(February 21, 2018) With the sparse, voice and electric bass arrangement transforming “Dance With Somebody” from a declarative dance song into a prayer for the type human connection that can only come from a slow dance, Russell Taylor sets his sight on reimagining the work of a pop music icon Whitney Houston. To top it off, the release of this cover coincides with the sixth anniversary of Houston’s untimely death. But Taylor, like so many singers whose musical soundtrack began in the mid 1980s and 1990s, has a personal connection with Houston's music. Taylor recalls car rides from school with his mother and Houston’s songs enlivening the parent/child conversations about school activities and dinnertime menus.
(February 21, 2018) With the sparse, voice and electric bass arrangement transforming “Dance With Somebody” from a declarative dance song into a prayer for the type human connection that can only come from a slow dance, Russell Taylor sets his sight on reimagining the work of a pop music icon Whitney Houston. To top it off, the release of this cover coincides with the sixth anniversary of Houston’s untimely death. But Taylor, like so many singers whose musical soundtrack began in the mid 1980s and 1990s, has a personal connection with Houston's music. Taylor recalls car rides from school with his mother and Houston’s songs enlivening the parent/child conversations about school activities and dinnertime menus.
The remake by this indie-soul savant confirms the truth that vocalists have always been Houston’s biggest fans. When the rest of the world got diverted into focusing on the tabloid news that her demons drove her to make, singers worried for their hero and honored the music. Additionally, Taylor’s take on “Dance With Somebody” reminds listeners that Whitney was quite the cover artist and that three of her biggest hits – “The Greatest Love of All,” “I’m Every Woman,” and “I’ll Always Love You,” were covers.
Check out Taylor’s homage to Houston here.
By Howard Dukes
Russell Taylor - "Dance With Somebody"