Feature: Music Whitney – My Love is Your Love – Gay Rumours
By 1998 Whitney Houston had already been a pop icon for 14 years, with a voice that was regarded as the gold standard, but celebrated as she was, she was also struggling to revamp her sound. 1998’s My Love Is Your Love, Houston’s first studio album in eight years, saw her embrace new textures a world away from the power-balladry that had become her trademark. Of the album’s singles, ‘It’s Not Right But It’s Okay’ was one of the most contemporary. A shuffling, intricate beat from producer Darkchild (aka Rodney Jerkins), whose work with Brandy, Destiny’s Child and Jennifer Lopez would cement their star status, was aided by Houston’s powerful vocal performance.
However, it was the Thunderpuss remix of ‘It’s Not Right…’ the same year that would truly cement the song’s camp classic status. The ’90s had seen club culture burst into the mainstream and pop acts frequently turning to high profile DJs both for dance hits and credibility. DJs like Junior Vasquez and Frankie Knuckles re-invented tracks from the likes of Madonna and Toni Braxton for the clubs.
Enter Thunderpuss, a DJ duo who landed the plum gig of helping Whitney Houston appeal to the new dance floor trends. Chris Cox and Barry Harris had enjoyed success with a remix of Billie Myers’ hit, ‘Kiss the Rain’, which lead to Houston’s label taking them on board.