#249 Whitney Houston, 'Whitney Houston' (1985)

The debut album by the 21-year-old Whitney Houston set the course for one of the greatest and most powerful vocalists of our time. The album would smash multiple records and shatter glass ceilings for both women and people of colour. The album was the first album by a black female artist to top the Billboard charts. It was also the first debut album and the first album by a solo female artist to produce three #1 singles. The album would go on to sell a staggering 22 million copies worldwide.