R. Kelly Adds Vocals To Whitney Houston’s “I Look To You”: Watch The Lyric Video

Sam Lansky | September 25, 2012 8:24 am

Whitney Houston‘s “I Look To You” — which served as the title track to her sixth and final studio album in 2009 — isn’t one of the legendary vocalist’s most iconic ballads, but it is one of her finest. The sparse, restrained production never spills over into histrionics, and her voice, which by that point had gone huskier than in her prime, fits perfectly with the song’s inspirational bent.

The track was penned by R. Kelly, who lends his vocals to a retooled version for her posthumous greatest hits album I Will Always Love You — The Best of Whitney Houston. Watch the lyric video above.

While we trust that his intentions were good, Kelly still desecrates the song. His smooth tenor sounds affected, and the pumped-up production goes too far when a gospel choir sings “Whitney” over and over again, before Kelly finally whispers “We love you, Whitney. Rest in peace.” We’re all for a well-executed posthumous release, but next time, keep R. Kelly away from our icons.