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Re: Studio singer subject (82,974) (82,975) by Andrew from UK That's my girl, right there. I've never seen that version of Hero live. But that there is the face I fell in love with. I will forever love that song. It's my karaoke song. As Jade may testify. I will forever remember Mariah's face before she went nuts. I will forever remember she was just a girl who made the tapes I listened to every night, staying awake wondering how I had an insight into musical perfection. Studio singer? Randy, I love you buddy buy no way. She had the voice. She looked beautiful. Mariah Carey being on stage in the nineties was something special. She was the shit. (Wednesday 4 July 2018; 02:08)

Re: Studio singer subject (82,973) (82,974) by Chicago Lamb from USA This isn't just a studio singer. (Tuesday 3 July 2018; 22:42)

Re: Studio singer subject (82,972) (82,973) by Edouard from France I totally agree with you. BTW I believe some of my favorite MC live happened when she wasn't at her best. For instance I love, love, love, love the performance of Hero right after 9/11. It was heartfelt. That's actually when I started enjoying Hero as a song. Before I always thought it was too schmaltzy. (Tuesday 3 July 2018; 16:52)

Re: Studio singer subject (82,963) (82,972) by Deedre aka MiTodoChop @HBF from Canada Beautifully stated. Having spent yesterday going through live performances from 1990-2018, I can't comfortably stick the studio singer label on her and be done with it. She has had too many incredible stage performances for that to feel right to me. That isn't to say she has not struggled either because she has, but I actually feel it downplays her accomplishments on stage to only call her a studio singer. (Monday 2 July 2018; 21:10)

Horrible performances (82,971) by Gee from U.S.A. (New York City) When Mariah gives poor or lackluster performances she can not blame no one but herself for being lazy and unprepared. Mariah has been doing this long enough to know what it takes to put on a great performance. As a fan since 1901 I know when Mariah is into a show or performance by her confidence and her overall presence on stage. At this point Mariah has to understand that she will not get a pass for a horrible performance because she does not deserve it. If she can not give her fans their moneys worth I would rather her hang it up and retire and save herself from anymore embarrassing moments like NYE 2016 travesty. (Monday 2 July 2018; 18:50)

Rolling Stone (82,970) by Andrew from UK It annoys me somewhat when journalists take it upon themselves to list the greatest 100 anything. Music is about taste. Which it surely is in the article. We Belong Together - as much as I can possibly never listen to it again - was an incredibly seminal song in modern music history. This cannot be denied by anyone worth listening to. As Call Me Maybe and that awful Radiohead song positioned higher than it, one could reasonably expect it to not be about importance but about taste. Mariah's charting here is still worthy of praise given that this is post nineties stuff. However, in these circumstances it must always be asked: "What right do you have to pronounce these things as definitive? What claim to knowledge do you have that others do not? What makes the proclaimation of what you like authoritative over what I like?" Maybe I just need a holiday. But Harry Styles' "Sign Of The Times" better than WBT? Don't waste my time. (Monday 2 July 2018; 17:41)

Re: Studio singer schmudio schminger (82,968) (82,969) by Andrew from UK Agreed. Also agreed that good live performances extended far past the 90s. I think Home for the Holidays is one of the best performances she ever gave. And she looked fierce deposited bring larger than normal. The Emancipation vocals werent bad but the smoke billowed further and the mirrors grew in size toward the 2010's. The only - ONLY - reason why Mariah no longer sounds like the records is that it's no longer a given that the records have genuine vocals on them (I would cite lipping The Star for this). This does not detract from much of what the American guy Matthew posted which was thoughtful and eloquent and not overly drowning in pools of hyperbole. I would encourage him to post his views more often. (Monday 2 July 2018; 17:25)

Re: Studio singer schmudio schminger (82,965) (82,968) by Special K from USA And the smoke and mirrors have failed her miserably. (Monday 2 July 2018; 16:26)

Re: Studio singer subject (82,963) (82,967) by Special K from USA Very nicely written articulate opinion but to me it sounds like we are giving Mariah excuses for her lack luster sometimes awful live vocal performances. From 1990-about 2003 Mariah use to slay live vocal performances on a consistent basis. The key is consistency. Mariah gives her greatest live vocal performances when she feels secure and confident with her voice. (Monday 2 July 2018; 16:24)

