Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey Rebound

It was only a decade ago that the release of these albums would have meant phenomenal record sales and great reviews, but now only question marks surround them. Both have had a tremendous amount of bad press and lagging sales as of late. Will this be their chance to redeem themselves or just another chance to fall flat on their faces?

First up, Mariah Carey. Carey’s breakdown last year was well chronicled in the tabloids, as was the $30 million buy-out of her $80 million contract by Virgin Records. Carey is hoping that with her new recording contract and new album Charmbracelet fans and critics will forget her disastrous flop of an album and movie – Glitter. She needs this, since her last big hit was in 1999 with "Heartbreaker." Carey has said little about her breakdown and - some say - is looking for a complete music make-over. The buzz was not good for Charmbracelet, when the first single, "Through the Rain" failed to make a splash when it hit the charts. Maybe she just needs a little more rest…

Next, Whitney Houston. Tales of drug abuse, her death and the fact that her father’s entertainment company is suing her have dominated the tabloids far more than her musical talents of late. Her new CD Just Whitney will tentatively be released on December 10. She has been spiraling downward since her marriage to Bobby Brown. Houston has remained pretty reclusive as of late but did speak with "Primetime’s" Diane Sawyer for an interview airing Wednesday. When questioned about her recent appearance at Michael Jackson’s televised concert and the fact that she looked like a skeleton, Houston became very defensive and said, "I’m 5-foot-7 and thin." And drugs have nothing to do with it, Whit? The lawsuit brought against her has brought her to "one of her lowest points" but she says, "I’m tough enough." That remains to be seen.