An Evening with Whitney Houston

Leave it to Las Vegas to push the boundaries! Is this a really good idea to honor Whitney Houston with a holograph concert or is this a pure and simple money grab? I just can't decide. The music of Whitney certainly holds up! I mean between her early hits like How Will I Know, and the blockbuster songs I Will Always Love You and I Have Nothing from The Bodyguard and beyond, there's certainly enough music for a full evening. It leads to an interesting question many of us should ask ourselves- "Just because we can, does it mean we should?"

Missing Miss Whitney

Wrapping up this season's reality vocal competitions makes me think of what a tremendous loss it is to no longer have Whitney Houston with us. Sure, her life ended poorly, but I find when I watch shows like The Voice and American Idol, I find myself looking for the next version of her. And that will never be.

Mariah Carey sings wonderfully, and Christina Aguilera is a powerhouse, but something is missing when I compare both of them to a young and talented Whitney. There's a charm and wit that she had that cannot be duplicated. And when you put Whitney in front of the camera, she sparkled without having to be blatantly sexual. It had a mesmerizing effect on me... and it still does.

Whether it was I Will Always Love You, I Believe in You and Me or I have Nothing, (three of my favorites), Whitney was believable. If she was just a very good actress, well, she convinced me. Her latter years were filled with mostly mediocre material and relatively poor vocal abilities, yet nonetheless, Whitney will always be firmly implanted in my mind as she was at her peak. Rest in peace, Miss Whitney.