Re: Studio singer subject (82,963) (82,966) by Billy from Greece Wow. So beautifully said. Preach. (Monday 2 July 2018; 07:43)

Studio singer schmudio schminger (82,965) by Andrew from UK This whole argument is an attempt by a bunch of people to redirect from the fact that Mariah has sounded increasingly bad since 2010 and relies heavily on smoke and mirrors. She always sounded exactly like her records for decades. This is the topic thread equivalent of Mariah waving her hand in front of her face. That's all it is. (Monday 2 July 2018; 01:56)

Sunday treat (82,964) by RibbonB from USA Just gonna leave this right here. This special moment between Fantasia and Miss Patti. All praises to Tasia's dentist for his good work. Cut to the 2:30 mark to the very end, but the whole thing is "fantabulous". Patti's expressions are priceless and Fantasia had a moment. (Sunday 1 July 2018; 19:34)

Studio singer subject (82,963) by CDC from CA Sorry I'm late to the "studio singer" conversation but I traced back to the original post and I'll just give my input. I wouldn't give too much clout to those using the "studio singer" argument to belittle Mariah's abilities as a singer. Those talking points are usually from ardent fans of the gospel divas or the soul/r&b divas whose rearing was cultivated in the pentecostal or baptist church. And I guess after Aretha crossed over to the pop charts 50+ years ago, that became the standard for all diva singers. I would argue that pulling off every vocal tick in front of an audience only to prove that the recorded voice matches the human larynx is only a small part of being an artist. Going into why Mariah is not only a "studio singer" is absurd and historically proven and on record and forever archived in the internet. *Why* she prefers the studio over the stage is a more interesting conversation. And that simply boils down to her upbringing. Mariah's seeds as an artist began with a pen and paper. Aretha's, Whitney's, Patti's, etc. began in the boisterous pews of the black church. Mariah's entrance into the industry began as a session singer. Most others began as nightclub/cabaret/revue acts. Not better or worse, just different paths to the artists they've become. But it's Mariah's experience in the studio that makes her craftsmanship there more superior to so many others. "My All", for example, is more multifaceted and richer in colour than most rock critics can ever assess. And what make Mariah above those cheap arguments you hear from people who don't know any better? It's actually her reluctance to live performance that grew her fanbase, because it's an ingredient that makes her *artistic message*. Aretha's is the expression of human ambition for spiritual renewal. Judy Garland's was about exhausting perseverance through innate pain exhorted by others. Whitney's was about concealing simmering tension beneath precision. Barbra Streisand's is about revitalizing tradition. And finally Mariah's ethos is about self acceptance and finding comfort in the path to overcoming insecurities. And this is a message that she's been able to author herself through her lyrics, and one that, in a way, we all identify with (as experienced listeners of her message) and why we are all on this website. (Sunday 1 July 2018; 19:10)

Re: Studio singer? (82,953) (82,962) by Musti from UK I could give you a a thousand likes if I could. Beautifully said. (Sunday 1 July 2018; 13:30)

My Love (82,961) by Musti from UK YouTube was kind enough to remind me about this song today. Such an underrated gem. She's at her best here from start to finish. Although I miss her doing story-driven songs with big words, sometimes I wonder whether she really needs to use impressive vocabulary when she has that magnificent voice to dress up even the simplest lyric. (Sunday 1 July 2018; 13:23)

Re: Studio singer? (82,959) (82,960) by bromo from indonesia Mariah will always be a very strong singer in the studio rather than live. The fact that Mariah sings almost all of her own creations is a good reason. As you know, Mariah's songs are studio masterpieces. Layer by layer vocals created in the studio by Mariah, on some tracks, it is very unlikely to be presented live. Of course Mariah has some hits that are not too complicated vocal layer (Vanishing, I Wish You Well) which from the studio version of the recording also seemed to be live. However, unfortunately not all the songs "sounded live" was a hit, other than My All, maybe. And, finally Mariah always appears live by bringing songs that are unbelievably difficult, for example Vision of Love. The song is like a showcase to show Mariah's vocal abilities. And the songs created by Mariah are generally not easy listening. Often even odd for the common ears. And when you hear a song that is not familiar with your music habits, maybe you know it's hard, but the brain will deliver it ugly. That's how I think why Mariah Carey's live performance is often not as good as anyone's impression while listening to her studio recordings (Sunday 1 July 2018; 06:26)

