(Billboard) – Whitney Houston struggled with her voice during her much-hyped comeback performance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. But industry prognosticators don’t expect the diva to trip up on the charts next week.
“I Look To You” — Houston’s first album in seven years — is expected to sell upward of 200,000 copies during the week ended September 6, which should easily enable it to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart when rankings are released next Wednesday.
Houston would do well to suppress any loud cheers so that she doesn’t hurt her famous pipes. During Tuesday’s performance for 5,000 concert-goers at Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield, she apologized for her voice.
“I’m sorry. I did ‘Oprah.’ I’ve been talking so long … I talked so much, my voice,” she attempted to explain. “I shouldn’t be talking, I should be singing,” she said before breaking into “I’m Every Woman,” the last of her three-song set. Other tracks performed included “Million Dollar Bill” and the album’s title track, during which Houston choked up.
Other artists with new albums in stores this week include The Used, Trey Songz, Pitbull, Chevelle and John Fogerty.
