At the time of its release, this was the watershed for soundtracks, selling a kazillion copies. It documents Whitney Houston's character in the Kevin Costner movie, which required Houston to play only herself (although one hopes she wouldn't end up with someone as smarmy as Costner). The album is as much a testament to the production of Babyface who, through the mid-1990s, actually was the mainstream of contemporary hit music. Houston's singing is much better than her acting, and almost every song enjoyed a long tenure at the top of all the charts. Along with "I Will Always Love You" and five other Houston songs, the soundtrack also features Lisa Stansfield, Kenny G with Aaron Neville, and Joe Cocker with Sass Jordan. --Scott Wilson