With the Grammy Awards airing tomorrow it just will not be the same as many years Houston and Clive Davis was involved with the ceremony. Our prayers go out to the family of the incredible Ms. Houston.

The 2009 American Music Awards is set to take place in a few hours. Below you can stream the Red Carpet pre-show as well the main show. Below you can view the video as well as list of the performers.

Performers

1. Jay-Z
2. Alicia Keys
3. Black Eyed Peas
4. Jennifer Lopez
5. Adam Lambert
6. Kelly Clarkson
7. Carrie Underwood
8. Daughtry
9. Mary J. Blige
10. Eminem
11. Green Day
12. Whitney Houston
13. Janet Jackson
14. Lady Gaga
15. Rihanna
16. Shakira
17. Keith Urban

Live TV by Ustream

Now this is what we were expecting to see last week with “I Look to You”. This video was properly executed. The video starts with a vintage setting which matches the vintage sound of the song. and displays Houston taking the stage at a nightclub whilst keeping the crowd alive. The video later shifts to a manicured landscape setting where Houston sports a pink dress and is knockin’ out the 20 somethin’s with this look. The third scene shift is her dancing around with dollar bills blowing around her which is relates to the song in a very literal way. The whole video is filled with energy, Houston looks as young as she did 10 or more years ago and she just delivered a great video for a great song.

The past two days on CBS at 4 pm ET, many eyes and minds were focused on the television screen as they watched Whitney Houston reveal the ups and downs of her life for the past umpteen amount of years but before we get into here are the highlights from parts 1 and 2 of the interview:

POINTS OF INTEREST

- Houston admits Bobby was jealous of her and she had to lower herself to make him feel bigger.
- The drug-use started in the years during The Bodyguard years but were used heavily beginning the The Preacher’s Wife era.
- One main reason why Whitney stayed with Bobby was she was determined to prove the public wrong and that he was simply her drug.
- Her preferred choice of drug was weed laced with cocaine.
- Houston would sit around in her house for weeks at a time in her pajamas.
- Bobby painted evil eyes on the walls and destroyed furniture.
- The final straw was when Brown spat in Houston’s face, cursed her out, pushed her up against the wall before being knocked out by a cordless phone.
- Houston’s mother entered the house with a court junction to get her daughter back.
- Bobby Kristina joined her mother at rehab as well as giving her mother the ‘OK’ to  divorce Brown.
- Houston states she is off drugs but admits there are days she still wants to use them.
- Houston performed “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”.

Take notes aspiring journalists, that’s how an interview is done. Well a large part goes to Houston being 100% honest and forthcoming about all the details in her life.

It amazed us how open she was about everything; she smiled and laughed at some comments Oprah made when she could have easily taken them as insults. Everything was sincere, she answered every single question without beating around the bush and most of all she spoke with pride.

From that interview we see how strong of a person she is, how gracious she is and she truly is in a good place spiritually. It’s amazing and wonderful how she is such a great believer in God and that she remains optimistic towards the public after the many years of being frowned upon. She took full responsibility for her actions; she stayed and was loyal to Brown because she believed in those marriage vows to the fullest and thought they should not be broken.

What was probably the most fascinating part of the interview was not the revelation of drug-use or domestic abuse but Whitney’s down-to-earth personality. When Oprah asked Houston if she was scared of what Bobby had to say when he found out about the interview she cut her eye like “excuse me, who you talkin’ to”. That was priceless.

At the special request of Oprah, Whitney performed “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”. First, we have to say that performance was so much better than what she did for Good Morning America. Remember she blamed being on Oprah for the sub-par performance. Houston was not lying because as the interview progressed you could hear she was losing her voice. Conveniently, the in-studio appearance with the audience members was about a week later from the one-on-one interview so she had time to heal her voice.

