Welcome back, Whitney Houston

I've always loved Whitney. Growing up on her songs was a privilege. Damn, along came Bobby and all turned topsy-turvey. As she faded away, she was missed. In fact, Ann powers sums up well, what Whitney and her voice means to all of us; 'When she was at her best, nothing could match her huge, clean, cool mezzo-soprano -- not Madonna's canny chirp, not Bono's stone church wail nor Bruce Springsteen's ramshackle growl. No, it was Houston who best embodied the feminine but gym-toned, black-inspired but aspirationally post-racial sound of global crossover pop. Like a Trump skyscraper, Houston the singer was as showily dominant as corporate capitalism itself.'

Whitney's back. My first 'listen in' didn't make me go 'wow', but tell you what, there'll be a lot of further listening, and then I know her songs are gonna grow on me.

What's smart about her comeback is her having the entire album streaming live, off her site. Brands taking on the consumer world after a break, or even the first time around need to break the 'stimuli selection barrier'. In a cluttered world where the consumer is bombarded with numerous and varied stimuli, for him to stop, notice and pick a stimuli to respond to, is more than impossible. That even goes for Whitney's new album. To break that barrier, brands must give consumers a compelling reason to stop and consider them. In Whitney's case, its a complete comeback album streaming live, online.

I can't say for sure if I would've bought her comeback album off a music shelf. But what I've done is listen to her online. Listen again. Like now. And as I said before, they're growing on me. Maybe I will consider a buy.

But even if I don't, one thing I promise. I'll be back, online, to listen to her, again.

Welcome back, Whitney.