Released November 10, 2014
Recorded 1983-2009
Genre R&B, soul, pop, gospel
Length CD 79:38 - DVD 87:54
Label Legacy Recordings
Whitney Houston chronology

I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston
(2012)		 Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances
(2014)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [1]
NY Daily News [2]
Buffalo News [3]
Newsday A[4]

Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances is a posthumous live album by American recording artist Whitney Houston. It was released on November 10, 2014 by Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Houston’s first-ever live album, it features the most memorable live performances from her storied career.

The album is also available as a CD/DVD set, which includes stunning videos of Houston’s most unforgettable performances, reinforcing her as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Both the audio and visual content have undergone state of the art restoration and remastering.

Content and release

Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances will take listeners through the remarkable arc of Houston’s career, from her national network television debut appearance on The Merv Griffin Show in 1983 as a prodigious teenager, where she sang "Home" from The Wiz, to her emotional 2009 performance of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The producer of the CD and the DVD is the five-time Grammy-award winner Clive Davis. Mr. Davis states, "Whitney’s Live CD/DVD will stun everyone. It definitely shows why she was totally unique, absolutely in the first rank of all time. For me, it’s been very emotional. The set vividly confirms that there really was no one like her. It also makes the tragedy of losing her so young so very painful. Watching the DVD is a mesmerizing experience. Her amazing vocals and the songs that have stood the test of time combine to truly hypnotize over and over."

Following the week of the album's release on November 10, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances made impressive Billboard chart debuts,[5] Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances sold 22,000 copies in the week ending Nov. 16, according to Nielsen SoundScan, by debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, #2 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart, and #19 on the Billboard 200.[6] The album also made a significant impact with its digital sales, coming in with over 30% in digital sales, the first time Houston has achieved that.[7]

Critical Reception

Upon its release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances garnered enormous critical acclaim and praise. Giving it 5 stars, Jim Farber of NYDAILYNEWS, praised the album saying, 'The recordings here — with their odd echoes, imperfect playing, and wavering ambiences — show that Houston performed even better without a net than with one. The performances also work wonders in disproving the image of her, in her shiniest years, as a too-perfect wax figure of a star.' He further added, 'Only in concert did Houston, who died in 2012, show the full range of her talent. Shorn of the studio’s confining arrangements and gauzy production, the Newark native had the freedom to display those hairpin turns of phrase, last-second switches in key and playful improvisations that rank her among the greatest singers of all time.' Glenn Gamboa of newsday gave it Grade A and wrote, 'Houston was an extraordinary singer, an artist who rarely delivered a song the same way twice. Early on, her improvised inflections, her runs, her stops and starts -- they all seemed brilliantly planned and elegantly executed.. "Whitney Houston Live" documents how great the singer was before her death in 2012 and builds a strong case that her talent should outlast her tabloid exploits.'

Jeff Simon of BuffaloNews, gave the album 4 starts and wrote, 'While three quarters of the female singers on TV singing contests seem to want to be Houston, what she does on this disc makes them all seem like kindergarten kids wiping their noses on their sleeves.' He further stated, 'She wasn’t long for this world. But when it came to stuff like this, find me anyone in her time that did it better. Maybe, if we’re lucky no one again will ever try.'


Track listing

CD

No. TitleWriter(s)Taken Live From Length
1. "Home"  Charlie SmallsThe Merv Griffin Show, 1983 4:39
2. "You Give Good Love"  LaLaThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1985 4:16
3. "How Will I Know"  George Merrill, Shannon Rubicam, Narada Michael WaldenThe BRIT Awards, 1987 4:01
4. "One Moment in Time"  Albert Hammond, John Bettis31st Annual Grammy Awards, 1989 5:33
5. "Greatest Love of All"  Linda Creed, Michael MasserThat's What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert, 1990 6:50
6. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"  Merrill, RubicamThat's What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert, 1990 4:27
7. "The Star Spangled Banner"  Francis Scott Key, John Stafford SmithSuper Bowl XXV, 1991 2:15
8. "All the Man That I Need"  Dean Pitchford, Michael GoreWelcome Home Heroes, 1991 5:07
9. "I'm Your Baby Tonight"  L.A. Reid, BabyfaceWelcome Home Heroes, 1991 4:28
10. "A Song for You"  Leon RussellWelcome Home Heroes, 1991 6:04
11. "Medley: I Loves You Porgy / And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going / I Have Nothing"  George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin / Tom Eyen, Henry Krieger / David Foster, Linda ThompsonThe 21st Annual American Music Awards, 1994 10:01
12. "I'm Every Woman"  Nickolas Ashford, Valerie SimpsonThe Concert for a New South Africa, 1994 3:55
13. "I Will Always Love You"  Dolly PartonThe Concert for a New South Africa, 1994 5:59
14. "My Love Is Your Love"  Wyclef Jean, Jerry DuplessisLate Show with David Letterman, 1998 3:46
15. "I Believe in You and Me"  Sandy Linzer, David WolfertThe 16th Annual World Music Awards, 2004 3:45
16. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"  Diane WarrenThe Oprah Winfrey Show, 2009 4:35
Total length:
 79:38

