Mariah Carey better than ever
She's been out of the limelight for a few years, but Mariah Carey's voice hasn't been silenced. The songstress proved she can still put on quite a show during her concert Tuesday night at Chicago's United Center. Carey's 90-minute concert was pretty much a showcase for her latest album, "Charmbracelet", but did include a good selection of favorite chart toppers.
The Chicago show was only the second stop of Carey's Charmbracelet tour, which is scheduled to run through September. Carey began her concert in diva-like fashion, emerging from the back of the venue with guards and entourage surrounding her as she performed "Heartbreaker". Fans cheered as Carey, wearing a short pink glittery dress and stiletto heels, made her way through the crowd and to the stage.
While Carey's vocals were somewhat drowned out by her band during that first number, the sound occasionally cleared up throughout the rest of the show. Carey's concert took on a type of vaudevillian-style revue at times, with her dancers and other performers posing as painters and other characters. Some of the scenes were silly, yet at times worked well in the context of the show.
As an entertainer, Carey seems to prefer to weave a theme throughout her shows. The singer's last concert in Chicago in 2000 played up a ridiculous diva theme, but was extremely weak on the music side. While this tour still has Carey romping around her set, there's a bit more emphasis on the music. The "Charmbracelet" album, which has a hip-hop feel, is perhaps Carey's weakest. But in concert, the tunes from the album sounded better than expected.
Carey, who suffered a very public breakdown in 2001, proved she can still wow her audience with her versatile vocal range and trills, although she's not as strong vocally as she once was. Her vocals shone through particularly on the ballads "My All" and "Through the Rain", her latest hit.
The concert was also part fashion show, as Carey went through a half dozen costume changes, donning everything from short shorts and tube tops to glamorous long gowns and mini dresses. Musical standouts included the touching "My Saving Grace" from "Charmbracelet", which Carey said was "my life story set to music".
Other attractive renditions were "Dreamlover", the optimistic "Make It Happen", "Vision of Love", "Fantasy" and "I'll Be There", performed with backup singer Trey Lorenz. Carey talked to her audience often during the show, and performed a couple of requested songs from a fan poll conducted on her Internet site. She said that the set list would change just a bit nightly on her tour to accommodate fan's requests. The show wrapped up appropriately with a touching version of "Hero". (Daily Southtown)
|
