愛惠旗艦店

Whitney Houston is back!
Monday night's concert shows she still has what it takes

Once a diva, always a diva. Whitney Houston made a graceful return to Bangkok last week and gave a powerful performance for the thousands of Thais and expats who turned up on Monday night at Impact Arena. Quite different from her first gig here, eight years ago, this 90-minute concert allowed us to see more of the happy, perky side of her personality.

The previous Wednesday Houston made a surprise appearance at the Dusit Thani Hotel where her cousin, Dionne Warwick, was entertaining guests at a gala Aids fund-raiser. When the two women did a duet of That's What Friends Are For, Houston sounded dry and harsh, causing local music journos to speculate about the reason for the dramatic change in her voice. Some attributed it to the air-conditioning or the natural process of ageing, others blamed it
on her unhealthy lifestyle (she's admitted to once using nonprescription drugs.)

But on Monday night she proved all the gossip-mongers wrong. Rich, deep, her voice sounded far better than it did eight years before. We were threated to top-quality vocals in 14 songs ranging from pop, R&B and acoustic soul to dance and gospel. For some, it was an emotional roller-coaster ride, a chance to fall in love again with her distinctive brand of music. Others complained that she seemed more detached from the crowd than usual and that the linkage between songs was weak.

The stage was blanketed in light, instrumental music was playing, the concert was ready to kick off. Would she make an entrance by walking through the hall like Mariah Carrey did earlier this year in Bangkok? Then, over the PA, she teased, ``If I told you that I love you, what would you say?'' before eventually emerging on stage in a pearly evening gown. Amid excited screams and fans shouting out her name, she immediately launched into If I Told You That, followed by Get It Back from latest album My Love Is Your Love.

Not waiting until the midpoint of the show, as she usually does, to deliver new interpretations of old songs, she then did a medley of four former hits: Saving All My Love For You, The Greatest Love of All, All At Once and You Give Good Love. Powerful renditions but many people in the audience looked disappointed; perhaps they'd been hoping for the original versions so they'd be able to sing along with her, karaoke-style. But this is typical of Houston; she loves to breathe new life into her repertoire by constantly revisiting and reinterpreting it.

``I love you,'' a male fan shouted out. ``I love you too,'' replied Whitney in low bass tones, gently mocking her admirer before thanking him and all the others with Never Too Much, which allowed her to flaunt her ability for long, high notes and sweet romantic vocalisation. Then, abruptly, she switched to a sad mood, doing Luther Vandross' heart-breaking version of Super Star after dedicating the song to Vandross who has suffered a stroke. It was a breathtaking performance, Houston looking like her heart was really being ripped apart with pain. Not only was it a great display of her R&B style, it also hinted at how isolated a superstar must feel at times.

Tear-jerker over, she switched into upbeat mode with the eminently danceable Step By Step, then walked the audience through Heartbreak Hotel. ``Have you ever been in there before?,'' she asked, paused, then added, ``I'm afraid I have.'' This elicited loud screams which got even louder when she continued with It's Not Right.

``Wait for me here,'' she told us as she left the stage for a costume change. Her elder brother, back-up singer Gary Houston, took over, said a few thoughtful words then sang Eric Clapton's Change the World in a style reminiscent of Elton John.

The diva returned in a black spandex-like gown embellished all over with gems the size of 10-baht coins _ far from classy compared to the pearly number she'd changed out. Still, contrary to what others have said about her costume designers, dress-wise, she's actually dressing a lot better these days.

Whatever about the other baubles, her gem of a voice then cast a spell on us with My Love Is Your Love. The highlight of the second half of the evening was a gospel version of Amazing Grace. After mentioning that the concert organisers, GSM and Matching, were donating 200,000 baht to a fund for HIV/Aids-infected mothers and their children, she gave a full-throated rendition of this angelic tune _ truly amazing since all the while she was carrying a large facsimile of (we presume) the donation cheque.

Then she had a few personal moments with the Almighty in I Go to the Rock, a gospel number that really rocked the hall and showed her musical roots. Tumultuous applause and cheering. ``I thought I was lost but now I'm found,'' as the lyric goes. Well, she's definitely found her way back to stardom, if she can keep on performing like this.

``Let's go, let's go,'' she said, urging her band into Dance With Somebody and How Will I Know. ``Don't you wanna dance?'' she asked the crowd. Some did, standing up in their seats, when they saw Houston hip-hopping on stage with her nephew.

Then she explained why she had three ribbons wound around the microphone stand. ``You must be wondering what this is,'' she said, unwinding them, one by one: ``This one is for my dad. This my favourite aunt and this my sister. I lost them all during the past two years. It's a tough time for me but I still feel them around me when I'm here [on stage].'' She wrapped the ribbons around her waist and then launched into her trademark song, I Will Always Love You.

The introductory ``If I ...'' filled the hall with appreciative screams. You couldn't hear yourself think for 15 seconds or more. She gave us the original version, the one Thais are familiar with after seeing her debut film The Bodyguard. Many in the audience hummed and sang along to what was a powerhouse rendition, a real testament to the power of her lungs.

The night ended perfectly with I'm Every Woman. And so she is. Career woman. Beloved daughter of Cissy Houston. Faithful wife to Bobby Brown. Caring mother to Bobbi Kristina. Loyal disciple of the Lord.

Although the selection of songs may not have been to the taste of Thais who are more into her poppy hits, and people stranded up on the fourth tier of seats were too far away to feel the diva's energy, Houston had done her best to impress the crowd. At the end she sat down on the stage, crosslegged, and thanked us by wai-ing us. ``I'll come back very soon,'' she said, bidding us farewell.

Pundits had proclaimed that Houston's future in the music industry was dim. Perhaps it was the shock of losing so many family members in such a short time that brought her back on track. But on Monday night she really reconnected with her fan base. That concert demonstrated that she's ready to stand up and get moving again.