Messageboard

Art vs. artist (101,163) by Randy from USA Matty. I love you for the post and I'm sorry that you've been through something undeserved. It took me years to get back to listening to MJ after the Martin Bashir interview because of so many subtleties I picked up on during it. As far as R.Kelly, I was never a fan but he wrote some of my favorite records, including Kelly Price's Friend of Mine Remix with Ron Isley, Changing Faces GHETTOUT and Whitney Houston's I Look To You. It's easy to cancel an artist and deem them a monster. Monsters are made by the many ravages and miseries associated with life. It wasn't until a very close 17 year old family member did something with a child, videod it, and received a 20 year sentence that I was forced to think about cutting someone off. That 17 year old was touched himself. It's an ugly cycle that gets repeated too often. And as a society it's so taboo to discuss. We keep focusing on punishing predators instead of researching what makes them that way in order to prevent it. I listen to R.Kelly, Mystikal, MJ, Elvis. The music was made and not listening to it does not reverse what's happened. I already had the records so the money made has probably already been spent. A lot of music holds an emotional meaning to me, probably for the nostalgia. I think all of this hurts MC too. I don't think she has any responsibility to remove collaborations or connections with artists as predators tend to do things in the dark. I doubt R.Kelly, Mystikal or MJ were parading any of this in front of her anyway. It's complicated but again, we don't have these conversations so I appreciate you for posting and of course Eric for allowing us to be raw here. God bless us all. (Thursday 8 September 2022; 11:36)

Re: A Charmbraclet jewel (101,160) (101,162) by MusicfanJ from Germany "Clown" is so cool. I love the lyrics and the whole song. That song is somehow so different for a Mariah song, but it makes it even more special. Really a jewel. (Thursday 8 September 2022; 09:54)

Re: Not Mystical now (101,159) (101,161) by Bill from the UK It's down to the individual I suppose as to whether they choose to carry on listening to artists like that. With R. Kelly it was easy for me as I never cared for him or his music to begin with. I thought the Betcha Gon' Know duet was awful and ruined a great song. His ballads were all the same and his voice wasn't particularly good. The only song he ever did that I didn't turn the dial on was Ignition Remix. As for Mystikal, it's the same. Never really rated him and think Don't Stop is somewhat ruined with him barking at me to shake my ass every five seconds. (Thursday 8 September 2022; 08:46)

A Charmbraclet jewel (101,160) by Bobby A from United States I put in my 2020 SD card into my music player tonight at the gym. Guess what played in my rotation? Clown. Probably has the best lyrics on CB. (Thursday 8 September 2022; 02:41)

Not Mystical now (101,159) by Matty from Vancouver Canada Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica) is one of my top two song on the Glitter album. I was obsessed with the video with the three Mariah's, it was all gold. It is gold, even now and one of her most fun videos. but ... I'm conflicted the way I was when R.Kelly was finally held accountable. MystiKal is facing a life sentence for rape and I'm curious now that at least two of Mariah's collaborators are going away for abuse to women if she'll take down their colabs from streaming (ah la Celine Dion "I'm your Angle") or if she takes the stance of separating the art from the artist? My circle of friends and family discuss this often, art vs. artist. With R.Kelly (who is musically significant) was a known predator in the public conscience since Aaliyah was 15 (and us as a culture made a joke of it), but what about if it's not R.Kelly, and it's a lesser known like MystiKal? Does Mariah react? If someone separates the art from the artist I respect that, and if you think the art is the artist, that's valid to heaven and back as well. Thoughts? I suffer this argument in my own heart with my abuser. (Thursday 8 September 2022; 01:51)

Dream collaborators (101,158) by Boy from The Netherlands I would love to hear Mariah working with artists like JP Cooper (would be heaven, especially if they do a gospel/acoustic moment), mnek (those two voices harmonizing with each other ughh), [...] (upcoming talent), [...] would be interesting I think (as Sam also writes his own material) and last disclosure would be really interesting. They could give a whole new sound. New remixes/ club bangers. Would love for Mariah to just reinvent her sound again and push her self creatively like she did working with [...] and Blood Orange that was fresh. Just hoping here for some dope new sounds. What are your thoughts? (Thursday 8 September 2022; 00:13)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,156) (101,157) by Bill from the UK Indeed, and I do see The Roof, Dreamlover, even ABMB as ballads in a way and don't dispute their inclusion on the compilation. All I Want for Christmas Is You (UK and Japanese editions) and How Much though? I also don't think Mariah had much creative oversight over the compilation either, as even the new version of Hero used to promote the album wasn't included (thank God). Even stranger was the iTunes bonus tracks - David Morales club mixes? Bizarre. (Wednesday 7 September 2022; 20:00)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,150) (101,156) by Terna from Nigeria Not according to her definition of what a "ballad" is to her as a songwriter, and this is a Mariah Carey compilation after all. Recall the podcast that was released in promotion of the compilation? She spoke extensively on her own interpretation of what a ballad is and it is clear she strives for different "types" of ballads, not just the regular "middle of the road ones". Thus the appearances of cuts like "The Roof", "Dream lover", and "Thank God I found You (Make it last)". (Wednesday 7 September 2022; 19:11)

