...has been tainted by all the shows like the worldwide Idol-franchise and talent-shows and shit where people show up wailing through "the Greatest love of all", trying to sound like her and stuff.

I don't know what the reception was at the time since I really had no clue about soul music then (I guess rock-critics complained about her not being "gritty" like Aretha or Otis but I'm talking more about actual soul-critics and the genre-fans), I know people felt her music was too poppy of course but her voice?

Anyway, for me, it's *nowadays* (and for the past 20 years I guess) almost impossible to divorce the Whitney style from talent shows contestants (not that they sing as good as her but still) and those don't exactly radiate "soul"