Whitney in London last week

Everybody loves a good Comeback Story, especially in a summer where we finally lost all hope that Michael Jackson would ever return from the strange world he escaped to, and Amy Winehouse still fails to show any convincing signs of recovery.  No surprise then that Whitney Houston was treated to a standing ovation at the launch of her new album at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London last week, when she emerged into the spotlight, aged 45,  looking like her years of crack-addiction had never happened.  Whatever you think of her music - and I for one would die happy without ever having to endure “I Will Always Love You” again - no-one could deny that Whitney’s is a formidable talent.  That talent seemed to be going tragically down the tubes in recent years, culminating in her being pictured gaunt and aged beyond her years, having turned her own home into a crack-den.  

Whitney in her crack-friendly days, 2004

It seems Whitney’s mother came to the rescue, and obtained a compulsory order to force her into rehab. That’s not supposed to be the way to do it (”No-one Can Help The Addict Unless They Want To Help Themselves”, goes the theory), but in Whitney’s case, it seems to have done the trick. Good luck to her. She’s living proof that there’s hope for Amy yet.  I certainly hope so, because whatever about Whitney’s oeuvre,  I definitely want to hear the future output of anyone who can write a song like “Back To Black” at the tender age of 23.