Elisa Bray: A powerful soul voice that transcended time and trends

As I stood outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, just hours after Whitney Houston was found dead in her room, cars streamed past, blasting her songs out of their windows. It served as an instant reminder of just how many sensational hits Houston had. Few can forget her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You". But there were many more.

Every young girl of the 1980s and 1990s has a favourite Whitney song. Mine was "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", an elating, vibrant pop track, bursting with cheesy synths. For others it's the reggae-tinged Wyclef Jean-produced "My Love is Your Love", or the heartfelt ballads "Saving All My Love For You" and "Greatest Love of All".

It was Houston's gospel-trained voice that transcended the fleeting trends. Sadly the only time I saw her perform live was on her 2010 tour, by which point drugs had taken their toll on a powerful soul voice. But that's not how she should be remembered; her voice was one of the greatest in pop music.