Being that Whitney Houston was the number one influence on him as a singer it was merely a matter of time before singer/musician/artist Matt Zarley dropped a cover of one of her many classics. That day has arrived! Yes today Matt's cover of I Look To You drops on iTunes.
To celebrate I asked Mr. Zarley to give me ten reasons Whitney was his favorite artist of all time.
Of course he gave the awesome type of answers only a super fan could.
Take it away Matt!
1. Her debut album (I played the cassette so much that I actually had to replace it)
2. “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful” - I was so obsessed with this song. I used to play
the last half from the end of the bridge thru to the end and marvel at her stunning
vocals. https://youtu.be/IzYIBlA7hDs
3. “The Greatest Love of All” music video - The part where she walks across the stage in
her silver evening gown. To this day, there’s something simple yet magical in that
moment. https://youtu.be/IYzlVDlE72w
4. “I’m Your Baby Tonight” album - This is when we started to hear her really rip thru a
song. Her first 2 albums were very refined; whereas this was the moment we started to
hear her true r&b roots.
5. “Welcome Home Heroes” HBO Concert - This is one of the greatest concerts ever.
She has never sounded better. Billy Porter and I would sit in my NYC apartment for
hours, watching and studying her nuances. This is also when Billy and I so lovingly
nicknamed her SONGSTRESS: ALL THAT IS VOICE. (I’m totally not lying) https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=11x2xf5BE6Q
6. The Bodyguard - This was her peak, vocally. She was the platinum standard of which
most singers of my generation looked up to.
7. Cinderella - I actually appeared in this Disney television tv movie. She was the exec
producer and star of this. Though I didn’t get to work with her (I worked with Brandy
for a month), I love to be able to say I was in the same film with her. :)
8. “The Star Spangled Banner” - THE BEST rendition of this classic. No one will ever top
her performance ever.
9. Her talent and artistry - I don’t think most people really appreciated how gifted she
was. She made it look so easy. She had a gift for connecting to a lyric and really
communicating that story to the listener. She could draw you in to her. Very few artists
can stand at a microphone and just sing….and make you feel something, really affect
you. She had that gift. She didn’t need to fly, flash her nipples, or kiss another woman
to get your attention. Her artistry was enough. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=11x2xf5BE6Q
10. That voice - In my opinion, she was and is the greatest pop vocalist ever. She had that
mezzo soprano range that allowed her to glide thru octaves seemlessly. She knew the
importance of a melody and not to oversing or over embellish a song. She respected
the music. She would always establish the tune first before riffing her face off…which
always felt like it made sense. Her intonation and clarity of tone was off the charts
perfect. She truly had the most beautiful instrument we will likely ever hear. No one
even comes close. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cdEH_tTvug
Look to Matt at:
https://www.facebook.com/mattzarley
https://twitter.com/mattzarley
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/matt-zarley/id262463477
