I analyze Whitney Houston's towering performance from the 1993 Billboard Awards. Whitney gives a masterclass in rhythm, phrasing, vowel color, musicianship, and performance!
Part of it. But a lot of it was also learned. Seriously, though--singing is the only art and discipline I know whose practitioners are very often described to simply "have it or not," as if it wasn't a skill that can be learned through technical guidance and enhanced through influences and life experiences. Tell that to gymnasts or dancers, and they'll laugh at you.
Beverly Waits You are right, a person must have the building materials for a mansion before it can be built. If Whitney's mother hadn't taught her how to develop and harness that raw power it would have been wasted and not used properly and would NOT have been as soul piercing as Miss Whitney Houston was and still IS! The teaching and development IS needed. "Do yo thang Mr. Henny!" You are on course Mr. Henny but you already know that Sir! 😉
She also probably inherited it...her close relatives were Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin and her mum was an amazing successful singer too. Nature and nurture all rolled up in one. She was the best.
I agree. I am a spiritual person and I believe that nothing is by accident and that these souls (Whitney, Mariah, Celine and the like) came here with their chosen (God-given) talent to change the world/make the world a better place. This was their mission in the spiritual realm and they actualized themselves, giving joy to billions around the world.
Does anyone else agree that Whitney was an absolutely gorgeous woman? I think when she did The Bodyguard she looked and sounded fantastic. I do miss her live singing and putting out new songs. Simply amazing.
She was tall, thin and had a beautiful face. Her smile was infectious. I always wondered why Clive aged her on purpose with the hair and gowns yet he didnt sex her up to compete with Janet, Madonna, Paula and them.
Alycia Cooper Makes me cry, as did Karen Carpenter, sad emotional, but so incredibly beautiful. Tears when I listen to such beauty, no one can come close to her. Never, ever. Jennifer Hudson has my respect, but Whitney was the best ever.
No one can touch Whitney's voice. There are great singers, and there is Whitney Houston. She is called the voice for a reason. Such a gift! It's beyond impressive. It's a complete experience.
There are so many from Whitney. This is not even among my favorites at all. She´s that legendary. There are things that make someone special and she had it.
Honestly I think her performance of I Loves You, Porgy/And I am Telling You/ I Have Nothing Medley is probably her best of all time, and I have watched A LOT of her performances. It is a TRUE master class on vocals and performance. If there is any performance that should be studied it is surely that one. It is 10 minutes of mind blowing musical magic!
@@dedreandixon4620 I liked that performance too, but I think her performance of One Moment In Time at the Grammy's is her best, and probably the best in Grammy's history.
Funky Monkey she never had to write her own songs. Any song that Whitney song, don’t matter who’s it was. Became Whitney’s. She was the greatest vocalist, not the greatest writer, producer. VOCALIST
This man is "Real about Voice" he loves it. What's even better is the fact that he cannot hide it when he encounters true blessing and greatness! We all need someone like this in our lives. No guesswork, no danger...Just TRUTH!!! We applaud you Mr. Henny!
@@funkymonkey299 Funky you are incorrect, like Aretha, she played the piano. Do your research before you make such inaccurate pronouncements! I have seen and heard her play.
All great vocalist are musician's. Their voice is their instrument. That why people like Frank Sinatra, Billie Holliday, Aretha Franklin and Barbara Streisand will never be forgotten.
John I had the privilege of seeing her twice in the 80's and 90's. You summed it up. She had Every single person in the audience in the palm of her hand. Her voice in person does not compare to video. Miss her so...
I was playing metal guitar while she was in her prime...but now as an older man, I can see what all the hype was and is about. She may very well be the best singer ever! She has something that there isn't a word for...i imagine God Himself gets chills while she sings
I don't think God gets chills but I am sure he is pleased at his creation. Jehovah is infinitely beyond the BEYOND!!! Great respect you show for the Great Miss Whitney Houston though!
