Look To You sold 305,000 copies in its first week, which is the biggest weekly tally so far this year for an album by a female artist. It's Houston's biggest tally since The Preacher's Wife soundtrack sold 330,000 copies in the week before Christmas 1996.

This week's total is solid, but not phenomenal. Five albums have sold more copies in their first week so far in 2009. Houston sold slightly more copies than the Black Eyed Peas did in their first week in June (304,000), but only about half as many as Eminem did in his first week in May (608,000). This isn't even the biggest first-week tally of the year by an R&B artist. Maxwell started with sales of 316,000 in July. (Maxwell's tally was probably boosted by the Michael Jackson catalog resurgence. Number Ones peaked that week, with sales of 349,000 copies.)

So does this mean that Houston is really back on top? One week's sales tally can't tell the whole story. It will take weeks, maybe even months, before we know if this is a real comeback or just a brief return to glory. It will hinge on how many songs step out from the album to become meaningful hits. (Two songs are on their way. "I Look To You" rebounds from #167 to #77 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. "Million Dollar Bill" debuts at #89). Another indication will come in early December, when we learn how well I Look To You does in the Grammy nominations. (The album's release was carefully timed to meet the Grammys' moved-up, Aug. 31 cut-off date for eligibility.)

Read an early review of "Million Dollar Bill"

That's one reason I resisted the urge to headline this week's column "Houston, We Have A Comeback." All we have right now are the beginnings of a comeback. Now it's up to the quality of the music and the loyalty of Houston's fans to determine how far this goes.

This is Houston's 46th week atop The Billboard 200--which is more than any other female artist in the chart's 53-year history. (Mariah Carey is in second place with 30 weeks.) Remarkably, Houston logged 45 weeks in the #1 spot before her 30th birthday, thanks to Whitney Houston (14 weeks on top), Whitney (11 weeks) and The Bodyguard (20 weeks).

Houston was at her peak between 1985 and 1996, a period in which she notched 11 #1 hits on the Hot 100, collected five Grammys and co-starred in three hit movies (alongside such major stars as Kevin Costner and Denzel Washington). In retrospect, Houston may have achieved too much fame and success too early. It's hard to handle mega-stardom any age, but especially at such a young age. Before her 23rd birthday, Houston had had a #1 album and three #1 singles and had won a Grammy (for "Saving All My Love For You"). Houston performed that sultry ballad on the Grammy telecast in February 1986. She was so hot at the time that her performance on the Grammys earned her an Emmy (for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program), the first time that had ever happened.

Houston started to slip with My Love Is Your Love, which peaked at #13 in November 1998 (though it had staying power and has sold 2,759,000 copies). She regained a little chart ground with Just Whitney..., which peaked at #9 in December 2002, though it sold markedly fewer copies than its predecessor (742,000). (The Bodyguard sold more copies than that in its biggest week.)

Houston is fortunate to have had the support and direction of industry legend Clive Davis, who signed her to his Arista label in 1983. Houston is up there with Carlos Santana and Barry Manilow as the artist who has had the longest and most lucrative association with Davis. All three of these artists have had #1 albums in the past decade. Santana rang the bell with the Grammy-sweeping Supernatural (now that's a comeback hit) and its follow-up, Shamen. Manilow scored with The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties.

See what Whitney says about the new albums

I Look To You is the third consecutive #1 album by a female solo artist. It follows Reba McEntire's Keep On Loving You and Colbie Caillat's Breakthrough. This is the first time that female solo artists have had three #1 albums in succession since April and May 2008, when Leona Lewis' Spirit, Mariah Carey's E=MC2 and Madonna's Hard Candy rang the bell.

Three of this week's top five albums are by second-generation stars. Houston is the daughter of Grammy-winning soul gospel singer Cissy Houston. Miley Cyrus, at #2, is the daughter of country hit-maker Billy Ray Cyrus. Colbie Caillat, at #5, is the daughter of Grammy-winning record producer Ken Caillat.

See pics of Whitney throughout the years!

Source: yahoo.com