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*** WHITNEY HOUSTON, “The Preacher’s Wife” soundtrack, Arista. Houston is first and foremost a pop diva--at that, the best one we have. But in her six numbers leading the Georgia Mass Choir, her soprano proves too pristine to be a great gospel instrument.

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Albums and other items in the Gift Guide are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).