"Mariah Carey is The Greatest Singer of Our Generation..."

http://www.primidi.com/images/bear_robot_main_components.jpg

I like her big ol' thighs. Rrrrr!

xpost, lol

Nobody cares what you think.

Nobody cares that I like her chunky thighs or that Alex thinks she's crap or Jordan thinks Alex is a robot?

I love Mariah Carey. Mariah Carey's music saved little ghetto children's lives. Songs like "Vision of Love" gave us hope and we would sing those songs and try to hit every note like Mariah -- which we can't. I don't think she knows what a big part she plays in Bodrick III's life. And then to meet her….she's such a beautiful person that you can't do anything but defend her when [the media] starts acting stupid on her. She doesn't deserve that.

What?

astonishing

Haha. Well, Mariah Carey does have a really good voice. And her voice can be very expressive, but a lot of times it isn't. I sometimes get the feeling she isn't trying very hard (beyond cooing and purring in her later songs), but that's probably my preconceived notions.

Still, I'm not sure I can name a better pop voice -- in terms of pure voice -- in her generation.

She's ok. I would probably enjoy her singing more if the majority of her songs weren't complete shit.

She did sing/write the best original Xmas song of the past 20 years, no doubt.

So what are we talking about here? Something objective like who can hit the most notes and sustain them the longest times?

Or more abstract stuff like "soul" or something. Or ability to interpret lyrics? Or having a badass 'tude that carries a song even if the voice can't really.

For a father, Alex, you sure are a negative son of a bitch.

Bodrick is totally otm on this thread, btw

Great thread

Mariah has an amazing gift from God that has no color, no boundaries and no limitations. You hear the passion and the honesty within her music.

And she has a nice big arse.

Great thread

And getting better all the time.

http://image.bayimg.com/kajdbaabi.jpg

i like mariah

if mariah carey isn't, who is?

Cassie.

Alison Moyet.

T-PAIN

buy surmounter a drank

Elvis is good, Alex. Ask the guys from Kelly Joke.

Yes, god forbid someone doesn't share your taste.

-- Alex in NYC, Thursday, 20 December 2007 13:27 (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

For a father, Alex, you sure are a negative son of a bitch.

That was a bit uncalled for.

Alison Moyet.

Would she qualify as from "our generation" though? I'd agree, though, she buries Mariah.

Yes, god forbid someone doesn't share your taste.

-- Alex in NYC, Thursday, 20 December 2007 13:27 (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

I didn't ask anyone to cowtow to my taste, I merely opined. The question remains: Do you agree with the statement that she's the "greatest singer of our generation".

Why not? I hate shtoopid generalisations like that, but I can see how somebody who was generalisation-inclined could make that argument.

Fair enough, I suppose. I just strikes me that it's just accepted 'wisdom' because she's sold so many albums -- it's the same argument, ironically, as the Elvis album title "X00,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong". Sure they can. Mass crowds of people can be wrong.

Sure people can be wrong, but I don't think wrong comes into it where taste is concerned. I find a lot of Mariah's stuff too cheeseball for my taste, but there's obviously a hell of a lot of people who love what she does and that seems a fair enough argument for being a great singer.

More people go to Ashton Kutcher's movies than go to Daniel Day Lewis' movies -- does that make Ashton Kutcher a better actor?

I pretty much hate "good acting".

mariah's the barbra streisand of the 21st century, tons of vocal technique and no clue what to do with it.

she is sexy tho, in a trashy outer-boro sorta way.

Dudes, I might be wrong, but I was always under the impression that Mariah Carey sucks!

Everything about her bugs me, but what's most irritating is how she moves her hands when she sings. barf out!

^^ Amen.

aww i like her cute little hands and how they imitate her voice. i saw paul simon with the parents last night, and if you want strange hands, well, there ya go

she looked great on good morning america the other day. can't remember what she sang though. i was busy trying to figure out how they got her into the dress she was wearing. the very definition of "painted on".

