It's been a busy Monday in the news, what with the revelation of the defense panel of Chief Justice Renato Corona that a Cabinet member allegedly offered bribes to the Senator-judges, and the resulting fallout from that revelation, but, since the impeachment trial's going to be on for a while, I'll go back to that later on this week. Right now, I'd like to focus on the passing of a star in the field of music. I'm talking about pop star diva Whitney Houston, who was found dead in her hotel room last Saturday.
Admittedly, unlike many who have shared their experiences about the late star, my own experience with Houston has been fair, perhaps because her songs, notably, "I Will Always Love You" and "Greatest Love of All" (both covers of Dolly Parton and George Benson, respectively), were played to ad nauseam levels on the radio. However, I was always in awe of her vocal range and power, as the New York Times describes in its article on her death:
"Ms. Houston’s range spanned three octaves, and her voice was plush,
vibrant and often spectacular. She could pour on the exuberant
flourishes of gospel or peal a simple pop chorus; she could sing sweetly
or unleash a sultry rasp."
Unfortunately, that vocal range was wrecked by a combination of addiction and a bad marriage (to Bobby Brown). In fact, when Houston came out with a new album in 2009 ("I Look to You"), it was apparently clear during a live performance that her voice no longer had the same quality; even listening to the music video of "I Look to You", I found a raspy undertone to her voice that wasn't there before.
Houston's passing is both a great loss, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Hopefully, wherever she is, she's finally at peace with herself.
Requiem, Whitney.
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