Back to the performance on Oprah, Houston’s voice is heavier but she sounds still sounds great. Now we’re going to inject some honesty that will probably upset a handful of people. The vocals that earned Houston the title of “THE VOICE” is no longer there. Like Proph stated, it’s easy to say she sounds a million times better than the current crop of artists in the industry today but that’s not the situation. The three biggest vocalists of a generation; Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion were so extraordinary that they were/are always compared to themselves. So to make an excuse just to fulfill a feeling of nostalgia does not make sense. Nonetheless Houston served a great performance and it seems she doing this because she really wants to now and not because she has to.

View the full interview…

The video in itself is an oxymoron; so SIMPLE yet so OVER-THE-TOP. The video consists of one setting whilst the drop-dead-stunning Houston stares into the camera and sings the song. The only extras to this video are the halo lighting effects and the flowers floating down from the ‘heavens’. The video quite simply suits the song. Also, only a singer of Whitney’s status and caliber could pull such simplicity and sell it to the public. Very regal and aristocratic.

Above you can see the official single cover for Mariah Carey’s “I Want to Know What Love Is”. It really suits the song; very soft and angelic.

Mariah Carey is set to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show live on September 18. She will be there to discuss her album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, as well as perform. A performance to look forward to in our opinion. “I Want to Know Love Is” is a ballad; Mariah will be right at home. We wonder if Mariah’s rendtion will have the same effect as Wynonna Judd’s rendition did on Oprah.

In the last bit of Mariah news Italian retail store ibs has Memoirs… listed with a release date of September 11, 2009. Either this is a mistake or we really are getting Mariah’s album earlier.

We’re sure by now you all have witnessed Whitney Houston’s less-than-stellar comeback performance on Good Morning America. That’s alright she still had her supporters because she was energetic and looked healthy.

You may have also heard that on September 14, 2009, the season premiere of The Oprah…, Whitney Houston will sit down with Oprah, sans an audience, for a two part candid interview. Everything from drug use to her marriage with Bobby Brown to the fear of losing ‘The Voice’ will be discussed. Houston is also set to perform “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” on the show. If you listen closely to the end of the video below you can hear a snippet of that performance.

ThatGrapeJuice has exclusively delivered the information that two video premieres from Whitney Houston will be released within a week of each other. The first, “I Look to You”, will premiere on September 10 and the second, “Million Dollar Bill”, will premiere six days later on the 16th of September.

Today, August 31, 2009 and just in time for the Grammy deadline, Whitney Houston releases her first studio album in seven years. I Look To You is the highly anticipated album this part of the decade from the singer and the feedback has matched the hype. With listening parties hosted by Clive Davis from London to New York to Los Angeles the overwhelming response is the ‘diva still has IT.’ We remember reading a few of the reviews from one of the listening parties and one of the attendees was quoted blurting out the words “THAT’S MUTHA F***ING WHITNEY HOUSTON”. YES, the lady with ‘THE VOICE’ still demands the attention and it’s nice to know that her work still speaks for itself…

1. Million Dollar Bill – The album’s opener, penned by Alicia Keys and produced by Swizz Beatz, is the appropriate choice for the first song. Its uptempo feel is like a celebration of the return of Houston. She nails the opening notes and leads on with happy and uplifting lyrics. With its throwback vibe, this song will have people of younger and older generations dancing the night away. 4 out of 5

2. Nothin’ But Love – The unexpected electronic synths begin this Danja produced song and continues throughout with the club-like instrumental. The lyrics shine a light on Houston’s mature persona with her stating that she blames no one for any negativity that has come her way and the love she has for her loved ones she shares with the ‘haters’. 4 out of 5

3. Call You Tonight – Songwriter Johnta Austin and production team Stargate are behind this midtempo ‘finger-snappin/foot-tappin’ jam. The soothing flow carries throughout the whole song and she handles herself very well; even when she belts it out towards the end. The sad part is this sounds like so many other Stargate productions which takes a small part of the interest away. 3.5 out of 5

