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[Article from Music Week issue dated 6 November 1999] Warren pens duet to appear on Houston's best of album Diane Warren has penned a duet for Latin star Enrique Iglesias and Whitney Houston, which will appear on a forthcoming greatest hits package being put together for the R&B diva. Warren revealed details of the track, Can I Have This Kiss Forever? - which will also feature on Iglesias' debut album, Enrique, due for release on Interscope/Polydor on November 22 - in an interview during a rare whistelstop visit to London last week. Houston is understood to have recorded her vocals over the summer with producer David Foster. The retrospective, expected to reflect her entire career, is due in March/April 2000 although there may be another two singles to come from 1998's double platinum album, My Love Is Your Love. Another of Warren's key forthcoming releases next year is What Do I Do With The Love performed by Ronan Keating, while the writer says she is also keen to write for his chart-topping band Westlife. A fan of UK acts, on the state of UK versus US artists, she says, "There's always talent out there [in the UK]. But there doesn't seem to be enough people out there finding it and spotting it." Warren - one of the few songwriters who could write for artists as diverse and Aerosmith and Celine Dion - has been typically prolific recently, with her songs being covered by artists as diverse as Eric Clapton, Chrissie Hynde, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, Another Level, Britney Spears and Mariah Carey for her album Rainbow (released November 8). The latter was the first time in several years she has co-written solo with another artist. Those close to her say she hates the process - she "can't remember" when she did it last - but was persuaded in this instance by Sony Music president and CEO Tommy Mottola. "I usually try not to tailor a song too much for someone, otherwise it sounds too much like them. I prefer to write a great song, and then think about who it would be great for. Then I can call them or their manager, or if it's someone like Whitney, call (Arista world-wide president) Clive Davis, " says Warren. "But Mariah called me. And at the right moment. I just thought it would be interesting. I sat at the piano and we knocked them out. It was fun and we became friends. But I'm not planning to do any more." Warren, who was in the UK for an interview with Trevor Dann for a BBC Radio documentary he is making about her, admits she is notoriously self-critical. "It's true you are only as good as the last record you write. I am my own worst critic. I beat the crap out of myself sometimes," she says. A workaholic who admits to telephoning record company promotions departments to check on the progress of her songs, she describes herself as a "pop lover" above all. But she admits to being a genre-hopper. "I write records that get on Spanish-language, dance and Christian stations because hearing my records on radio - that's the best," she says. NEWSFILE: 15 NOVEMBER 1999 |