Verse five . . . where we revisit paschal doctrine, and witness gospel paragon in the ambit of live-fidelity …

“All The Man That I Need” — Whitney Houston (Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston — Live in Concert , 1991)

Writers : Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford · · Producers : Narada Michael Walden

:: Primer ::

:: This fellowship of absolutely supernal euphony … i believe this particular performance acquainted consciousness comparatively recently ( “comparatively” in context of legacy acquaintance with the auxiliary works within whitney elizabeth’s anthology ), around 2017 … i recall watching whitney: can i be me ( originally, i thought the performance was featured in a trailer, but upon further research, no such trailer exists — research remains yielding resolution ! ), and there was this moment, during a montage, a woman, pattie howard, very matter-of-factly, and with unflinching veracity, said:

whitney’s voice broke barriers … she changed history for us — and she paid a price for it. … she would have to pull and sing from every place in her, and then to couple that with the emotion; that takes all of your body. who does that at the level that whitney houston did it? i haven’t seen anybody do it — not in my lifetime; there will always be only one whitney houston, and to watch the world receive from her, and appreciate her, there aren’t words for that …

and during this manifesto monologue, interspersed just-so: a vision in crimson, a voice incomparable, a vantage indivisible … i remember the moments in reference as one in synchronous solidarity, but upon research, the focal frame exists in fragments … alas … neuroplasticity and subjective memory …

nonetheless, i was on a mission to unearth this musical moment ( i feel like the opening lyric from the chorus was the compass catalyst in said search … and, effectually, the only point of empirical reference ) … so, fast forward through a few routine research procedurals … i found the studio version from I’m Your Baby Tonight in the hard drive archives, ran a ewe tubular scan on the title … and, well, lilypads leapt, dots connected, etc. one step led to another and a voila — a most heroic homecoming when it all focalized full circle …

so, that tangential retrospective relayed … the performance remains pure music primer … it always delivers … it exists to express necessity in divine human camaraderie … i often, always ( ? ), reference the general sentiment of that specific sanctity of human connection, connection through genuine creative expression, and the alchemy therein … but / and this exists as paramount paradigm of that very principle in practice … for said purpose ::

:: On the Palatte · Profile ::

:: Fair pretense : words — conventional language … nouns, adjectives, etc. – that/those which can, by definition, be contained, limited, by time and/or space — quite simply, and definitively, are incapable of conveying, the depth and magnitude of the proclamation in reference … just, fair pretense … the perception expressed herein, in regards to said reference presentation, quite simply, by nature of conventional communication, pales in comparison … thus stated, onward march …

on the front … just beneath prelusive orchestration, an echo along the surface akin to distant birdsong, it feels like coal mine canary return in the key of diamond reprise … and just over the horizon, beyond the bedrock of hallowed ground … sunrise … fog lifts at the bequest of a nightingale’s herald … on the front, once-lonesome dovetail hymnal from the trenches … a voice liberated, lifted and God-gifted, in the presence of a most divine compliment

the mid-palatte elevates from trenches of solitary confines to something within the realm of a passage through Eden’s trellis … arriving by way of seraphim’s wings to the cusp of epiphany’s echelon… the second verse ushers proper sensory awakening … the simple imagery of sun-kissed mornings and moonlit cradles of nocturne’s dusk, amplified by the sheer prowess of a chansonnier whose instrument is the empyreal articulated — by a voice that is the voice — … and then, the chorus, our choir of angels descend into signature ascent … and then, the bridge … the saxophone solo … kirk whalum, maestro of the woodwind, vivifies the viaduct to the archway of epiphany … and then, the crescendo meets its creatrix : blessed-and-highly-favored-by-the-grace-of-God tier

the finish approaches, and that light, that heaven, appears … that light, that heaven, the canopy of cadence communion … that elysian halcyon, that paschal paradise, that christening light … a bassinet of unstructured lullaby symphonic, a most sonorous chariot … what is it all but luminous locus ::

:: Pairings ::

:: The vantage on this particular paired plating, in not so many words … in-house sampling echo reverberation station … just whitney being elizabeth … nippy being she … just living and giving life in the tone of vocalic savoir-faire :

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Rhyme Cellar : All The Man That I Need : Pair’d Playlist :: · “Million Dollar Bill” · “The Star-Spangled Banner” (Live from Super Bowl XXV) · “All The Man That I Need” (Live at HBO’s Welcome Home Heroes, 1991) · “Greatest Love of All” (Live at Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY – March 1990) · “Joy” ·

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so, Million Dollar Bill, wanted to open with a dose of rhythmic levity … establish a bona fide bassline groove … prelim studio flow … and then, onward into canon mode … The Star-Spangled standard, full-stop … proof through the queen of the night … exemplar entrée into our signature centerpiece live paradigm … and then, said All The necessity sonic cynosure … next forth, Greatest Love of All live at radio city … this one, in a somewhat way, rounds out the immediate live triumvirate … Star-Spangled Banner, All The Man That I Need, Greatest Love of All, the trilogy pairing just feels constellation, in the scope of orion’s accomplice pendant … forever futurist neostalgic eternal present compass guide for the kids … and then, the Joy …

honestly, the narrative on this paired plating is just whitney tunes that maestra a mood … just good words materialized musical … there’s likely a more coherent story within the given sequence, but / and / because at the essence of this entry, as a whole, is simply record reference of divine mystery … the pair’d playlist exists magnanimously in the realm of said glorious simplicity …

slight post-script annotation, in immediate retrospect, three ( four ? ) of the featured songs were daily ante meridiem spins for generous spells at various intervals of this lifetime … so, within a lens, a chord of continuity within said record collection, could just be : good morning to music … thus said, spin on friends, sing to your spirit’s content, and hearken to the heavens ::

:: Impressions ::

:: First and lasting impressions herein … honestly, the eternal impression with this work remains just preeminent vocal performance … in life … it felt / feels like an absolute moment of pure communion … a happening of divine orchestration and universal accord … the definitive synchrony of a shared experience between individual human beings — from the pov of each individual within this contained space, sharing a common focus, undivided attention, but / and that each of the individuals in this venue bringing their distinct journeys, routes – and quite literally war stories and battle scars – to this room, and to witness the greatness of genuine good — that effectual gospel … is just … i don’t know …

this one always resonated as a moment of pure human communion, for the sake and purpose of living the sacrifice of service, and the allegiance of kinship garnered within that exchange … that energy always feels beyond the physics of material sensory … maybe, that registration might be due to and despite an apparent materialization of the metaphysical … but fundamentally, a moment, as aforementioned, of divine mystery and paschal proclamation …

but / and in accord with the collective retrospective … capstone commentary to crystallize more coherently, the otherwise nebulous attempt to articulate first and lasting impressions … courtesy and care of “myinfinitestate” via the featured clip’s comments  

I was 4-years old when I attended this concert at the Naval Air Station, in Norfolk, Virginia. It was called “Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston.” My father was a fighter pilot in the US Navy, and recently returned home from the Gulf War. Whitney did this concert for the men & women that were returning home after the Gulf War. I belive there was approximately 4,000 in attendance. It was televised on HBO. I still have the original VHS Tape of the concert LOL 😉 The concert was recorded on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1991. Regardless of my age at the time, this is truly a memory I will have forever. I remember this so vividly. Whitney was truly amazing. She is still the Greatest Female Artist to ever step on stage or pickup a microphone. Thank you again, Whitney, for giving us all, ‘One Moment in Time’ we’ll never forget. RIP

and with that, let the church say : Amen ::