I remember reading sth many years ago, probably not longer after Whitney died, about how Cissy would never have accepted a homosexual daughter. That, combined with her Bible-bashing fervour and the later revelation of Dee Dee Warwick's abuse of her children, turned her into an easy villain in my eyes. Not to absolve Whitney from complicity in her own demise, but I wonder how her life would have played out had she been free to explore her sexuality without risk of condemnation, been emancipated from the toxicity of organised religion, and hadn't suffered the scars of childhood trauma. She had such a glorious, glorious gift, and it's so tempting to point the finger at others as to why it all went horribly wrong. And an entire family of dollar-draining wretches is right there as an obvious target.
As I get older and slowly reconcile with my own parents' (manifold, similar) failings, I'm inclined to be more forgiving towards Cissy. She was a product of her own set of circumstances, a workhorse herself who I think genuinely wanted the best for her daughter - even if it meant entrapping her within an entangled mass of racial/religious/sexual/materialist confines. Millions of parents do the same, but at least there was an obvious, reciprocal love shared between mother and daughter in this instance. And Whitney always credited Cissy with everything she knew about singing. If Cissy Houston gave us The Voice, then ultimately I'm probably okay with her.
Also, controversial opinion, but I think my favourite part of Aretha Franklin's best songs are actually the backing vocals, and Cissy and the Sweet Inspirations absolutely shine there. Her singing isn't something I'd choose to listen to in isolation at all, but hearing her punctuate the majesty of 'Don't Play That Song' (YOU LIED!) or 'I Say a Little Prayer', or soaring on those high notes in 'Ain't No Way'... just, wow. She's an integral part of some of the all-time great songs and played an integral role in the all-time great vocalist imo. RIP.
ETA: Omg I was just listening to 'Don't Play That Song' and looked up the credits and apparently it's not even bloody Cissy on backing duty there lmao! I guess that doesn't entirely detract from the point, but I've spent the past two decades thinking I could hear her on that track facepalmmmm