FINALLY Whitney LIVE!

Clive Davis talks Whitney Houston album. Davis typically has many irons in many fires. So even though he's holed up in an elegant Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow he's had at his disposal "forever" — fielding phone calls, e-mails and, yes, even faxes while organizing the annual pre-Grammy Awards bash he's again hosting at the Beverly Hilton Hotel — the veteran producer and record executive makes a point of talking about a project especially close to his heart: a Whitney Houston live album.

"Whitney never had a live album," he said. "I really want everyone to know ... exactly why during her time she was considered the greatest contemporary singer in the world.

It was two years ago, on the afternoon of his Grammy eve bash, that he and the rest of the world got the word that Houston died in the very hotel where the party was being held. "It's a revelation to hear her," he said, "but listening to her, the tragedy hits you again, so there are a lot of mixed emotions this brings up.

"I'm going through all these recordings of her performances now, many of which I wasn't at, such as when she was in South Africa," said Davis, 81, dressed business casual this week in a navy V-neck sweater over a white oxford shirt and tie. "It's a revelation: You really hear how astonishing and powerful and compelling she was in a way that wasn't captured on the studio albums or in her movie performances."

Davis said he expects the album to be released this year. He hinted that he might just preview it by playing a video clip for his industry audience on Saturday, which will be attended by heavy hitters from the entertainment industry including Metallica, Gladys Knight, Quincy Jones and Napster founder Sean Parker, to name a few.

Davis, Sony Music's chief creative officer, also has a new album in the works with Aretha Franklin. It's a skill he continues to exploit whether he's working with Franklin, a new album of duets between Carlos Santana and artists from the world of Latin pop and rock or the long-incubating Jennifer Hudson album, which Davis says will see the light of day this spring. (For the record I personally feel that Jennifer Hudson isn't in the league of Whitney Houston, and there's a reason, she was in the Top 7 on American Idol and not the winner. Something is drastically lacking. KK)

The big challenge for Davis and his colleagues in the record industry is finding ways to keep their business profitable while coming to grips with the ongoing digital revolution. Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" was the biggest-selling album of 2013, but it did so with fewer copies sold — 2.4 million — than any other bestselling album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking.

In addition to overseeing the many new albums in the works, Davis also continues working to stage a revival of Lerner and Loewe's classic musical "My Fair Lady."
"My plate is very full," he said. "It's a very exciting time." (courtesy of Randy Lewis)