This week (September 1, 2009) featured the long-awaited release of Whitney Houston's new album, I Look to You. This is just her sixth studio album and first since 2002. Houston is one of pop music's biggest-selling artists of all time, selling over 140 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide. In U.S. album sales alone, Houston ranks 4^th all-time among female artists only behind Barbra Streisand, Madonna and Mariah Carey. She released her debut album Whitney Houston in 1985, which became the best-selling debut album by a female artist. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Her past success is unquestioned, but it all derailed for her in the late 90s through rumored drug use and as her marriage to Bobby Brown became strained. What a shame, but I am hoping that she can resurrect her once great career. When she burst onto the scene in the 80s, she took the music world by storm. As for the 80s, she had hits with "You Give Good Love," "Saving All My Love For You," "How Will I Know," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "So Emotional," and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" of which the last six songs all hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song I personally liked the best was "Greatest Love of All" which also went to #1 in May of 1986 as the fourth and final single from her debut album. Many people do not know that this is actually a cover of a 1977 song performed by George Benson for the soundtrack of the Muhammad Ali film The Greatest. I admit that it is a little cheesy, but also soulful and I have always felt a strong connection to the song. So to celebrate Whitney's new album release, I decided to make this week's Flashback Video "Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston...

Houston will give her first interview in seven years, as she sits down with Oprah Winfrey for her season premiere on September 14, 2009. The interview is billed as "the most anticipated music interview of the decade." I don't know about that, but I do know that I am hoping that this once great 80s diva will put it all back together and reclaim her rightful spot in music history. I want to remember the great Whitney from the 80s and early 90s and (though I have serious doubts) maybe she can be that Whitney again.

That will do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also now follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.