I don't agree that "Elvis was kinda crap as well" (some of his material yes, Elvis, no)

Bob Lefsetz and the baby-boom rock fans who e-mail him are now obsessed with Mariah allegedly lipsynching:

Hey Bob. Instead of challenging us to sing three Mariah Carey songs, maybe you should challenge Mariah to sing those three songs herself. Have you caught any of her most recent live performances on Oprah or American Idol? Hell, even go back to Live 8. She has taken to lipsyncing the second half of her songs. It's quite curious. She starts off...tolerable. Face it, she doesn't even have much of a low range anymore, then, when the song swells and the bigger vocals come in, cue the backing track! It's hilarious. She starts flailing her arms, pointing to the crowd and running around the stage, as if this entire act helps her muster the energy to bring those big notes to life. It's a horrible cover-up. I wonder just how much Pro-Tooling was done on E=MC2? Hooray for Melodyne. from a letter to Leftsetz in his April 24 "Does Mariah Sing" live posting

She isn't the greatest singer of our generation, ok. But who is, then?

she did look good on that good morning america. her dresses are hilarious. she's lost weight.

<i>Dudes, I might be wrong, but I was always under the impression that Mariah Carey sucks!</i>

get a new impression. you suck.

http://www.sdcmuseum.org/wallpapers/sdcbackgroundapr2006.jpg

Jim's had that bookmarked for nearly a year now waiting to use it.

<i>Dudes, I might be wrong, but I was always under the impression that Mariah Carey sucks!</i>

get a new impression. you suck.

-- lex pretend, Sunday, 27 April 2008 17:53 (36 minutes ago) Link

snap

Elvis and Mariah are both just a voice and nothing else. Elvis is overrated by virtually everyone, Mariah Carey is overrated by audiences only, while she is rated just about right by the critics.

She isn't the greatest singer of our generation, ok. But who is, then?

That bloke from Killing Joke. ;-)

I think it's kinda daft statement. Who the fek cares?

I agree with Geir..

..although a handful of songs by both Elvis and Mariah are pretty outstanding.

nah, Mariah's written/co-written too many incredibly fun pop songs to be considered "only a voice."

And Elvis, in addition to his beautiful voice, was a performer and a cultural phenomenon.

Mariah's written/co-written too many incredibly fun pop songs to be considered "only a voice."

I've never heard any. Most of what I heard is either boring MOR ballads or even worse tuneless R&B crap.

that's your opinion. objectively, she's done more than just sing.

In theory, Elvis was sometimes credited as a writer too.

I generally find a co-credit hard to take seriously unless the same artist has either written some songs all by him/herself or, like Madonna, has a distinctive composition style that makes all the songs sound sort of melodically similar in spite of different songwriting partners.

(and, also, like Elton John obv - he has never had a 100 per cent credit either, but he always composed the actual music all by himself)

Too bad his compositions kind of suck

Kerr how dare you, I was frantically GIS-ing for that and hoping nobody else posted inbetween.

Mariah circa the early 90s is pretty untouchable. Definitely better than the other candidates of her time (Whitney, Celine, Vanessa, Toni, Anita). I prefer Toni Braxton but Mariah has the talent, the cross-demographic appeal and the accolades to be seriously considered the best singer of her time.

I don't get what Mariah Carey does that's so different from Christina Aguilera.

she doesn't always sound like a trumpet

"Saving All My Love For You" is a much better song and performance than Mariah Carey has ever come close to. And "How Will I Know" is a better uptempo pop song than any of Mariah's too. Around 90-91, Carey may have been slightly better than Houston, but Toni Braxton would soon walk both anyway.

As for Christina Aguilera. No, she has no more talent than any of the others. Not in any way. Which is why there is no reason to like her either.

Ladies and Gentlemen.... Mr. Geir Hongro!

This thread is kind of the Swan Lake of perpetual motion automatons.

I think I get more "lol u rong" when people call Mariah Carey attractive than when they call her a great singer.

I think she's attractive.

I always liked this incarnation:
http://christmas.gemzies.com/show/entry_5017/Mariah_Carey___Merry_Christmas.html

I will see if I can make that picture appear.

http://pds4.egloos.com/pds/200612/18/05/c0022305_09120152.jpg

Goodness, that is the only time, ever, I have ever made a picture appear on an ilx thread, ever. Churchbells ought to be ringing across the land.

I'm glad it came out big; I do think she looks nice, in that picture.

very nice

Hardly ever agree with Geir about anything but he's OTM about Mariah.

Although, almost uniquely, this lamentable piece nearly makes me feel sorry for her.

Her figure implies a certain amount of almost surreal attention has been paid to maintaining fantasy curves

I told you I liked her.

she looks not so much like that now, pinefox, more chipmunk-y.

like this?

http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/blogs/reverb/MariahCarey.jpg

she looks pretty great here:
http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=52186&forum=9

whoa, she really does

i'm telling you she's lost some weight that makes a big difference on her face.

