Whitney Houston, “I Look to You” (Sony BMG)

Forget Stella and her groove. Let’s talk about how Whitney got her voice back. Have you heard Whitney Houston’s voice — even her speaking voice — in the decade since she’s released a decent record? It’s but a shadow of what it once was. Her frayed vocal cords sound raspier, thinner and more tortured than they did during her early- ’90s peak.

Still, the singer makes something of a comeback with “I Look to You,” her first full-length disc in seven years. Those vox are hardly “Greatest-Love-of-All”- strong, but thanks to the magic of in-studio software, and Whitney’s natural phrasing abilities, the record offers some enjoyable moments.

Houston is rarely great, and you’ll hear her weakness in ballads such as the weepy title track. But she triumphs through will on the high-production numbers, including the neo-disco of “Million Dollar Bill” and groove-centered “Call You Tonight.” With “Song for You,” Houston gives Elton John’s “Your Song” an upbeat, dance-floor update. And “I Got You” is Houston’s experiment with modern hip-hop production. The results are surprisingly entertaining — mostly because it’s just great to hear Houston, in any form, singing again. – Ricardo Baca

Doug Gillard, “Call From Restricted” (347 Records)

Doug Gillard is best known as a guitarist for some of art-punk and indie-rock’s best (Guided by Voices, Cobra Verde, Death of Samantha), but the Cleveland songwriter also has a knack for quietly releasing stellar solo albums.

In addition to his recent film scores (“American Cannibal”) and work backing up people like Richard Buckner, Gillard has found time over the past decade to issue under-appreciated discs such as “Malamute Jute” and “Salamander” — all utilizing his multi-instrumentalist skills and warm, approachable home recording aesthetic.

His latest, “Call From Restricted,” continues his streak of lean, largely self-produced discs that balance thoughtful melodies and joyful, bombastic rock, although “Restricted” ups the production ante several notches and features guest stints from friends and former collaborators.

Gillard gets loud and thorny when he wants to (“For What I’ve Done”) but also proves he can weave engrossing narratives amid the effects pedals and ’70s synth washes (“Entwined”) and jumpy acoustic chords (“Time is Nigh”). The intuitive progressions and tight instrumental interplay can get a little same-y, but Gillard’s fundamental grasp of dynamics usually wins out.

“Restricted” is Gillard at his most accessible and focused. He could easily stuff his songs with flashy solos (his guitar prowess is intimidating — see GBV’s “I Am a Tree” and others), but instead sticks to organic structures that even stray into Crosby Stills & Nash territory at times (“Gibraltar”). He tosses off sax-driven pop that splits the difference between Robert Pollard and Spoon with such effortlessness that you wonder what kind of double-album rock opera the guy may have inside him.

And indeed, prog-rock and its weirder cousins are never far from Gillard’s fingertips, but a love of pop tempers the more experimental impulses. The result is an album driven equally by bawdy grooves, heartbreaking melodies and fist-pumping rock. Highly recommended. – John Wenzel

These United States, “Everything Touches Everything” (United Interests)

It’s no coincidence that I fell for this band the same day I (finally) became a Hold Steady fan. This rootsy D.C. rock outfit makes music to get sweaty by and singalong to, and they won me over at South by Southwest this year.

Fuzzed-out guitars accent a runaway bus of a rhythm section. Singer Jesse Elliott is the ringleader, forging ahead with his wide-eyed, folk-rooted lyrics as he encourages his band to mess with traditional forms as much as he does.

These United States (who play the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks on Sept. 12) could benefit from Kings of Leon’s current popularity, as this record’s title track has its fair share of sexy/thoughtful lead vocals and sing-along verses. And don’t overlook “I Want You to Keep Everything’s” melodic guitar flourishes and memorable chorus. – Ricardo Baca

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Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of Reverb and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post. He is also the executive director of the Underground Music Showcase, Colorado’s premier festival of local music. Follow his whimsies at Twitter, his live music habit at Gigbot and his iTunes addictions at Last.fm.

John Wenzel is the co-editor of Reverb, editor of the Get Real Denver blog and an arts and entertainment reporter for The Denver Post. His book “Mock Stars: Indie Comedy and the Dangerously Funny” was recently published by Speck Press.