I didn't think I could enjoy Whitney Houston's great voice more, but hearing *why* she's so great from a vocal professional adds a richness to my enjoyment of her incredible talent.
Your reaction to her performance was just as commanding as her performance. Without the technical how and why, there wouldn’t be a wow in the delivery of sound. You certainly did her justice.
This was most the most informative reaction I’ve ever watched on RU-vid. I learned new terminology and now know how to identify things on my own singing that i already do. Thank you for this. Whitney was a true talent.
We were blessed to have heard her voice. Many will come behind her and will sound like Whitney, but will be missing something. There will NEVER be another Whitney Houston. #RIPWHITNEYHOUSTON⚘🕊⚘
E Prince Please do do more John and Sarah. Mahalia . And some that don t have her vocal control such abbey Lincoln,Chris Connor ,Honey Gordon.,Betty Roche ,Jeanne Lee And from other style j Norman ,L Price Giovanna Daffini
Go to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website and vote daily for Whitney to be in the Hall of Fame. She should have been voted in before now. It is a mockery that she and Chaka are not in the Hall of Fame.
This was one of my favourite performances from her. To learn from your insight that she was controlling the band rather than the conductor makes it that little bit more awe inspiring. I’ve often watched & thought they must have rehearsed this hundreds of times to anticipate what she was about to do next. When really she was listening to the audience & taking it at her own free will, in order to give them exactly what they wanted & the band came along for the ride. I’m thrilled that a professional coach like yourself displayed some respect & decorum by choosing a performance from when she was at the top of her game rather than one where you could tear her vocals apart. We all know the ending by now & true fans & inspiring singers aren’t interested to see that again. When I think of Whitney I always think she was loved by millions yet she was one of the most lost & lonely individuals on the planet. That’s the showbiz world, plenty of yes men securing their 25% but no one of real substance. If you’re thinking of entering this world keep your wits about you & make the decisions that feel right in your gut.
John your reaction to Queen Whitney's performance was excellent the way you broke down each part.Whitney was truly a master class in Vocals there will never be another Talent like Ms.Houston please react to more of her performances.
There can be no argument that Whitney is nothing less than the Voice of my lifetime. What an incredible privilege to have watched her live. Her unsurpassable brilliance has no peer.
One of her best performances, she is undoubtedly the greatest female vocalist❤️ I’d love to see your reaction to her Love Medley in 1991 Welcome Home Heroes. God bless
Brian Gosik We forgive you. We have all made mistakes in our lives with regard to bad choices but unlike Whitney Houston we went through our missteps in near absolute privacy...Nearly the entire world watched her go through hers and judged her then threw her away. You can't deny the talent though she was thee BEST!!! Many other famous singers will and have said so.
Marcus Ward your comment. 👌🏻 So eloquent. She certainly had her demons, yes, so very sad. But we must remember what’s important Her voice was incredible. And her talent is undeniable. I choose to focus on that.
I really enjoyed watching your coaching on Whitney Houston's voice. As a singer myself she is the Ultimate Voice, and there will never be another. Her voice after all these years still bring tears to my eyes.
I have always adored Whitney. All her concerts were wonderful ; but this performance is divine. Her music lives on forever and forever. I'm so glad. I lived in her lifetime. She is missed greatly.
This has been one of my favorite reaction videos of Whitney. You broke everything down while teaching. You brought up things that shows her musicality and her ability to lead the band effortlessly. Thank you
This wasn't a video. This was an experience! I learned so much. I didn't know there were like names for the things she did. Also, you pointed out the way everyone was working in concert with each other. It's easy (especially with Miss Whitney) to only focus on the vocalist so thanks for that. Yes, she wasn't just a singer, she was a musician. A master. To me she will always be the best ever. Thanks for letting me share in your joy! You really are very skilled and knowledgeable at what you do.
