The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album
By this time in her career, Whitney Houston had a formula sound, and here she leans on it hard, surrounding herself with adult contemporary heavy-hitters like Diane Warren and Babyface. This wasn't the monster her previous records were, most notablyThe Bodyguardsoundtrack, even though it seems to be an overt attempt at satisfying the same audience. Her voice is as crystalline as ever, but overall it seems a somewhat soulless effort, even though the themes are much more secular than she's braved before. --Scott Wilson