In celebration of the late and great Ms. Whitney Houston, who would have been 49 years old today, I’ve compiled a list of songs by her I thoroughly love and enjoy. Whitney to me was someone who genuinely loved what she did and she did it well. She was a natural talent indeed and no one could take away her ability to blow people away with her voice. I will always remember Whitney for the positive contributions she made to the entertainment industry. There will never be another Whitney Houston. Happy Birthday Nippy! We’ll always love you!

10. “I Love The Lord”. This song does something to me. Her voice just inspires people to develop a stronger spiritual relationship with God. She sounded so ethereal.

9. “I Look To You”. This song makes me sad now because when she sang this, she was in a better place. Now that she’s in a better place literally, it brings comfort to know that her time here spent on earth was well worth it.

8. “When You Believe” (featuring Mariah Carey). This song was sung for the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. I remember when this film came out and it is definitely a part of my childhood (I kind of told my age). It was just so dynamic to see two powerhouses coming together to create such a masterpiece.

7. “Count On Me” (featuring Cece Winans). This song is a take about best friends who overcome adversity and strife because the bond is so strong. Appearing on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, it’s a friendly reminder that good friends are hard to come by. So when they do, let them know that you’re there for them and that you appreciate them.

6. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. This song is so jovial and upbeat, it’s hard to just sit there. Every time I hear this song, I pretend I’m in the 80s and I rock out. That was the beauty of Whitney though. She could tackle any type of song and make it her own.

5. “Heartbreak Hotel” (featuring Kelly Price and Faith Evans). This is my song! I liked how modern it was as well as relatable. One of the things Whitney was good at was telling a story through her songs. This is your typical song about heartbreak.

4. “I’m Your Baby Tonight”. I would blast this song super loud whenever it came out. It was just edgy and sexy, but it didn’t sound sleazy. Whitney of course added a touch of class to a song which basically said she was willing and able to do whatever with her dream guy.

3. “My Love Is Your Love”. Again, this is another song with an uplifting message. Whitney says that even with all the chaos going on in the world, her love for her special someone (everybody knew the unconditional love she had for her child) is stronger than that chaos.

2. “I Will Always Love You”. A song that changed Whitney’s career and life forever, tells a story about an ex who has found love elsewhere. Whitney sends well wishes and tells her former love she will love him no matter what. Originally a Dolly Parton record, Whitney took this song and made it her own. We will always love you, Whitney.

1.”I’m Every Woman”. My all time favorite song by Whitney Houston. What made me love the song even more was the fact that it empowered womanhood in the video, it was released in 1992 (a golden year) and it featured my favorite female group of all time, TLC. In the video, Whitney also pays homage to Chaka Khan who not only released the original version, but is seen in the video as well. What makes this song so much more special was the fact that she was pregnant with her one and only child, Bobbi Kristina and you could see the glow on her face. Simply beautiful.