The Greatest Hits

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

Divas, one would think, have to keep up with the latest styles. But what's most remarkable about this DVD collection of videos, from You Give Good Love (1985) to I Learned from the Best (2000), is that Houston's sound and look seem timeless. Dressed, for the most part, in simple, elegant outfits and singing comfy pop-soul, Houston has created a body of work too mainstream to belong to a particular decade. in one of the DVD's "special features," she talks about her 1985 TV debut. The band was playing too slowly, so her mother Cissy began to conduct. Whitney learned from the best.

--By Christopher John Farley