I’m Your Baby Tonight, part of the 33 1/3 series, is forthcoming Nov. 12, 2026.
“As rich and deep as Whitney Houston’s soprano, Brandon Tensley’s book is more than an excellent analysis of an album. He has written a superb tribute and a beautiful story of music, race, and the dangers of not recognizing the complexity of how talent matures and flourishes, even among those recognized as great. This is an exceedingly smart book for anyone who has ever recalled a song that touched their heart.” — Marcia Chatelain, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America
“In I’m Your Baby Tonight, Brandon Tensley gives ‘R&B Whitney’ the respect she deserves and was too long denied. Tensley writes beautifully about the music, the recording industry, the political era, and the miracle of that singular voice and steadfast personality. Most of all, it is a loving tribute to Whitney the performer, Whitney the star who lifted up a chosen family of Black women artists, Whitney who raised money for AIDS research and spoke lovingly of friends lost to the disease at a time when fear was the dominant response, and Whitney who refused to be pushed around and pigeonholed. An utter delight.” — June Thomas, author of A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces That Shaped Queer Women’s Culture
Brandon Tensley 