Whitney Houston became a superstar with this album, already establishing herself
as the generations "Voice", and its not hard to see why- as soon as the disc
opens up with "You Give Good Love", and she sings the line, "Our love is here/to
stay/to STAAAAYYYY", in that part of the songs bridge, you know you are already
dealing with one of the best singers of all time.

Houstons vocal gifts are
astounding and are the highlights of almost every song. The #1 singles here are
"SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU" (the irresistible first #1 song that propelled the
album sales together with "YOU GIVE GOOD LOVE" after the lead single "SOMEONE
FOR ME" failed to make a statement of her music and flopped almost everywhere),
"HOW WILL I KNOW" (this already considered 80s pop classic song showcases
Whitneys Aretha-like pipes) and "GREATEST LOVE OF ALL" (the hate-it-or-love-it
song in the album many people loved it for its soul-searching theme and
heart-ripping power, and critics panned it for the very same reasons, I myself
happen to love it. The thing with critics is that they see cheesy music as
worthless of the artists effort and the buyers time of listening. The song sure
is SLIGHTLY cheesy, but it has a soul from which it gathers its strength from in
the first place).

The other songs that are also good nevertheless.
"ALL AT
ONCE"- a song that features Whitney dealing up with a heavy emotional blow after
a heartbreak. At first, I was surprised that this wasnt released as a single
because it would surely propel up the charts, but considering how many singles
are released already (5 out of 10), I guess they thought that its time to work
for album number 2 already. The song topped the Adult Contemporary charts
nevertheless and was featured on Whitneys Greatest Hits record due to its
immense popularity. Its still remains as a fan favorite. -"All at once/Im
drifting on a lonely see/Wishing youd come back to me" An emotional and soaring
vocal performance from Whitney.
"HOLD ME"- a stellar romantic duet with Teddy
Pendergrass. This was Whitneys first appearance in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984
when this was released as a cut from Mr. Pendergrass album. It slightly missed
the Top 40 though created a slight public interest to a then-unknown Whitney
Houston. It is the albums closing track and features another soaring vocal
performance from Ms. Houston. -"Hold me in your arms/Tonight/Feel my life with
pleasure/Lets not waste this precious time/A moments ours to treasure" This song
remains as a wedding favorite here in the Philippines.
"NOBODY LOVES ME LIKE
YOU DO"- an original of Anne Murray, Whitney Houston duetted with Jermaine
Jackson to deliver another classic. -"What if I never met you/Where would I be
right now/Its funny how life/Just falls in place somehow" Once again, Whitney
Houstons voice soar when her background voice sings "...nobody LOOOOOVVVEEEES
me" in the songs climax. Still a romantic song and wedding favorite, though not
in league with what "HOLD ME" achieved, but still good nonetheless.

The
slightly weaker track "TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY HEART" is another duet with Jermaine
Jackson. It has a good pop tune though it sounds too generic as though it could
be a hit for anyone.

With an album compromising of very strong songs, they
make the 2nd-rate songs "THINKING ABOUT YOU" and "SOMEONE FOR ME" sound good.
The two songs production are the most evidently dated and I feel that the album,
though already strong, could have been STRONGER without these two fillers.
The album is a true classic and already earned its reputation ranking 254th on
Rolling Stones 500 BEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME list and being hailed as Whitneys
best studio album. It is a must-have for music lovers especially soul and r&b
fans.