Many Whitney Houston fans never thought this day would come. Robyn Crawford, the singer’s friend, assistant, and long-rumored lover has broken her silence. As if that silence were a dam, the words pour out with a palpable fervor in Crawford’s new memoir ... This is a generous, loving book that has more insight on Houston’s career—the ride, the fall—than any other single source that I’ve encountered (it wipes the floor with the 2017 documentary Can I Be Me? and the 2018 one Whitney). Some 40 years in the making, A Song for You is unequivocally worth the wait ... It is undeniably juicy ... Beyond the dish people expect from such a tell-all is an exquisite portrait of the fiercely private woman beyond the public commodity that was frequently referred to as The Voice ... Crawford humanely shares insight while paying tribute to a lost life ... Houston’s artistry is also examined closely ... Crawford pulls no punches when describing the way Houston’s family members treated her and the singer ... As A Song for You surges to its tragic climax, it becomes harder to endure ... In helping us make sense of it with compassion and clarity, Crawford has provided a crucial public service in her lovely, loving book. We almost had it all—here’s a little bit more.
[Crawford's] plain-spoken, affectionate new memoir...confirms most of what tabloids had alleged and fans had already guessed ... In Crawford’s telling, which consistently rings true, she is a devoted friend and emotional bulwark for Houston, who found it difficult to stick up for herself ... Crawford’s book is a minor masterpiece of genteel score-settling, and it’s not only Houston’s relatives who come out badly ... Brown is a malign presence throughout the book, a skulking, constantly aggrieved figure ... Crawford worries that the scandal and tragedy of Houston’s last years can make it easy to forget the greatness of her life. 'Yes, in the end it was tragic, but the dream and the rise were beautiful,' Crawford writes. 'I owe it to my friend to share her story, my story. Our story. And I hope that in doing so, I can set us both free.'
The book focuses on Crawford’s own family issues while tying them back to her relationship with Houston. This might annoy some readers who wish she’d focus on the task at hand, but it works since she segues it back to Houston ... The best word to describe this book would be intimate. It’s intimate in its detail regarding Crawford’s relationship with Houston and her own life as well. A Song For You will likely quench the thirst of those looking to find some confirmation of tabloid details regarding Whitney Houston’s life. It’ll also stir up some mixed emotions and defensiveness among the singer’s diehard fan base. Some will feel that many of the details depicted should have remained private.