4. I Look to You – The album’s title track and promo, written by R. Kelly, is Houston’s heart-felt ballad on the album. Backed by a beautiful piano, the song is about throughout all of Houston’s past battles she had one person who was there for her through thick and thin. Vocally, it is not the best song on the album as her voice flattens at some points and the sudden modulation in the chorus makes it seem like her voice is cracking. 3.5 out of 5

5. Like I Never Left feat. Akon – This song, produced by Akon’s Konvict, is a nice tropical midtempo song that would be perfect for late night plays on R&B radio stations. It does get off to a slightly boring start but by the end it picks up itself. With added ad-libs from Whitney and a verse from Akon that doesn’t seem out of place it is a very decent song. 3 out of 5

6. A Song for You – A cover of Leon Russell’s song of the same title, “A Song For You” starts off as a calm piano ballad and about a 1:30 the tempo switches to a dance-driven song for the rest of the time. Here again, another song where Houston’s vocals are in control. 3 out of 5

7. I Didn’t Know My Own Strength – This song should be considered the slightly more favorable twin of “I Look to You”. The song is very uplifting and the lyrical content is powerful on its own. Since leaking onto the net a few elements were added to the instrumentation and gives it a bit more life. Houston displays a great amount of vulnerability in this song from beginning to end. 4 out of 5

8. Worth It – Eric Hudson produces a decent mid-tempo album cut for track #8. The semi-minimalist song entices the listener but remains basically the same to the very last second. Lyrically, Houston is just speaking about ‘love’ and if it’s ‘worth it’. It’s a good track but falls in the middle somewhere amongst the rest. 3 out of 5

9. For the Lovers – Danja returns for a second time on Houston’s album producing a contemporary/classic sound. The production is definitely up there in the top 3 and the lyrical content is very energetic. It’s a song that both men and woman can relate to which is why it would not hurt for this to be released as a future single. 4 out 5

10. I Got You – Instrumentally, this is probably the best on the album along with “Nothin’ But Love”. Despite that great fact the song is one that stays the same through out its whole duration. The production definitely saves this one. 3 out of 5

11. Salute – Written by R. Kelly and produced by Tricky Stewart, the last song of the album finds Whitney saying goodbye to a certain someone that made her recent past less-than-great. She reaches a state of realization and sees that it’s time to move on. The production complements the seriousness of the message she’s giving out. Whitney leaves listeners knowing that she is on the right track again. 4 out of 5

C.S. Top Picks: Million Dollar Bill, Nothin’ But Love, I Didn’t Know My Own Strength, For the Lovers, and Salute.

Overall this is a great effort from Houston. By no means is this going to be deemed a classic for its quality alone; maybe the fact that it’s her first album in such a long time will garner that sort of acclaim… We’ve said this time and time again, we see this album as the warm-up for her next great album. Just the same way as Charmbracelet preceded The Emancipation for Mimi for Mariah Carey. Whitney is really doing it old-shcool with this return. Even with the promo; today’s artists have 2 and 3 singles before the album’s release. With this album, the promo won’t start and the video will not be released until after today. Our parting words… WHITNEY IS BACK!

For you internet surfers out there who are are on top of your music game, you should have at least listened to the stream of I Look to You on Houston’s official site. It’s safe to say the diva is BACK!

One of the highlights of the new album is the Danjahandz produced “Nothin’ But Love”. the synthesized intro caught us off guard because it displayed a more pop side of Whitney that we like. We thought the whole entire album would consist of the classic R&B sound the whole way through but it doesn’t. In the song Houston addresses the people who brought negativity and positivity upon her by simply saying she has “Nothin’ But Love” for them. All of which which helped her to get through some tough times. Definitely check out this song. Also, be sure to lookout for our FULL REVIEW of the album by the beginning of next week.

Whitney Houston – Nothin’ But Love (Prod. by Danja)

Well it’s the official time for Whitney’s comeback as her radio single “Million Dollar Bill” is here in full.