DVD

No. TitleWriter(s)Taken Live From Length
1. "Home"  Charlie SmallsThe Merv Griffin Show, 1983 7:28
2. "You Give Good Love"  LaLaThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1985 4:59
3. "How Will I Know"  George Merrill, Shannon Rubicam, Narada Michael WaldenThe BRIT Awards, 1987 4:12
4. "One Moment in Time"  Albert Hammond, John Bettis31st Annual Grammy Awards, 1989 5:49
5. "Greatest Love of All"  Linda Creed, Michael MasserThat's What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert, 1990 7:03
6. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"  Merrill, RubicamThat's What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert, 1990 5:41
7. "The Star Spangled Banner"  Francis Scott Key, John Stafford SmithSuper Bowl XXV, 1991 2:22
8. "All the Man That I Need"  Dean Pitchford, Michael GoreWelcome Home Heroes, 1991 6:41
9. "I'm Your Baby Tonight"  L.A. Reid, BabyfaceWelcome Home Heroes, 1991 4:27
10. "A Song for You"  Leon RussellWelcome Home Heroes, 1991 6:17
11. "Medley: I Loves You Porgy / And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going / I Have Nothing"  George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin / Tom Eyen, Henry Krieger / David Foster, Linda ThompsonThe 21st Annual American Music Awards, 1994 10:05
12. "I'm Every Woman"  Nickolas Ashford, Valerie SimpsonThe Concert for a New South Africa, 1994 5:17
13. "I Will Always Love You"  Dolly PartonThe Concert for a New South Africa, 1994 9:13
14. "My Love Is Your Love"  Wyclef Jean, Jerry DuplessisMusic Video, 1998 4:23
15. "My Love Is Your Love"  Wyclef Jean, Jerry DuplessisLate Show with David Letterman, 1998 3:46
16. "When You Believe" (with Mariah Carey)Stephen Schwartz, BabyfaceThe 71st Annual Academy Awards, 1999 4:11
17. "I Believe in You and Me"  Sandy Linzer, David WolfertThe 16th Annual World Music Awards, 2004 4:54
18. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"  Diane WarrenThe Oprah Winfrey Show, 2009 5:10
Total length:
 102:00

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Belgium Albums Chart Vl 111
Belgium Albums Chart Wa 84
Dutch Albums Chart[8] 63
Irish Albums Chart[9] 63
Italian Albums Chart[10] 34
South Korean Albums Chart[11] 60
Spanish Albums Chart[12] 43
UK Albums Chart[13] 66
UK R&B Albums[14] 2
US Billboard 200[15] 19
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard) 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 2
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[17] 19
Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[15] 184

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums (Billboard) 100[18]

References

  1. ↑ Live: Her Greatest Performances|Whitney Houston. AllMusic
  2. ↑ Five Star Review for Whitney Houston's Live Album.NY Daily News
  3. ↑ Review: Whitney Houston, 'Live: Her Greatest Performances'.Buffalo News
  4. ↑ Whitney Houston Live' review: Whitney at her best.Newsday
  5. ↑ Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Whitney Houston Returns to the Top 40.Billboard Music News
  6. ↑ Houston's first live album, "Whitney Houston Live" makes impressive debuts at #1 on Billboard Top R&B Albums, #17 on Billboard 200.PRNewswire.com
  7. ↑ Whitney Houston's First-Ever Live Album 'Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances' Makes Impressive Debut.legacyrecordings.com
  8. ↑ "Whitney: The Greatest Hits on Dutch Albums Chart". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Chart track - Top 100 artist album, week ending 17 November 2014". GFK Chart-Track. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Artisti - Classifica settimanale WK 46 (dal 10-11-2014 al 16-11-2014)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "South Korea Gaon Albums Chart (Week: November 09, 2014 to February 15, 2014)". Gaon Chart. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Spanish Albums Charts - Whitney Houston Artist Chart History". The Spanish Album Chart. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Official UK Charts - Whitney Houston - Artist Chart History". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  14. ↑ "2012 Top 40 R&B Albums Archive - 3rd March 2012". Official Charts Company. theofficialcharts.com. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Whitney Houston Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Whitney Houston. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Whitney Houston Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Whitney Houston. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History: Top Album Sales". billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "TOP R&B/HIP-HOP ALBUMS YEAR END 2014". billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-11.

External links