Fine (Whitney Houston song)

"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. oustonseems 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 a
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 Whitney’s best." ''The Baltimore Sun'' wrote that "Of the new tracks n ''Whitney: The Greatest Hits'' only the sultry, soulful "Fine" manages to convey any of the strengths that made Houston a star." and "hearing oustonwork 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 a
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According to ''New Nation'' the song takes Houston "to even greater heights, changing ervocals to a much lower tone, with an added hip-hop bassline". The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' called it "a wonderful composition". (Full review available a
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

External links

Fine
at Discogs

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2000 songs
2000 singles
Whitney Houston songs
Song recordings produced by Q-Tip (musician)
Song recordings produced by Raphael Saadiq
Songs written by Q-Tip (musician)
Songs written by Raphael Saadiq
Arista Records singles