Musicwise, Britney and Whitney have very little in common. Whitney is was a stellar vocalist with a solid reputation and tons of credibility in the music industry. Her songs were as monumental as her voice and it was pretty much a requirement for every aspiring vocalist to cite Whitney Houston as an inspiration. Britney on the other hand, wasn't praised for the breadth or depth of her voice, but for its distinct sound. She whined and purred her way through the music industry and like Madonna, her career has thrived on controversy and media scandals.
Their personal lives, and subsequently their downfalls, have been perfect mirrors of each other. Both women got tangled up with "bad boys," got pregnant and had children, and both have battled public meltdowns as a result of drugs, broken relationships and family quarrels. Whitney's been out of it since 1998 -- we like to pretend 2002's "Just Whitney" didn't happen -- so she's arguably been battling her demons publicly a bit longer than Britney. But what Britney lacks in time, she makes up for in impact. The images of Britney with the running mascara and clippers in hand as she shaved her head have become iconic. And the multiple hospital visits that have played out on the Internet and the tabloids are something Whitney hasn't gone through.
But, putting all of that aside, the ladies, reportedly, are ready to come back. Britney's comeback seems especially rushed, since she (sort of) released an album last year, "Blackout." I don't think she remembers much about the release, in all fairness. Britney's been hitting the studio recently and the record label is delighted with her progress. Whitney's been rumored to be staging a comeback for years, so I'm not holding my breath, but she has been performing recently and it's been confirmed that she's been working with Ne-Yo. Both women are slated to release new albums in December.
At the end of the day, Britney and Whitney will be embraced once again by the public if they can put out good, catchy material that can make the public forget about all of their train wreckish ways. After all, R. Kelly pissed on little girls and all he had to do to win over the public was release "Step In The Name Of Love."
