Whitney Houston, "I Look to You" (Arista)

In the past decade, the mezzo-soprano from Newark, N.J., went from using Mariah Carey as an ottoman to being a sad, scary has-been cackling "Crack is wack!" to a wide-eyed Diane Sawyer on network TV. Poor Whit: I bet not a sobering day has passed when Aretha Franklin's goddaughter hasn't diva-dreamed of her "Bodyguard" reign in the '80s and '90s.

So it makes sense emotionally, artistically, commercially that her new album has no real interest in advancing modern music. Good for her. Such contemporary popsters as Alicia Keys, Akon and R. Kelly help out on Houston's first album in seven years. But with longtime Svengali Clive Davis by her side, she has instead decided to live in a world of silly-fun '80s dance songs and strong, uncluttered ballads.

The album is half good, half forgettable, but never lame. Although the singer, 46, appears tired on the album's cover (left), she sings of tackling her demons with a refreshing clarity. Her vocal highs aren't quite as high anymore, and that famously throaty low is now an awkward, drag-queen husky. But on the first single, "Million Dollar Bill," a retro dancer penned by Keys and produced by Swizz Beatz, Houston lets it all hang out at the song's end but without great glops of digital trickery. It's a helluva moment, and it reminds you that for all her tabloid trappings, she's still a fabulous singer with stellar control and phrasing.

Although the album's second half loses its catch, and the slimy Akon is a buzzkill, there are nice singles to be discovered. Stargate, the Norwegian producers who made Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" a smash, give Whit the mid-tempo humper "Call You Tonight." A cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" starts in a jazz club and ends in a disco. And there are two yowza ballads: the David Foster-produced, Diane Warren-penned "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" and the R. Kelly-scripted, God-infused title track.

SEAN DALY, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES

Matisyahu, "Light" (Epic)

As a Hasidic Jew singing dancehall reggae and rapping, Matisyahu is so outside the realm of expectation as to be beyond any questions of authenticity, and he's too skilled to be dismissed as a novelty. On his third studio album, he is on a mission to spread positive messages.

The disc ranges widely, from widescreen electro to triple-time toasting to loping reggae to splashes of hard-rock guitars. It features guests including reggae legends Sly & Robbie, members of the Los Angeles ska-punk band Fishbone and, for "On Nature," a boys choir and bagpipes.

But all the positivity ends up feeling relentless over the course of the 13 anthems, and Matisyahu too often relies on platitudes and sloganeering: "Freedom" and "Strive to be alive every day." It's hard to disagree with the sentiments, but it's also hard to be inspired by truisms.

STEVE KLINGE, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER