R&B star Akon is giving Whitney Houston a boost as she plans a major comeback - he has agreed to work on her more "uptempo" numbers. Houston has been planning her comeback album for more than a year and has been working on it with mentor Clive Davis, in between rehab stints to kick her drug abuse problems.

And now Senegalese chart-topper Akon has confirmed he's part of the diva's studio team. He tells MTV News, "I'm working on more uptempo records for her. She's been through a lot and has a dark history. So we've got to make the album brighter because she's come out of the cave now. She wants a celebration. She needs to come back to the old Whitney we remember."

Akon has also been linked to Michael Jackson, with industry insiders suggesting the pair will record a duet for the King Of Pop's own comeback album. He adds, "Right now that's in the air. I can't talk about it."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)