As cheesy as it is, there are few things that make me as happy as a comeback story. Well, maybe an underdog. I love a good underdog story. This might be why I love sports movies even though I hate sports. But in terms of a good comeback story, it seems like Whitney Houston is getting hers. Despite a rocky and critically maligned performance yesterday in Central Park for Good Morning America, Whitney’s still got a lot of success in the making.

But first, that performance. It was bad enough that the Daily News felt the need to write not one but two nearly identical stories about just how bad it was. Because the one they published at 6:16 p.m. apparently wasn’t rough enough on her, so they needed to put out another at 7:29 p.m. Thank you, Daily News, for always driving the point home.

It’s the comeback that wasn’t. Despite all the good will aimed Whitney’s way from a huge and loving Central Park crowd on Tuesday, she blew her big moment. And, the heartbreaking part is, she knew it. Her apology, blaming a blabby interview with Oprah taped the day before, came three songs into her four-number set. At least her “sorry, guys” offered some relief. It allowed her to publicly acknowledge what even the most devoted fans couldn’t ignore.

Every song Houston performed had a moment where her voice cracked, and throughout her set she treated the high notes the way the driver of a brand new car would a pothole. Not that Houston sounded entirely hoarse or winded during the set. She growled with confidence during the funkiest parts of her old hit “My Love Is Your Love,” and in the verses of her new single “Million Dollar Bill,” she had some of her old, ringing tone.

She also had energy on her side. The bright-looking singer bounded on to the stage at Rumsey Playfield yesterday just after noon, opening with the new single. But if she delivered the song’s verses with some verve, she left it to the audience, and her backup singers, to tackle the choruses. The biggest problems showed in the title song to her new CD, “I Look To You.” It’s just the kind of high drama ballad Houston would have soared to the sky with in her prime. But this time, she cut off notes early, and merely spoke parts of the verses.

Even Houston’s new studio recording shows some damage to her instrument. She has a huskier sound than before. But the fact is, she can do better than she did yesterday. Houston’s three-song performance for an industry crowd at Clive Davis’ Grammy party back in February found her in far more sturdy form. Houston also has a small bit of encouraging news on the sales front. Early reports peg the new CD as an almost-sure No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart, out next week.

But for her comeback to have the wow we want, she’ll have to not just sell well, but soar when she sings.

[From the Daily News]

I went with that particular review because I really liked the idea that “the fact is, she can do better than she did yesterday.” You know, Whitney’s had a rough go of it. And not just a rough go for a celebrity, she’s been through some rocky times that would have knocked almost anybody down. I remember her when she first burst onto the scene in the eighties and was THE big thing. My mom and dad saw her in concert in 1987 but were underwhelmed, mostly because she wore jeans and they had gotten all dressed up. I think it’d been a while since they’d gone on a date. It seems like 22 years later; a lot of people in the audience still had that sort of underwhelmed feeling, but for reasons that were not apparel-based.

Everyone noticed Whitney’s cracking voice and the way she struggled through songs. Hey, she’s known for her power ballads, you can’t just gloss over that kind of stuff. But like the Daily News pointed out, she’s doing better today than she did yesterday.” And I think that’s critically important when anyone is picking themselves up and getting their lives back together. We can’t expect they’ll be the exact same. A voice is an instrument, and it needs to stay tuned. Yelling at Bobby Brown probably doesn’t count. You don’t expect an athlete to play as well after a decade-long break, and the same is true for Whitney. But I think there’s reason to believe that with enough support and encouragement, her talent is still essentially there, and a strong voice will follow.

Here’s Whitney on stage with daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown in Central Park yesterday. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .