Whitney Houston - The Voice (1963 - 2012)

Whitney Houston was The Voice.

In her 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Oprah cited an article that likened Houston's mistreatment of her voice from drug use as mistreating and abusing 'a national treasure'.

No statement rings more true about the voice of Whitney Houston.

In no other moment did that statement resonate more than last Saturday.

The day the Voice died.

On February 11th at approximately 3:00pm (Pacific time), news spread across the globe that Whitney Houston - one of the most successful and influential female vocalists in music history - had died. She was forty-eight years old.

It triggered a wave of grief and mourning. Everyone around the world stopped what they were doing to absorb the jarring knowledge.

Whitney was gone. The Voice had been silenced.

If you are reading this post, hoping for gossip or details regarding her death or her music career, you've come to the wrong blog-site. This post is not meant to regurgitate facts on her career, drug addiction and recent passing. It is to pay tribute to and acknowledge one simple truth:

That Whitney Houston was The Voice.

That Voice was an instrument steeped in soul and gospel music. A pristine and powerful musical weapon that was forged in the church and refined through singing back-up for her mother; gospel singer Cissy Houston. A voice that captured the intonations of her god-mother Aretha Franklin, yet displayed a rare sense of discipline and confidence.

Houston's singing style and vocal mannerisms not only set the bar, but laid the blueprint for every female singer that would follow her. There is an almost regal quality in the way she spread out her vocals over her recordings. She was able to sing in glorious falsettos, deep registers and a booming mid-range tone with such ease that it felt like watching an athlete perform.

And none of this speaks to her ability as a live performer. When The Voice was on-stage with a microphone in hand, her vocal virtuosity was (and still is) unbeatable.

As a live singer, Whitney exhibited intensity and dramatics through her vocal stylings. Even when she inflected tenderness in her singing, you always knew there was something epic simmering underneath her softest and breathiest notes. And when she reared back, like a lioness, and unleashed The Voice; it was like being punched in the face and the heart with something that can only be described as divine and majestic.

The Voice when heard through a microphone sounded like a melismatic roar of powerful, prolonged notes executed with pipes sturdy as iron. Whether in an arena or out-door stadium, her voice commanded attention with such force and power that it sounded like a choir singing into a thousand microphones.

Don't take my word for it, look up her many legendary performances on You Tube and see for yourself. My personal favourite is her performance of "One Moment In Time" at the 1989 Grammy Awards. It encapsulates everything that made her shines and re-enforces why she will be so sorely missed.

My deepest condolences go out to Whitney's family and close friends who, like many others, are mourning the loss of an extraordinarily talented woman and exceptional human being. Unlike the rest of the world, they are also mourning the loss of a family member mother and good friend.

And as for Whitney? Well, I like to think she left the world with these final words:

"I hope life treats you kind

And I hope you have all you dream of

And I wish you joy and happiness

But above all this,

I wish you love"

Rest in peace Whitney.