Whitney Houston Breaks 7-Year Curse

Whitney Houston’s first new album in seven years hits stores today. And get this: “I Look to You” is already number 1 on amazon.com in CD sales, and number 8 in downloads.

For Whitney, a seven-year curse is over. Her last album, “Just Whitney,” was a spectacular failure back in 2002.

But Houston is a beautiful case of rehabilitation and people caring, gone right. Last week she filmed not one but two videos in the same day ‘ the title track, “I Look to You,” and her Alicia Keys-penned hit, “Million Dollar Bill.”

Those are great, but Whitney has a secret’hit on the new album. It’s a’ dance version of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You.” I predict that when Larry Jackson of Arista/J Records gets the extended dance mixes out of this track, it could be a smash unlike anything Houston has had before. The track is on a par with Donna Summer’s “Last Dance,” and made for success.

So congrats to Larry, and mostly, to Clive Davis. If Whitney looks to anyone, it’s to him. It was clearly Clive’s determination that he resurrect Whitney the artist, but also the human being. The complete story hasn’t yet been told how Davis got a fragile Houston into rehab and set her on the road to recovery. It’s a rare story of humanity in a business that is usually unforgiving.