The Greatest Hits

For an artist who only released four proper albums in a 15-year career, it's astounding to recall how many hits Whitney Houston was able to achieve. The two CDs on Greatest Hits track Houston's rise from mid-1980s hit machine balladeer to standard-setting diva. Disc 1, CoolDown, runs chronologically through Houston's down-tempo love songs, from "Saving All My Love For You" and "I Will Always Love You" to the cleverly conceived new duet with Deborah Cox, "Same Script, Different Cast". She's also showcased as the remixee of choice for DJs on the second disc, Throw Down, which serves as the antidote to the lovesick first disc. Calling in marquee mix masters, Houston's old-shoe tunes get a new millennium polish. "My Love Is Your Love", reinterpreted by Jonathan Peters, captures the versatility of Houston's songs by making the downbeats danceable without going totally Euro-cheese. In contrast, Junior Vasquez's remix of 1985's "How Will I Know" pokes fun at the song's 1980s fluffiness by layering in bells, lasers effects, and echoes on top of Whitney's enthusiastic vocals. --Heidi Sherman