The news has been spiralling out of control with this Whitney comeback and when Swizz Beatz was announced as the producer for the first single we were a bit iffy. Of course Alicia Keys being on the songwriting end gave us more clarity but we thought Swizz would give Whitney something along the lines of a Cassidy production. We were wrong as “Million Dollar Bill” has a complete old-school vibe to it. This generation and most certainly previous generations will appreciate this.

This new album of Whitney has proven so far to be a timeless effort. Although her voice isn’t exactly what it used to be she still has the fire in her. Now the last thing left on our minds of is, how will she perform live after all these years. Will her vocals differ that much from the studio perfected ‘copyrights’ (as Clive Davis refers to them) on the album?

Whitney Houston – Million Dollar Bill (CDQ)

Everyone’s ears are becoming reacquainted with Whitney Houston’s voice since “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” was used a promotional buzz last month. Now the title track of the album has been released. It’s uncertain whether or not this is another promotional song or if it will be an accompanying single to “Million Dollar Bill” featuring Swizz Beatz.

Like we said the other day Whitney is back; her music seems to a be true a reflection of where she is today. People may complain that this is not a progression of any sound of hers but in this case it’s not the point. This is not a trendy album that she and Clive have concocted; it’s an album of classics that will still be able to be played umpteen years from now.

The song itself is very powerful. We may have received more of a thrill after listening to the snippet than this full version but it’s still a great song nonetheless. Also, not to be disrespectful but it would be cool if the studio version of the R. Kelly’s version is released because it very much rivals that of Whitney’s rendition.

Whitney Houston – I Look to You

After returning to the states from the London listening party of I Look to You, R&B diva Whitney Houston and music legend Clive Davis gave a NYC audience a preview of what’s to come from Houston’s release. The event took place at the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center last night. It’s been 8 years since we had an album from Whitney so the anticipation is high.

In a room filled with everyone from Alicia Keys to Martha Stewart, Whitney’s new album was followed by many standing ovations. It appears this truly is Houston’s time to shine again. We previously had the opinion that this would be a warm-up album for her but this seems to be what The Emancipation of Mimi was for Mariah. Also a 30 sec. snippet of the title track from the listening party has appeared online.

CLASSIC, TIMELESS, A DAMN BEAUTY! Whitney Houston has returned. The R. Kelly demo is just as great and Whitney executes this song with such ease. This does not disappoint, we’ll be listening to this twenty years from now. Also, Whitney’s official first single is “Million Dollar Bill” (written and produced by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats). It is described as:

An up-tempo, joyful track about love and probably one of the funkiest songs Whitney has ever done. “Million Dollar Bill” has an amazing bass line and almost recalls early Michael Jackson in Off The Wall. The catchy hook, “You make me feel like a million dollar bill.” Her vocal is strong with some power notes toward the end. The song has an Alicia Keys sound but fits for Whit — it’s current without making her seem like she is trying to compete with teenagers. The song received a standing ovation. [SOURCE]

I LOOK TO YOU in stores September 1, 2009

Well here you have it, Whitney Houston’s comeback single, ” I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”, from her upcoming album I Look to You. The internet is about to create a huge buzz.

So as we do we have to give our perspective on the new single. First, no matter what the classic R&B lovers will eat this one up ’cause that’s just what it is, a classic run of the mill R&B song that would fit in the 90′s. It doesn’t push any boundaries or explore new territories BUT like we said the HYPE alone will push it to the top because everyone is just happy to have Whitney back. It’s been on repeat.

