Heather Headley, All The Man That I Need | COVERS

In the eighth edition of COVERS (2025), Heather Headley delivers a compelling rendition of “All The Man That I Need” popularized by Whitney Houston.

Ah, it’s time to get cozy and cover up! In COVERS, we highlight a musician or band covering songs by another musician (likely a popular musician). COVERS focuses solely on the musician who covers.  It is open to established musicians and musicians who may not be as well-known. In the eighth edition of COVERS (2025), Heather Headley delivers a compelling rendition of “All The Man That I Need” popularized by Whitney Houston.

“He fills me up, he gives me love / More love than I’ve ever seen.” “All The Man That I Need” is a timeless R&B classic.  Though she did not originally sing it, Whitney Houston is credited with popularizing it.  And by popularizing it, she took the song to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.  Many other artists have covered this song, originally released by Linda Clifford.  In 2018, R&B/gospel singer and actress Heather Headley recorded her superb rendition of “All The Man That I Need”. It is the sixth track from her 2018 covers album, Broadway My Way.

Headley is supported by a warm, adult contemporary backdrop. Among the instrumentation are the rhythm section and strings. The tempo is slow and relaxed. As Headley sings, she is never in a hurry, keeping things cool, calm, and collected throughout.  She never forces things.  Furthermore, she sings with a gorgeous tone.  A key difference compared to the definitive version (Houston’s) is the lack of background vocals.  The biggest moments lack the added depth of a choir, but Headley compensates with her pitch-perfect vocal riffs and runs.  One of her most impressive runs finds her ascending into her ripe upper register, signaling a mean-sounding electric guitar solo.  There is an awesome key change, where Headley ‘goes to town’ with jazzy nuances. Covering Whitney Houston is an elephantine task but Heather Headley makes “All The Man That I Need” hers and does a ‘bang up’ job.

Heather Headley // Broadway My Way // in:ciite // 2018

Heather Headley, All The Man That I Need: Covers No. 8 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner /The Musical Hype; in:ciite; Alan Cordero, Wolf Art from Pexels; AcatXIo, Enrique, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]