Whitney was simply one of the greatest pop singers of all time and her phrasing was what made her special. My first job out of school was as a radio announcer way back in the 80s. I did midnight to dawn on a station that no one listened to. The very first song I ever introduced was Whitneys I will always love you. I was about 18 years old, alone in a studio, in the middle of the night, for the very first time and nervous as hell. I'd never heard the song before but I introduced it and played her loud in my headphones. I have been a fan ever since!
She was taught how to sing by her mother Cissy Houston and her family were gospel singers. Her cousin was Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin was a close friend to the family since she was born. That’s why she sang the way she did, she was taught by the greats.
I love Whitney so so much. She was such a masterful storyteller. Everything worked - her looks, voice, smile. You could tell she loved her audience as much as she loved the music. She was incredible. This was a beautiful reaction. Thank you so much.
Yep I feel like was one of the luckiest people on earth to have seen her live right in the beginning of her career at a concert here in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid 80s. Whew what a voice she had. My soul is rattled into and ripped out of heaven every time I hear her sing.
This was so informative and the best vocal coach breakdown I have heard on the Tube. Whitney was truly something. It's a gift to have lived to witness her live on tv.
I actually love his analysis because he is basically telling us all just how great that she is/was as a singer and that the majority of singers do not have those gymnastics in their voices.....Whitney's voice is simply SOUL TOUCHING!
This performance always brings tears to my eyes. Her soulful control in the song is unmatched. You are so right how she was able to vocally dance within the measures. Whitney’s long time musical director back then was Ricky Minor. He knew how to conduct the band to give Whitney what dynamics she needed musically. Total study guide here.
@@JohnHennyVocalStudio How could you breakdown her voice so professionally good and yet even I who's dull in music analysis could easily understand 😭 Asante sana baba🙏❤️🇹🇿
I get goosebumps when I hear this!!!! A good song deserves so many likes!!!!! Especially Whitney Houston!!! She’s remarkable and everything about her is just wow 🤩
I think she was the greatest singer of all time!! The most beautiful voice ever. Period. It’s so sad how she died and the things that happened in her life, but we serve an awesome God who loved her. I hope to see her in heaven singing with the angels....
This is the perfect performance for vocalists to study. The way she leads the orchestra and they follow her lead. The musicians were every bit as committed as she was. With Whitney, there was always a beginning, middle, and an end to a song. I hear so many songs now that have a flaky end, like they don't even know this concept. She was gifted on so many levels that I really, really appreciate in a vocalist. No one really topped her and it is so fitting that she will always be known as The Voice.
Thank you for your respectful analysis of the Queen! She was perfect, this performance was perfect! Rich, full bodied! Her voice was like a bold coffee, sweetened ever so lightly. I love her so much!
@Daniel Jr respectfully disagree. The World STILL believes whitney was JUST a singer. She wasn't. It's mostly music insiders and the Black community who really knows her talent. To this day Barbara and Celine are often given more credit, hence my point.
@Daniel Jr Whitney was a vocalist and a musician. That's what set apart the greats from the amateurs. Lots of people can sing high notes, but few can do that AND emote at the same time. Aretha, Whitney, Ella Fitzgerald, and Donna Summer are women who had great voices but even greater musicality. Whitney however is objectively the greatest singer to ever live. The objective information is there and it's highly compelling. Art is subjective but vocalism is not, it has components such as breath technique, placement, phrasing, rhythm, intonation, etc. Which are all very easy bits of data to observe and dissect. My point is that vocalism is an objective science and Whitney Elizabeth Houston is the greatest example of the perfection of this science. She had everything down to the last detail, she was the only one who reached the level of vocal perfection that the world witnessed while she inhabited this Earth. She is the absolute standard of the American pop voice and will remain etched in history with the legends.
@Daniel Jr yes these things are quantifiable. You can observe breathing technique and all the others mentioned before. If someone is off key, they're off key, that can be traced and observed.
DTEE Definitely not true She has and always will be recognized for her gift, just her career ended due to her poor choices, but no one can come close to her Not then, not now