Whitney Houston – I Didn’t Know My Own Strength

Mr. Carter, We mean Jay-Z has been given a release date for his upcoming eleventh LP entitled Blueprint 3. It’s release date is set to hit stores on September 11, 2009. This is good news as Jay-Z recently parted ways with Def Jam and it was unsure which direction he would be headed to. For now the album will be released under Warner Music Group as he further deals with bringing his Roc Nation project to Sony Music. The release date will also make it eight years to the day that the first Blueprint was released and more importanly eight years to the day of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Via: MTV News

BILLBOARD reported on Monday that Sade is recording the follow-up to her 2000 album Lovers Rock. No release date has been set for the album but there are hopes for a late 2009 release date. Her and her band’s (under the same name) label, Sony Music, had this to say:

“She is in the studio and the album will come when it is ready,” a source at Sony told Billboard. “You don’t wait for years for one and then rush it.”

The album seems to be promising and we feel great about because they’re taking time. Our opinion is old-fashioned in that sense, you cannot rush greatness.

“DIIIIVAAAAAAAAAAAAA! BOOOOBBBBBBAYYYYYYYYYY! KISSSSSS MYYYYYYYYYY ASSSSSSSSS!” Now that all informalities are out of our system we are pleased to state that Whitney Houston’s new album has been given a worldwide release date of September 1, 2009.

This is Houston’s first album in six years and is highly anticipated. So far it is know that she has worked with R. Kelly, Diane Warren, David Foster, Swizz Beatz, and Akon, for this project. Also check out her promo image above from is the first from a new batch of promo images to come from the ‘NEW ERA’ of Whitney Houston.

Another Billboard report gave the news that for the first time Pharrell is in the studio recording with Rihanna for her upcoming fourth LP. Here’ what he had to say:

“I’m going in with Rihanna,” The Neptunes frontman told Billboard in a recent interview. “This is the first time the two have collaborated together.”

At first it seemed that Rihanna’s upcoming fourth would be a blatant copy of Good Girl Gone Bad to recycle the success of it. Now that Def Jam has put together this mega-list of A-List producers for her it will be undeniable that the album will have hit after hit.

Pharrell has also been working in the studio with Shakira, Sara Bareilles, Usher and Incubus helping them to complete their individual releases. N.E.R.D. is also getting the finishing touches for their fourth album.

It has just been reported via MTV News that Lil Wayne’s Rebirth has a final release date after all the push backs.

After being pushed back a few times, production is finally finished on Lil Wayne’s Rebirth album, and it’s ready to hit the stores.

“Expect great music. That’s all I ever want them to expect from me,” Wayne told us after the MTV Movie Awards.

“I wanted to grow and show my growth as well,” he added. “It’s a difference from when you go in a room and come out and you’re better and everyone says, ‘How did you do that?’ So with this album, I wanted everyone to see my growing pains.”

Here again this is great news because it seemed as though this album would eventually get the shelving treatment.

In Billboard chart news, Eminem scores his second week at #1 with his Relapse album with Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown spending a second week at #2. Lady GaGa’s The Fame is sticking in there creeping up to #5 from #8 from last week.

In some less than happy news Electrik Red’s debut, How to Be a Lady: Vol. 1, came in at #100. This is just bad because Def Jam barely gave them any promotion and a lot of record stores do not even have the album stocked. Now we know those who are not properly acquainted with the group will write them and there album off as trash but our original opinion was similar and now look at the love we show them. If you watch a few of their ‘self-made’ promo vids and listen to their whole album from beginning to end you will realize that their debut is one HOT piece of material. Hopefully this is a sign that they start low and climb to the top instead of being flops.

In other good news Keri Hilson has scored her first #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with her single “Knock You Down” featuring Kanye and Ne-Yo and #4 on the Hot 100. Congrats to her as well as Jeremih sitting right behind her at #2 with “Birthday Sex” and #4 on the Hot 100.

Amerie has completed her latest album In Love & War with a release date of sometime in August. the album features productions from The Buchanans , Teddy Riley, Sean Garrett & Eric Hudson, Jim Johnson & Rico Love, Brian Cox, amongst others.

The video for lead single “Why R U” has already been shot and was directed by Ray-Kay. It will premiere on BET on June 8.