A star with a voice that is unmatched by her peers, Whitney Houston is a genuine talent who could not fail to hit the heights as a singing artist, a female singer who is without doubt among the top ten of all time. Her rendering of "I Will Always Love You" is one of the most moving performances you are ever likely to hear and was hailed as brilliant by the writer of the song, Dolly Parton. Whitney Houston is an outstanding performer with a mighty voice but has been haunted in recent years by difficulties in her personal life that have found her filling the front pages of newspapers. She was helped on the road to stardom by her famous mentors with connections to Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. Most performing artists achieve fame as a result of talent alone, while others are often remembered for their off-stage problems within their personal lives and Whitney is one such example.

Her golden period coincided with her appearance in the Kevin Costner movie "The Bodyguard" which included the superb "I Will Always Love You" on the soundtrack. This song in particular reminded music lovers of the tremendous power of the Whitney Houston voice and rightly catapulted her to No.1 in the charts. She had already produced hits prior to this breakthrough but at this point in her career, she found herself among the top five recording artists in the world. There have been a few copycat singers in recent years endeavoring to imitate the Houston style and power, but none reaching her high standard. Another major hit was "Saving All My Love For You" which preceded her monster bodyguard hit. This remains one of the Rhythm and Blues standards and would possibly be included on many "greatest" song lists. Given the talent Whitney no doubt possessed, like so many performers in the spotlight, she was beset by major personal problems that proved to be a stumbling block in her career. Her marriage to Bobby Brown seems to have been a regular subject for discussion on celebrity television shows and in the tabloid newspapers.

Sadly, we live in a celebrity-mad world where people seem more interested in the seedy side of people lives and often ignore the reason why they have become famous in the first place. Whitney Houston has had to suffer from negative publicity like so many before and after. This does not detract from the fact that she has been a superb singer with a voice many would dearly love to have. Her golden days may be in the past, but Whitney has left a legacy of great music. Although endeavoring to make a comeback following her divorce and having tried to put the negative publicity behind her, it is unlikely that Whitney Houston will ever reach the heights of her "Bodyguard" days. She will of course have her own fans who will support her concerts and buy her music, but for most people, Whitney belongs in the past with a host of other great artists whose best days are behind them.

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