I am now finding that most pictures don't seem to want to be linked like the ones above; at least not by me. this one, though?
http://www.sexliesandhollywood.com/mariah-carey-says-she-has-the-body-of-a-12-year-old/

http://i30.tinypic.com/34ozms4.jpg

I don't know Surmounter but I am glad & touched to be in agreement with her (assuming it's a her).

I don't really care what the haters say.. I think she's one of the greatest singers alive. Breakdown and We belong together have proven it.

I will not be convinced of her vocal abilities until she proffers her rendition of the wonderful old melody "Let's Have A Tiddly At The Milk Bar."

pinefox, it's a he and i'm glad to be in agreement with u 2 :-)

Obama-Mariah '08

cold_dead_hands.jpeg

Anyway isn't she a good ol' GOP gal?

Are you listening to her music or considering her as a friend/lover?

http://www.celebitchy.com/9694/mariah_carey_backs_obama_says_faith_helped_her_recover_from_breakdown_/

I am considering her as a beautiful woman. I don't know her music.

she's curiously unsexy imo

word

curiouser and curiouser

http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/ywsblog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/altoids.jpg

More people go to Ashton Kutcher's movies than go to Daniel Day Lewis' movies -- does that make Ashton Kutcher a better actor?
No, Alex. Obviously Daniel Day Lewis is the better actor because you say so.

Bill The Butcher would've been so much better if it was Kutcher The Butcher.

Yes!

If you don't think Mariah Carey is a great singer, you probably don't care for singing in general.

http://challops.com/images/1.gif

I've always thought "We Belong Together" was painfully boring. I don't think that song proves anything about her vocal abilities.

you try singing it, billstevejim. record it and let us hear!

I don't get paid to sing.

And note I'm wording that as an opinion, unlike some people here. (There's no reason to like Christina Aguilera.. dumbest thing anyone has ever said.)

Pretty sure Hitler said some dumber things.

yeah im not being serious

Thanks for the heads up.

Mariah Carey POX:

7. Reckoner 14
1. 15 Step 8
5. All I Need 8
9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place 8
8. House of Cards 7
2. Bodysnatchers 6
3. Nude 5
4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi 5
10. Videotape 4
6. Faust Arp 1

dom in forgetting "booty meat" shocker

Isn't it possible to enjoy things about Mariah Carey other than how well she can sing? Good singers do nothing for me.

I just counted up the songs of hers I actually like.. Vision Of Love, I'll Be There, Dreamlover, All I Want For Christmas Is You, Fantasy w/ ODB, Honey & Heartbreaker are ok. I also like Someday & Make It Happen for nostalgic purposes. Yes she's a good singer, but not everyone is into vocal gymnastics.

I enjoy at least two things about Mariah Carey that have nothing to do with her singin.

i'm guessing #1 is her extensive collection of high on fire rarities

Ok, three things then.

I enjoy all 120,000 of her hair folicles.

Mariah Carey; Vampire Weekend of 2008?

Are you listening to her music or considering her as a friend/lover?

Are we being offered the choice?

Sadly, I think Dan's question was rhetorical.

after all this time, vision of love is still my fave of hers. i never got tired of that song. and they used to play it every five minutes on the radio way back when.

i guess i like un-break my heart as much as vision of love. since someone mentioned toni.

and i guess i like save the best for last as much as those two songs.

but whitney...man, i haven't really cared abut whitney that much as a singer since her first album came out! which was a million years ago. she's a better singer than mariah though.

or was a better singer. haven't heard her lately. i'm kinda scared of her now.

Another charmer: "Someday."

Yeah, I don't think she's topped "Vision of Love," and she'll never top me.

vision of love is old news, boys. that was old mariah. new mariah doesn't sing songs like that anymore. now she sings hip-hop songs about fellas frontin' with the pitch-perfect voice of a hooker on crack. ::shudder:: geez you just gotta love it.

Surmounter you need to do a diva poll.

I love "We Belong Together" and "I'm That Chick," and a few other mid nineties hits ("Fantasy," "Honey"), but I need to think about that "pitch-perfect voice of a hooker on crack" line for a minute, Surm.

no Shake It Off?

Mariah Carey is the vocal equivalent of Yngwie Malmsteen's guitar playing.

is that a fact?

