Whitney Houston Returns To Billboard’s Gospel Chart After More Than A Quarter Century Away

It’s been over a decade since Whitney Houston passed away suddenly and tragically, leaving behind a legacy of iconic music. Since then, her work has continued to perform on a handful of Billboard charts, but for the most part, the focus has been on her biggest hits.Now, with the release of a new compilation, the late superstar returns to one Billboard list after a very lengthy absence.

Houston’s new posthumous collection, I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston, was released a little over a week ago and has already made waves on the charts. The religious set narrowly misses on conquering the Top Gospel Albums ranking, opening at No. 2. It comes in behind only Kanye West’s Donda, which remains largely untouchable, even though it’s been present on the list for years at this point.

I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston is only the singer’s second title to place on the Top Gospel Albums tally. Her only other charting entity is the soundtrack that accompanied her film The Preacher’s Wife. That project debuted on the ranking in 1996–a whopping 27 years ago–and peaked at No. 1.

Houston’s latest offering also appears on the Top Album Sales chart, which includes all EPs and full-lengths of all genres. The title opens at No. 37, selling just
just
over 3,500 copies, according to information shared by Luminate. Somewhat coincidentally, Houston appears just one space above Michael Jackson’s Thriller – another collection from a star gone too soon.

Despite her ongoing popularity and the desire for unreleased music from the Grammy winner, I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston fails to reach the all-encompassing Billboard 200. This weekly ranking of the most-consumed projects in the U.S. uses a methodology combining sales, streams, and more forms of listening. Unfortunately, Houston’s new CD didn’t perform well enough upon its arrival to place on the tally.

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