1998 Rewind: Remembering Whitney Houston’s My Love Is Your Love

I’ve been very vocal about my love for the year 1998 – I believe it’s one of the last great years in R&B and hip-hop history. Since 2023 marks 25 years since those magical 12 months, 1998 Rewind will look back at some of the best (and most underrated) albums of that time.

You had to be there but trust me, Whitney’s 1998 comeback album was a major deal. After years of films and soundtracks, would she be able to adapt to the rapidly changing R&B landscape? The homie Kaara Bee joins me from the Soul In Stereo Cypher to talk about one of Whitney’s most beloved albums.

Dial the clock back to 1998 and share your earliest memories of this album.

Kaara: In 1998, I considered myself a Whitney Houston fan but only through her singles and soundtrack albums (I was obsessed with The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale). My Love is Your Love was the first album of hers I owned and I was excited to hear her full out. It was getting to know her for myself, not through my parents. When the album opened with the xylophone-notes on “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay,” I wasn’t sure what was coming, but once the Whitney-math and the beat drops, I was all in. I liked the contemporary cuts that I could dance, but also couldn’t resist the torch songs and ballads that had me struggling to keep up while singing along. The voice remained impeccable, but Whitney the singer seemed more relatable. 

Edd: When I think of Whitney, I think of my Aunt Jackie. In the early 80s, she was the Whitney fan in our family. Whenever my brother and I spent time at her house, better believe Nippy was the soundtrack to those adventures. I saw The Bodyguard at her house. I listened to the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack at her house. But when I got My Love is Your Love for Christmas in 1998, the game changed. It was now my turn to put Aunt Jackie – the woman who introduced me to all things Whitney – on to this new era of her fave. I had My Love is Your Love before she did, and I was more than happy to share that love. Whenever I hear “Heartbreak Hotel,” the title track, heck, even when I look at the cover, I think of my aunt.

Let’s talk best song!

Kaara: “Heartbreak Hotel”

Whitney, Faith and Kelly were the trio we didn’t know we needed.  The production, the voices and emotions…I think all of it added up to a perfect reintroduction of “The Voice” to that era of R&B listeners.

“I Learned from the Best” is a close second.

Edd: “Heartbreak Hotel”

You playas know me. Faith Evans was already one of my faves. Just months prior to this song’s release Kelly Price dropped what would be my favorite R&B album of all time. And Whitney is always incomparable. I had NO CHOICE but to be obsessed with this song from Day One. “Heartbreak Hotel” is three of the greatest female vocalists of the 90s going ballistic in a R&B Cypher – a vocal battle for supremacy. The power. The technique. The mastery. It’s by far the best song here.

If aliens landed tomorrow and demanded I play an R&B song to save the planet, this might be my first pick. It will blow their little green minds.

What’s the best video from this project?

Kaara: “If I Told You That”

“If I Told You That” with George Michael: I liked the original song and never understood the need for a remix. But the video squashed my one-sided beef because it’s such a fun treatment for the song. Whitney and George look like they’re having a great time singing, dancing and riffing with each other. And there’s no way you can listen/watch that thing and not end up dancing. That track still goes hard.

Honorable Mention: “Heartbreak Hotel.” Though there isn’t a storyline, the scenery is beautiful and all the ladies are lit up so gorgeously, I just like watching it. 

Edd: “It’s Not Right But It’s OK”

This is tough because most of the album’s visuals aren’t very distinct. “Heartbreak Hotel” is just three ladies at a hotel. “My Love is Your Love” is a bunch of randos wandering in the street while Whitney shows off her Carmen SanDiego coat. I’ll go with “It’s Not Right But It’s OK” because Whitney with the bob, choker and heavy eyeshadow is my favorite Whitney look. It’s like she crawled out of the Matrix.

What’s the most underrated song here?

Kaara: “Until You Come Back”

The production, range and power of the song felt like a throwback to earlier power ballads, like “I Have Nothing.” But in a good way. I imagine that’s not the throwback the team may have wanted for a forward-looking album (and “I Learned From the Best” was the better torch song for a single), but I do think this song gets overlooked. 

Edd: “If I Told You That”

“It’s Not Right But It’s OK,” “Heartbreak Hotel” and “When You Believe” all justly get their due (…except maybe “When You Believe” – that one was always overrated to me). But “If I Told You That” isn’t just one of the best songs on this record, it’s one of the best tracks in producer Darkchild’s portfolio, period. And that’s high praise, considering the incredible run he was on in this era.

Which song should have been a single?

Kaara: “Get it Back”

It was a catchy Darkchild beat; I feel like he was on a winning streak in that era and the song would’ve fit in with the music then. 

Edd: “I Bow Out”

Literally half the songs on this album were pushed as singles at some point, so it’s hard to find a missed opportunity. The closest one might be “I Bow Out,” mainly because a video of Whitney wildin out on some dude at a masquerade ball would make for cool visuals. 

“Heartbreak Hotel”: Who had the standout performance?

Kaara: Kelly Price

Well, this is an impossible question because each lady brings her own flavor to it, yet no one overpowers the other. But I’ll go with Kelly Price. There’s something about the way she sings “Allll I wanted…” after the bridge, that just breaks it open every time. Up to that point, the ladies are serving sass, defiance, disappointment but when she lets loose at the end, there’s a soulful sadness that comes out. Man, I love this song!

Edd: Kelly Price

Kaara knows what’s up. Skip to 3:20 on the track and hear my girl Kelly hit you with that:

ALLLLLLLLLL I WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANTED

Once she did that, there was no doubt who won. Priceless.

This was Whitney’s first solo studio album in 8 years. How did she adjust to the new R&B climate?

Kaara: This album adapted well (mostly) with the sound at that time. And honestly, listening 25 years later, most of the songs hold up. (I also listen to the album regularly though). Look at the success of the title track. Then, she flows effortlessly with Darkchild on “Get it Back” and “If I Told You That.” The big ballads from Diane Warren, David Foster and Babyface had their place too: “I Learned From The Best” falls in line with the big songs you’d expect her to belt but there’s an edge that adds another layer of drama and won my heart from the first time I heard it.  I’ve also always liked “Until You Come Back”  because it sounds vintage. And let’s not forget the hidden track, “I Was Made to Love Him.” The song and sound come out of left field, but again an example of Whitney’s sound being updated without sounding forced. Side note: I don’t know how much producing Lauryn Hill did at that time, but this reminds me that her tracks with Whitney, Aretha and Mary are pleasant standouts. 

Speaking of sounding forced, from the first listen, the Missy-produced tracks were glaring missteps for me. Hate to say it. We know Missy had the Midas touch at the time, but “In My Business” and “Say Yes” always sounded awkward to me. The beat, the cadence and phrasing (“Tell me why these hoes they don’t even like me”? Really?!). They might’ve been fun to record but that’s a no for me. 

Edd: Thought it was Whitney’s first solo album in nearly a decade, it’s not like she was under a rock all those years. She had her ear to the R&B streets and was able to adjust to the times. Much of that credit goes to the chemistry she found with Darkchild and her connection with Babyface. The vocals were never in question, but working with that pair, along with others like Soulshock and Karlin, were able to update her sound while not compromising her vocals. The transition was pretty smooth, though Kaara’s not wrong about the Missy joints feeling slightly try-hard.

What’s the best written song on the project?

Kaara: “When You Believe”

When the it first came out, I thought it was corny and not the best use of these phenomenal voices. But living just a little and gaining perspective has definitely changed my tune (pun intended). It’s an inspirational song that’s written with honesty, depth, and tells a story.  

Edd: “I Learned from the Best”

Though I highly respect Diane Warren’s long legacy in the music industry, I’m not always the biggest fan of her records, especially in this era. Nearly every R&B artist had to have at least one Diane Warren song on their project and half the time they didn’t fit the tone of the album at all. But “I Learned from the Best” works very well, and that’s due to the superior writing. It’s the sweetest revenge song you’ll ever hear. Pay attention, 2023 songwriters – this is proof you don’t have to throw around juvenile insults to clap back at an evil ex. There’s an art to this.

Where do you rank My Love Is Your Love among Whitney albums?

Kaara: Admittedly, I had to revisit her albums (or listen for the first time) to honestly answer this question, but I’d say it’s in the top 3 of her catalog. All her albums have common patterns in terms of the tempo, style and content, but My Love is Your Love sounds like one of her more cohesive, authentic albums that reflects the era it was made in but doesn’t sound stuck there all these years later. 

Edd: My Love is Your Love is my personal favorite Whitney album, but a lot of that is tied to memories of my aunt and the awesomeness that was 1998 in general. But if I must be your Unbiased Music Reviewer for a second, I’d still place it at No. 2 on the list. It doesn’t reach the heights of her heralded debut, but I’d give it a slight edge over fan fave With My Baby Tonight, mainly due to the bulletproof sequencing on the first half of this album. Expectations were super high for My Love is Your Love, and I think Whitney nailed them.

Who got it right, Kaara or Edd? Help us celebrate Whitney by sharing your memories below.