Today would have been Whitney Houston‘s 50th birthday. Following her death in February 2012, I shared this list of 10 lesser played picks from her catalogue. Offering a range of theme, tempo, and emotion, these songs present an opportunity to listen to The Voice with fresh ears.

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Over the course of her career, Whitney charted 32 songs in the Top 40, including 11 number-one hits. She still holds the record for sending seven consecutive singles to the penthouse, a span that began with 1985’s “Saving All My Love For You” and ended with 1988’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.”

While there have been many remembrances of Whitney’s discography since her death at 48, most have focused on the monster tunes, and with good reason: They were undeniable Moments. But here are ten songs from her catalog that deserve greater recognition.

1. “My Heart Is Calling” (from 1997’s The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack)

I can’t say today what prompted me to pick up a promo CD of “My Heart Is Calling” in 1997, but I do know that it was only $1.95 thanks to the sticker still affixed to the jewel case. But the fourth, final, and worst performing single The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack, written and produced by Babyface, connected with me in a way that few other songs — by any singer — have.

Whitney takes it to church on the mid-tempo number. The backgrounds (by Whitney, Babyface, Shanna, and Shanice Wilson) are softly angelic, and the moment at the end of the bridge when Whitney exclaims, “God knows I’m falling for you,” and conveys at least three emotions during the course of those six words, is pure magic. Why “My Heart Is Calling” failed to scale the charts higher than #77 astounds me.

2. “Million Dollar Bill” (from 2009’s I Look To You)

Whitney’s seventh (and sadly final) studio album, I Look To You, is such a strong pop effort, but few seem to know this. Press around the release of the album — including the two-part Oprah interview re-airing tonight on OWN — focused on ballads “I Look To You” and “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength,” and though the songs’ autobiographic hook supported Whitney’s comeback narrative, it also put a bright spotlight on how much The Voice had changed.

Instead “Million Dollar Bill,” which served as the set’s second official single, should have enjoyed the initial push. Whitney’s last big chart success had been a decade earlier, scoring R&B/pop hits like “Heartbreak Hotel” and “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay,” and focusing attention on the slinky disco groove of “Million Dollar Bill” first might have paid off, a positive reminder of Whitney’s glory days.

As it was, the song spent a solitary week at #100 on the Billboard Hot 100, and dropped off the chart. Over on the R&B chart, the single reached #16. “Million Dollar Bill” was worthy of so much more, and that’s a tragedy I’ll never get over.

3. “If I Told You That” (duet with George Michael, from 2000’s The Greatest Hits)

George Michael and Whitney Houston probably weren’t in the same studio to record this duet, one of four new tracks included on 2000’s The Greatest Hits. A solo Whitney version appears on My Love Is Your Love, so I expect George simply added his parts to her existing vocal tracks.

However, the two titans of ’80s pop did meet up for the music video. While hearing Whitney and George’s voices on the same song is a dream come true, seeing the pair dance and interact together is on another level. The moment at 2:30 when he wraps his arms around her? Lovely.

4. “You’ll Never Stand Alone” (from 1998’s My Love Is Your Love)

This one’s a heartbreaker. Penned by Diane Warren and produced by Babyface, the ballad is a worthy successor to such self-actualization classics as “Greatest Love Of All” and “One Moment In Time.” So I’m flummoxed that “You’ll Never Stand Alone” was never released as a single. After enjoying several hits from My Love Is Your Love, maybe her label feared listener fatigue, but serving up some old-school Whitney balladeering to the public would have provided a fantastic finish to the project.

In light of Whitney’s untimely passing, I can’t help but hear “You’ll Never Stand Alone” as if she’s singing these words to herself — or all the family, friends, and fans she left behind. Go ahead, have a good cry. You won’t be alone.

5. “For The Lovers” (from 2009’s I Look To You)

Seriously, I might have filled up half of this list with songs from I Look To You, as Whitney’s final album is full of overlooked pop gems like this one. Produced by Timbaland associate Nate “Danja” Hills, “For The Lovers” is designed to sing along to, like some of the best uptempos from Whitney’s catalog. Vocally, she’s spot on here — emotionally invested, and inserting several of those signature flourishes that are so very Whitney.

Remembering the late singer, Danja says he feels “lucky to have been a very tiny part of her massive legacy.” We’re the lucky ones, so throw your hands up. For the next three minutes, it’s about the love for Whitney:

6. “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be” (duet with Aretha Franklin, from 1989’s Through The Storm)

Yes, it’s more than a little goofy to hear Whitney and Aretha arguing over the same man, not only because it’s a total trip trying to picture just what kind of guy would be going after both singers (one 26, the other 47 at the time), but also because Aretha is Whitney’s godmother. A family feud over a fella just ain’t right and is so not okay.

While the New Jack Swing production sounds dated today, the pair’s jazz-inspired diva-off toward the end of the track remains stellar, including a taunt sung to “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” The track wraps with some spoken back and forth between Aretha and Whitney, interplay that eventually betrays the absolute love the Queen and the Princess had for each other.

Written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren, “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be” just missed the Top 40, peaking at #41 and preceding Brandy & Monica’s similarly themed #1 smash “The Boy Is Mine” by almost a full decade.

7. “Love Is A Contact Sport” (from 1987’s Whitney)

My older brother had Whitney on cassette, and since I was a committed singles man, listening to the whole album gave me the opportunity to play A&R with it. I picked “Love Is A Contact Sport” as a surefire hit, but of the five singles released from Whitney, disappointingly this endearingly lightweight number wasn’t one of them.

“Love Is A Contact Sport” was written by Preston Glass, who also co-wrote Aretha Frankin’s “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” and “Jimmy Lee,” as well as Jermaine Stewart’s “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off.” All of those songs were produced by Narada Michael Walden, and all were released on Arista (as any fellow A&R geeks would remember). Read Walden’s remembrance of Whitney on his website.

8. “Thinking About You” (from 1985’s Whitney Houston)

Lost a bit to history now is the fact that “Thinking About You” was Whitney’s fourth top 10 R&B hit, part of an incredible run of 11 such singles on the chart.

Written and produced by Whitney’s Arista labelmate Kashif — really, an uncredited duet — the funky Prince-like “Thinking About You” was only released as a single to R&B radio and thus never impacted the pop charts, though an extended version reached #24 on the Hot Dance/Club Play chart.

On “Thinking About You,” Whitney’s vocals are absolute fire in parts and silky smooth in others, a tantalizing and intoxicating combination. Listen for the bit when Whitney purrs, “It might be poooouring…”

9. “Love That Man” (from 2002’s Just Whitney)

Co-written and produced by Babyface, the sparkling disco-fied funk of “Love That Man” perfectly serves the song’s lyrics, which reference how “things just ain’t the way that they used to be.”

Unfortunately, at the time of the single’s release, Whitney was still married to Bobby Brown, so this paean to wifely subjugation, er, “old-school love,” didn’t sit so well in that context. But the groove Whitney rides in “Love That Man” was, and remains, undeniable.

10. “Call You Tonight” (from 2009’s I Look To You)

Norwegian production team Stargate (Ne-Yo, Rihanna) contributed two tracks to I Look To You, one a cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You,” the other an original composition, “Call You Tonight.”

On an album of unjustly overlooked pop gems (if I mention it often enough, maybe I Look To You will get the notice it deserves), “Call You Tonight” is a standout. The track offers indisputable proof that Whitney could still hang with her much younger peers, sounding contemporary and relevant. The wistful country-twang guitar in the chorus is an unexpected delight.

What are your favorite less-heralded Whitney moments?