Star Magazine From 26 January 2015

Critically acclaimed Chicago band initially connected to the No Depression neo-country scene, later emerging as an experimental-pop powerhouse. Collection includes: 'A.M.' (1995); 'Being There' (1996); 'Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 1' (with Billy Bragg) (1998); 'Summerteeth' (1999); 'Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 2' (with Billy Bragg) (2000); 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' (2002); 'A Ghost Is Born' (2004); 'Kicking Television: Live in Chicago' (2005); 'Sky Blue Sky' (2007); 'Wilco' (2009); 'The Whole Love' (2011).

Whitney Houston is the eponymous debut album of American R&B and pop singer Whitney Houston. It was released on February 14, 1985, by Arista Records. The album initially had a slow commercial response, but began getting more popular in the summer of 1985, and it eventually topped the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks in 1986, generated three number-one singles — "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All". The album was certified diamond for shipments of 10 million units or more on March 16, 1999, and later 13× platinum on July 29, 1999, making it one of the top 100 best-selling albums in the United States. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. In 1986, at the 28th Grammy Awards, Whitney Houston received four nominations; including Album of the Year and won one, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "Saving All My Love for You". For the 29th Grammy Awards of 1987, the album earned one nomination for Record of the Year for "Greatest Love of All". In 2003, the album was ranked number 254 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In honor of it's 25th anniversary, the album was reissued as Whitney Houston – The Deluxe Anniversary Edition on January 26, 2010, an expanded edition with five bonus tracks including the a cappella version of "How Will I Know" and the original 12-inch remixes, a booklet tracking the history of the original album, along with a DVD of live performances and interviews by Whitney Houston and Clive Davis.

Talk about a tough act to follow. Back in 2014, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado released Too Many Roads: the award-winning ninth album that saw the golden-voiced frontman and his seven-piece lineup showered with global acclaim. For the fans who had followed the Copenhagen band since their formation in 2003, it felt like a career-best release. But we were wrong.