“Hold Me” is my favorite Whitney performance. She was fresh, considerate and supremely talented. Each of those qualities came through in this track. Teddy Pendergrass was a legendary soul singer. He had so much juice on his own, with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and prime solo work. Unforunately, he was paralyzed from the waste down in a car accident in 1982. When this was recorded in 1984, he had none of his trademark vocal power and but a shell of his vibe. Whitney sheltered his legend by performing exceptionally well, but holding back (a lot). The song is so well-produced and lobbied, the other elements evaporate into mist and you have a magical cut of Velveeta. But screw it, sometimes it's delicious!