(Yngwie who?)

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2786/yngwie308.jpg

YOU HAVE RELEASED THE FUCKING FURY!!!!!!!!!!!! JÄVLAR! JÄVLAR!!!!

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2786/yngwie308.jpg

kudos

Mariah Carey is the vocal equivalent of Yngwie Malmsteen's guitar playing.

Damn otm, I think.

he's cute.

but is the CUTEST guitarist of our generation

i just clicked on the original link that started this thread. alex are you joking

s1ocki do you really want him to answer that

i know

anyone read Jody Rosen's recent Mariah essay?

"Shake It Off" was my favorite single from that last album.

If Carey really did popularize the vocal style that formed the template for American Idol and American Idol-type singers, or if her version of that vocal style (rococo melismatic singing) is really innovative, then that's arguably some compelling evidence of her significance.

I buy it. She's my template for that kind of singing.

Alfred thank you for linking that, it's a fabulous article.

Calls to mind the post-Mimi New Yorker article.

i pretty much hate most of that kind of singing. mariah is different because she has a) real training, b) (relative) taste.

and her voice has a pleasant quality to it that doesn't give you a headache like some of the other stuff

If Carey really did popularize the vocal style that formed the template for American Idol and American Idol-type singers, or if her version of that vocal style (rococo melismatic singing) is really innovative, then that's arguably some compelling evidence of her significance.
Myself, I've always blamed Whitney Houston for forming the template for that style (you call it "rococo melismatic," I call it oversinging). Both Houston and Carey are loaded with talent; I just don't like the way they use it, as well as the fact that every American Idol wannabe tries to copy their style.
Just recently I was at opening day for Little League game and a male singer — looked about 17 — was doing the "Star Spangled Banner" a cappella in this style. It's rampant. I wonder if high school kids even realize there are different ways to sing.
I completely concur that either Whitney or Mariah is the most influential singer of our generation, but not the greatest. They both leave me completely cold. I don't care how pretty your voice is or how many notes you can make out of one syllable — you have to sell the song to me.

yeah, see I think Mariah actually does let that stuff serve the song

relatively-speaking, at least

ditto... especially cuz she can be so soft about it. she's not always explosive.

also, don't forget, she's hot

I just think she overdoes it, and far too many up and coming singers think that's the only way to go. Billie Holiday is considered by many to be the greatest jazz singer ever, and she sang like two notes! Today's pop singers think they have to cram as many notes as possible into a song, as if the entire audience had ADHD.
Besides, if you want to hear some great melismatic singing, then dig out some old gospel records. Or Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Clyde McPhatter.

Isn't the Whitney/Mariah style just a slightly more polished virtuoso approach to style that countless soul/gospel/disco singers had been doing for years, if not decades, before them? I mean, maybe one/either of them can be considered the Eddie Van Halen figure that raised the stakes on a technical level, but it's not like they deserve that much credit, or blame, for the existence of melisma in popular singing.

xpost

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n201/Nettl_1960/jeffreyjones_joseph.jpg
"Too many notes!"

bueller!

uh oh

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-films-tribeca-carey.html?ex=1210132800&en=5f9ec78b2cd8f894&ei=5070&emc=eta1

"Mariah Makes Another Road-Trip Flick"

What was her first one? Glitter wasn't about a road trip at all. Unless they're confusing it with Britney Spears's Crossroads.

uh i was asking myself the same question...

maybe comparing with opera singers is unfair, but anna netrebko trounces mimi in taste, looks and vocal ability

http://ximo.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/netrebko4.jpg

and brawn, apparently.

whoa goddess

what are those things on her arms? awards?

i think that's one of the most beautiful women i've ever seen?

Isn't the Whitney/Mariah style just a slightly more polished virtuoso approach to style that countless soul/gospel/disco singers had been doing for years, if not decades, before them? I mean, maybe one/either of them can be considered the Eddie Van Halen figure that raised the stakes on a technical level, but it's not like they deserve that much credit, or blame, for the existence of melisma in popular singing.

-- Alex in Baltimore, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 11:32 AM (58 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

of course, like 90% of critics/ilxors talking about things they dont actually know about, folx here are blaming individuals for certain styles that have long-running historic narratives and contexts

but i think there's something to be said for continuing said vocal traditions, and carrying them into the present day.

whitney and mariah have good voices. too bad about the music they often end up singing over.

they both have some joints

also, don't forget, she's hot

YES, THIS IS 100% TRUE. Also, that Anna Netrebko is hot, too.

yes there are some

what are those things on her arms?

Armor!

that's hot

She's a tough girl.

I think everyone who blames or accuses mariah of showy, melismatic should listen to some of her songs post-daydream for some of the subtle genius she's capable of.

Close my eyes and Petals are some suggestions. Even Breakdown is beautifully understated.

i'm ready to dig back into those

of course, like 90% of critics/ilxors talking about things they dont actually know about, folx here are blaming individuals for certain styles that have long-running historic narratives and contexts
Well duh, we all know melisma has been around for centuries. My gripe is that Whitney/Mariah are taking it to the extreme, as if they're more concerned with one-upmanship than the song itself.

or maybe they just like to sing that way...

and incidentally the whitney/mariah comparison is valid but somewhat overplayed.

i thought the jody rosen slate bit was really great, i'd like to hear some reaction to it from some people who aren't pants-pissing r&b haters. i'd never really liked mariah carey's music very much, so i've never paid her much mind: was the shift from tommy mattola/MOR stuff to dupri/"mariah-pacifiah"/hip hop stuff really that sharp & pronounced? did she lose an audience?

this is just awz btw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GhHfeCk5o0

it was very pronounced, and it lost me for some time. i say it happened with the single "Honey." i hated it at first, wanting the full-bodied voice back, and the sweeter tunes. but now i'm all for the slinky, breathy mariah, on top of hip-hop beats. it's totally different.

Well duh, we all know melisma has been around for centuries. My gripe is that Whitney/Mariah are taking it to the extreme, as if they're more concerned with one-upmanship than the song itself.

-- Jazzbo, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 1:10 PM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

my point was that you dont know what you are talking about

or maybe they just like to sing that way...
Well yeah, I would assume so. Just like John Lydon likes to sing his way. Except Lydon's singing is interesting.

oh

my point was that you dont know what you are talking about
Because I don't like Mariah's singing? Such a sound argument.

My gripe is that Whitney/Mariah are taking it to the extreme, as if they're more concerned with one-upmanship than the song itself.

is your gripe that you don't like her singing or that they are more concerned with one-upmanship than the song itself

to be honest i don't even think mariah is that extreme about it. i mean i don't ever really notice it as extreme. you want extreme in this dept., listen to christina.

but really the problem w what you said is the idea that whitney/mariah somehow represent some kind of 'extreme'

They represent an 'extreme' because their melismatic singing style adds notes that are 'more than words.'

(sorry)

is your gripe that you don't like her singing or that they are more concerned with one-upmanship than the song itself
It can be both, ya know.

but really the problem w what you said is the idea that whitney/mariah somehow represent some kind of 'extreme'
Sorry, I'll never use hyperbole again. I've heard worse during high school variety shows, I'll admit.

You know what, though? You've convinced me. She's a great singer. I can hear it, finally.
Excuse me, I have to go catch up with the rest of the sheep now.

i don't like being called a sheep just cuz i like mariah. just fyi.

maybe you're a sheep cuz you don't! OUCH!

i don't like being called a sheep just cuz i like mariah.
I didn't intend to hurt your feelings.

you didn't

But please tell me you like Kristin Hersh's singing over Mariah's, Surmounter!

jazzbo you should check out the slate piece! it makes a good case for her, and at least charts her history beyond just being the woman who does all the melisma that's so extreme and stuff

haha ok i'm gonna give that to you :-) at the very least, i certainly couldn't put mariah over kristin.

jazzbo = terrible poster. read more of ilx before ever posting again

i would luv 2 hear mariah and kristin hersh do a duet

jazzbo = terrible poster. read more of ilx before ever posting again
What does this even mean?

probably that it's a bad idea 2 conform 2 non-conformity

ooo i went there

deej=Not used to dissenting opinions, therefore can't get by in the real world.
Learn to spell and use a shift key before you criticize anyone ever again.

Learn to spell and use a shift key

read more of ilx before ever posting again

-- deej, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 2:06 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i dont care that you disagree, i care that you are boring

read more of ilx before ever posting again
Repeating yourself is boring.

is Jazzbo like an ILM version of Gabbo?

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4483/9f19gabbo13pd.jpg

lol @ "i care that you are boring"

anyway how is Jazzbo any more of a bot than Surmounter!?

jazzbo is too boring to be fake

no i wasn't saying jazzbo is fake i was just saying their names are similar.

So, we all agree, then, yes? Mariah is shit? Great. Case closed.

jazzbo has been here a lot longer than deej

anyway how is Jazzbo any more of a bot than Surmounter!?

-- Alex in Baltimore, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 7:25 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

keep me out of it thx. haha this is the moment Alex in NYC has been just WAITING for

lol @ "i care that you are boring"
That's pretty funny. I feel loved.
I've been reading ILX for a long time, but I post pretty sporadically. Don't understand deej's beef, but I obviously touched a nerve. I know Alex in NYC is a regular, but jeez at least I tried to explain what I don't like about Mariah instead of just calling her shit.
So, we all agree, then, yes? Mariah is shit?
Agreed.

do you like jazz?

do you like bo?

do you like jazz?
Old-school stuff, yeah, but it's more of a family nickname.

do you like bo?
Diddley!

I don't think of Surmounter as much of a bot, but then I read the gay thread.

What's a bot, anyway?

Yeah, I had to look it up to see what I was. Still not sure other than it wasn't a compliment.

i assume it means something with set opinions that border on boring or annoying?

that's my take, but i'm not well-versed when it comes to internet zingage.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

If one has working ears, one shouldn't need an explanation why Mariah is shit.

i assume it means something with set opinions that border on boring or annoying?
Subtle!
Boring, annoying opinion=I don't like Mariah Carey's singing
Exciting, compelling opinion=I like Mariah Carey's singing

huh? i wasn't attacking you at all, jazzbo. i was honestly just trying to determine the meaning of BOT

let's be friends and get along

I know, I know. Sorry.

I do think she's a babe.

This thread!

I do think she's a babe.

Yes! For goodness sake, let's get back to simple truths like this one.

This thread is more entertaining than any Mariah Carey song.

It's true, that is a simple truth. She is beautiful.

I read that Rosen piece carefully and couldn't see why it was supposed to be good.

It's odd that MC is very popular, or whatever, but I can't think of any of her songs - one barely ever hears them, really. Maybe it's an American thing.

uh cricket ways inn

I have learned to cherish Carey's singing for its brute force, blinding technique, and, yes, showboatiness—to place Mariah's vocal "runs" in the tradition of John Coltrane's "sheets of sound," the pummeling drumming of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, and Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption"

mariah carey & john coltrane, huh?

revoke this guys license indefintely

This is arguably worse than all the sixties Beatles/Schubert schtick.

aww stevie wonder weighs in http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733752_1735744,00.html?imw=Y

Beyonce, as a singer, walks all over Mariah Carey. Mariah has a tremendous range and can do some genuinely awesome stuff at the top of it, but Beyonce seems to put a lot more thought/talent/whatever-it-is-that-makes-singers-sing-better-than-other-singers into where to put the emphasis, how to swing a line, etc. bias from me though is that I like some of Beyonce's material and very little if any of Mariah's. (Offhand I can't think of any Mariah I've heard that I liked.)

this though:

mariah's the barbra streisand of the 21st century, tons of vocal technique and no clue what to do with it.

is fucking crazy talk

I was hoping that no one would seriously make the argument that Mariah is the Yngwie of singing.

beyonce uses less head voice, which i think a lot of people like.

i think something mariah does really well is play with her vocals. whereas other singers might bring it home with more emotion, i always feel like mariah is having fun with her voice.

One of the reasons why Beyonce comes across better than Mariah nowadays is that Mariah has blown out the middle of her range.

I've met only three people who had a truly wonderful voice and spirit to match: my first wife Syreeta, Minnie Riperton and Mariah.

FWIW, Syreeta > Mariah.

One of the reasons why Beyonce comes across better than Mariah nowadays is that Mariah has blown out the middle of her range.

this is interesting to me - I think I respond most to the mellower middle range, B just murders that singing-casually area that always gets me

Daniel Johnston has a better tone and feel for the lyrics

always feel like mariah is having fun with her voice

Or was, maybe? Her recent TV appearances have been a Britney-level disaster. She's become a zombie. Or a 1950s valium socialite.

i only saw the SNL + The Hills appearances. I thought they were fine. But the only other thing I've seen her do live is the Unplugged back in the '90s, so I'm no judge. That was a good show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w0AwGCjqnw

Seriously. Surmounter. No.

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Ah, so that was when the back-up track started way too soon. ::shrugs:: whatever

it's easy to forget mariah's vocal phrasing, because she's so widely regarded for her range and power, but she achieves a lot with the way she articulates her words. her signature hip-hop accent, intensifying over the years, now strongly inflects her phrasing as well. it seems to allow her personality to fill out the words more.

I guess I won't screw with her fans anymore.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/19/deputies-arrest-passenger-who-allegedly-threw-bott/

A black Honda pulled up next to them and the passenger, William H. Greenman, 22, yelled at Schreiber, calling him a derogatory name for listening to Mariah Carey, reports said.

"POPIST!"

OMG

that's scary!

I think mariah is a terrificly talented singer. Vocally,she's a lot more interesting to listen to than the likes of beyonce. She does amazing stuff with her voice

Especially on her dance remixes which are quite exceptional

i was thinking today that Mariah could sing the Beatles' In My Life SO WELL

come on it's like made for her voice

it's kind of made for more than one voice

SHUTUP

ha jk =)

and technical singing or embellishment would be highly inappropriate

if she's gonna do a Beatles song, she should go up against Alison Krauss on "I Will"

wrong! embellishment would suit In My LIfe very well

think of her voice on the notes "in myyyyyyy life"

Fools! Mariah Carey can sing anything well.

in myyyyyyy life"

Wouldn't it go more like inn miyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiy liiiiiiiiyuuuiiiiiiyyyuuiiiiiiiiiiffffffffff"?

YES HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA perfect

think of her voice on the notes "in myyyyyyy life"

no

the fact that there is nothing distinguished about the singing is integral to the song

Except when Johnny Cash does it, when it sounds better.

he's no young mod

people ALWAYS bash the "vocal gymnastics" thing. whereas i really enjoy it sometimes! i think mariah brought a fresh twist to it with that really high squealing/singing thing she does that only bats can hear. and i like the way she can switch from a quite laidback, cool delivery to building up to going totally ott and emotional, like in "heartbreaker".

ditto! i think the way she swings back and forth between really soft and really full is awesome

A black Honda pulled up next to them and the passenger, William H. Greenman, 22, yelled at Schreiber, calling him a derogatory name for listening to Mariah Carey, reports said.

I can't be the only one who read this and saw it as Ryan Pitchfork.

"it" = "Schreiber"

Vocally,she's a lot more interesting to listen to than the likes of beyonce

Not that an extraordinary a feat, realistically.

wait, alex, do you like mariah?

she is. yes.

i find beyonce more interesting to listen to than carey. a bit more dynamism i think.

From this post:

A black Honda pulled up next to them and the passenger, William H. Greenman, 22, yelled at Schreiber, calling him a derogatory name for listening to Mariah Carey, reports said.
"POPIST!"

-- Ned Raggett, Monday, May 19, 2008 5:49 PM (3 days ago)

I was hoping and hoping that the story would be about a crazed indiefuXXor Pitchfork reader bottling Ryan.

wait, alex, do you like mariah?

No I don't, but she can certainly do a lot more with her voice than Beyonce.

Out of curiosity (I think we've talked about this before), is it the entire genre you find unacceptable or specifically these performers? I'm curious as to what you think about someone like Leona Lewis, who's still a full-on pop singer but had a massive hit basically equating falling in love with killing yourself (co-written by Hillary Duff, apparently! lolz).

haha. that song is intense.

Can't say I've heard Leona Lewis' music. If by this entire genre you mean R&B, I'd say I don't like the majority of it, but there are exceptions, however fleeting (again -- Luther Vandross is untouchably great). Honestly, because I don't like 99% of it, it should therefore be noted that I don't know much about it, so my opinions should be factored accordingly. I'm still wincing from certain folks taking my words here FAR TOO SERIOUSLY.

Mariah Carey has a more accomplished voice than Beyonce. That doesn't mean that I like what she does with it, but were they ever in some sort of Olympic sing-off, Mariah would handily trounce her.

haha that'd be a hot sight

it's weird how she gets away with sounding soooooooo breathy sometimes. who else gets away with it like that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRsN9oV8aeo

nobody, that's who.

mariah is in the works to produce an HBO movie version of her 1994 xmas album...

(which is the best-selling xmas album of alltime??)

I'm cancelling Christmas.