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Fine (Whitney Houston song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Fine
| cover = Whitney Houston - Fine.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Whitney Houston
| album = Whitney: The Greatest Hits
| B-side = Love to Infinity Megamix
| released =
| recorded =
| studio = The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
| genre = R&B
| length =
| label = Arista
| writer =
| producer =
| prev_title = Same Script, Different Cast
| prev_year = 2000
| next_title = The Star Spangled Banner
| next_year = 2001
| misc =
}}
"'Fine'" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston, and was the fourth single from her 2000 compilation album, 'Whitney: The Greatest Hits'.
Composition
"Fine" is a mid-tempo R&B tune, written and produced by Raphael Saadiq and Kamaal Fareed. According to 'Billboard', it features "languid retro-funk guitars" and a "sneaky hook", brought to life by "richly layered harmonies". It was described as having "a sleek lite-funk sound" by 'The Star-Ledger'.
Critical reception
'Billboard' wrote that "Fine" is "perhaps her most convincing crack at urbanized pop music to date. [Houston] seems to have eased into the chilled soul that propels a street-wise track. She wisely does not give into the temptation to belt and wail her way through the song [...]. Instead, Houston works the more sultry lower register of her voice, saving the big, beautiful notes as a dramatic accent toward the end of the cut". (Transcription of original at [http://www.classicwhitney.com/review/music/singles/billboardsingles.htm Classic-Whitney.com]) LA Weekly in its review for 'Whitney: The Greatest Hits' wrote that "Only on the stellar R&B track Fine does Whitney stand out. [...] Fine is soulful, funky and tight as hell. And the vocal performance ranks among Whitneys best." 'The Baltimore Sun' wrote that "Of the new tracks [on 'Whitney: The Greatest Hits'], only the sultry, soulful "Fine" manages to convey any of the strengths that made Houston a star." and "hearing [Houston] work the tune's insistent, retro-funk groove, there's no doubting that she still has what it takes to make hits". CANOE reviewer Jane Stevenson felt that the song "falls flat". 'The Star-Ledger' wrote that the song "grows tiresomely repetitious". (Full review available at [http://www.classicwhitney.com/review/music/albums/wtghrev.htm#Star Classic-Whitney.com]) According to 'New Nation' the song takes Houston "to even greater heights, changing [her] vocals to a much lower tone, with an added hip-hop bassline".http://whfan.free.fr/rv00cd.htm The 'St. Louis Post-Dispatch' called it "a wonderful composition". (Full review available at [http://www.classicwhitney.com/review/music/albums/wtghrev.htm#Louis Classic-Whitney.com])
Chart performance
"Fine" appeared on the singles charts only in the United States and in Sweden. The song peaked at number 51 on the US 'Billboard' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In Sweden, it debuted and peaked at number 50, but spent only one week on the chart.
Music video
The music video, directed by Kevin Bray, features Houston at a rooftop cocktail party. In the US, a DVD single was released. It includes the videos for "Fine" and the Houston-George Michael duet "If I Told You That", plus behind-the-scenes footage from the "Fine" video shoot. Houston's then-husband Bobby Brown also appears in the video.
Track listings and formats
Personnel
;Credits
*Produced by Raphael Saadiq & Q-Tip for The Ummah
*Orchestra arranged by Raphael Saadiq & Charles Veal, Jr.
*Orchestra recorded by Gerry "The Gov" Brown at Capitol Studios, LA, CA
*Orchestra conducted by Charles Veal, Jr. & performed by The South Central Chamber Orchestra
*Vocal Arrangement: Whitney Houston
;Recording and mixing
*Recorded by Jason Stasium & Danny Romero at The Record Plant, LA, CA
*Mixed by DJ Quik at Skip Saylor Studios, LA, CA
Charts
References
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