Re: Studio singer? (82,956) (82,959) by Tijl from Belgium Hear hear. (Saturday 30 June 2018; 20:19)

Re: Emotionless (82,951) (82,958) by Randy from USA I agree Bill. It's like Drake was insistent to use that sample and it's a YouTube beat maker who produced it. He's rapping over a nonconsistent beat and the sample has been cut and paste in a way whereas it would almost fit with the beat within a half a second. It's a sloppy production. He's also done this same kind of "yo I'm sampling this song no matter what" to Lauryn Hill's Ex Factor. (Saturday 30 June 2018; 15:46)

Re: Studio singer? (82,953) (82,957) by Chicago Lamb from USA Beautifully stated Mathew. My eyes are misty. (Saturday 30 June 2018; 15:35)

Studio singer? (82,956) by Nikki from usa Heck, no. That's reserved for Milli Vanilli. You all know that's Mariah's voice and how she sounds on records is how she sounds live. It was airy during Daydream and that's how it sounded live. She got raspy for Rainbow and that's how she sounded live. There's no trickery there. That's all MC. Point blank: Mariah's not a performer. She's a creator and that's where she's happiest. Mariah will put on a live show when she's excited about something, but she's not going to turn that into a steady diet. Also, creating a plethora of vocals is how you record a song. Labels don't always like the way you sang a song, so they'll have you do other variations. That's a part of the normal process. Mariah is forever multitasking. She's not just singing on stage, she's recording a song the night before, and has an interview afterward. When she decides to sing live she doesn't actually give herself the breaks she needs to pull it off. She's doing back to back shows. She doesn't show up to rehearsals and wings it. MC doesn't care about performances because everything is about getting back into the studio to create a new "baby". When MC is excited about a new song, that's when you'll see her next great performance. (Saturday 30 June 2018; 08:03)

Re: Emotionless (82,951) (82,955) by RibbonB from USA No comment. (Saturday 30 June 2018; 01:46)

Re: Emotionless (82,950) (82,954) by RibbonB from USA I really liked it from the snippet at least. I can foresee a hit, especially with a cool video. (Saturday 30 June 2018; 01:45)

Re: Studio singer? (82,933) (82,953) by Matthew from USA Mariah is a studio singer and that's not a bad thing. Even during her peak, she was never really a "bring the house down" type of live performer like Patti, Aretha or Whitney. Those women may go down in history as better singers because of their ability to command the stage. Mariah is the better artist though. In the studio, during the crafting process, she makes very interesting decisions. Her runs are consistently sympathetic to the melody (unlike Christina or Beyonce) and she employs the full extent of her range throughout any studio effort. It's not just range though, but texture. You are liable to get rasps, growls, belts, earthy wails, airy breathy trills and several whistles, and that might just be in one song. Her technical proficiency is also great. She transitions well, but is capable of just disconnecting and pitching herself into an entirely different register as well as a host of other tricks. Add to that her strength as a lyricist, then add her ability to emote. Girlfriend can even emote on her whistles, whereas most people can just try to hold it. There is sexy whistle, playful whistle, angry shriek whistle, whistle of despair and sadness. My point is that when it comes to artistry, musicality, and the depth of her catalog, Mariah is first in class among divas. (Saturday 30 June 2018; 00:40)

Re: Emotionless (82,951) (82,952) by Dav from Ireland You is kind, you is smart, you is important. (Friday 29 June 2018; 23:16)

Re: Emotionless (82,941) (82,951) by Bill from the UK Hmmm. Not sure what I make of it. I've only given it the one listen but it seems a bit of a mess to me. But then, who am I? (Friday 29 June 2018; 21:35)

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