Re: Cedar Point (101,154) (101,155) by MusicfanJ from Germany Sounds like good memories. When I was a teen/twen I loved amusement parks. It was such a happy, carefree time back in the 90ies. It's good to see that Mariah is having a good time with her kids. They have grown so fast. Roc totally looks like young MC. Very sweet. (Wednesday 7 September 2022; 12:26)

Cedar Point (101,154) by Victoria from USA I want to know what coasters Mariah and the twins went on. The last time we drove to [Cedar Point] was in 1991, right after the [Emotions] single was playing on the radio and I had recorded her MTV [Video Music Awards] performance of [Emotions]. Which we played over and over on that trip. (Wednesday 7 September 2022; 08:58)

Re: Endless Love (101,128) (101,153) by Mutton Dressed as Lamb from UK Agent M, did you get lost on your mission saving operative Honey? How have you been? It seems a lifetime since our lunches at Donatello's. Get in touch. (Wednesday 7 September 2022; 02:05)

Re: Butterfly announcement? (101,137) (101,152) by SM from Citizen of the World Why does she have to release anything on or around the weeks of Butterfly's original release date? A 25th anniversary album can come out anytime of the 25th year. (Tuesday 6 September 2022; 23:01)

Re: Toni Braxton (101,149) (101,151) by Jamie from UK I thought she had said we were getting a Butterfly remake? (Tuesday 6 September 2022; 14:21)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,147) (101,150) by Bill from the UK Yes, what you say makes sense in some ways, but then are How Much and the remix of TGIFY a representation of the ballads from Rainbow? When you have CTTA, After Tonight, Petals etc. that better fit the definition. Petals would have been a great showcase as it's a different type of ballad to the overwrought Carey/Afanasieff collabs from everything before. What I'm trying to say is that I get there are the traditional ballads and the mid-tempo ballads and the different types of ballads. But is How Much a ballad? (Tuesday 6 September 2022; 13:55)

Re: Toni Braxton (101,146) (101,149) by MusicfanJ from Germany I also love Toni Braxton. She's one of the artists that made me a soul/RnB fan. "You're making me high" were my song back then. "Unbreak my heart" was a big hit in Germany, it was played everyday with the video. The same with "Spanish Guitar". How I miss real music like that. (Tuesday 6 September 2022; 12:29)

Re: Toni Braxton (101,146) (101,148) by Bobby A from United States Toni's last two album releases, Spell My Name and Sex and Cigarettes, are great albums as well. I have a rare vinyl copy of Spell My Name. I am really sad too about no Butterfly 25th anniversary album. (Tuesday 6 September 2022; 12:17)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,130) (101,147) by Terna from Nigeria It's all a marketing strategy. These type of collections are not really for fans, but mainly as an introduction of the artist to non fans who are casual listeners. Through these compilations a "glimpse" of who she is as an artist and hints at her body of work is made available, without having to go through the whole discography. People gravitate towards certain types of music and genres more than others (Ballads, Mid-tempos, Up-tempos etc.). So for a casual non listening fan, there are always gonna be a variety of songs showcased. And for a genre crossing artist such as herself, she would want to be represented a certain kind of way with an equal balance of her Pop catalogue as well as the R&B and the Hip-hop all of which she has been very successful at - thus the weird tracklistings all the time, it's all marketing, because at the end of the day it's about selling records and making money. (Tuesday 6 September 2022; 12:05)

Re: Toni Braxton (101,144) (101,146) by Randy from USA I love some of Toni's album cuts. On The Heat there's a song called Fairy Tales and on Libra there's a song called Shadowless. Both of those get me emotional every time I hear them. Cue the "real fans" asking why are we talking about another artist on a MC board. I am sad we are not getting a Butterfly anniversary something. (Tuesday 6 September 2022; 09:57)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,143) (101,145) by BFF from United States Seal's first two records are two of my absolute favorites. I love the first album because it combines so many different styles of music - electronic, alternative, blues. There's a live version of "Whirlpool" on the Killer EP from 1991 that is absolutely brilliant. And as much as I hate Mariah's being snubbed at the 1996 Grammys, I think the Grammys were justified in giving Record of the Year to Seal over Mariah/Boyz II Men. I've seen him twice in concert, and both times he was absolutely fantastic. (Monday 5 September 2022; 21:45)

Re: Toni Braxton (101,143) (101,144) by Edward from USA "Let It Flow" is my jam. I love the way she sings it. Toni has a very unique voice, you can't mistake her for anybody else. Her first album, you can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track, but my favorite "Secrets" has the jams I love more from her. "You're Making Me High", "Let It Flow", "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", love them all. Sadly her light kind of faded quickly after "Secrets". (Monday 5 September 2022; 16:20)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,142) (101,143) by Bill from the UK Seal's first two albums were brilliant, I still play them today. As for Toni, I'm a big fan as well. Her voice is spectacular, and her debut album and Secrets I still play quite often. I love "Let It Flow" from Secrets, and "Breathe Again" from the debut. (Monday 5 September 2022; 15:30)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,136) (101,142) by BFF from United States Toni's house remixes with David Morales and Frankie Knuckles are definitely worth a listen. The remixes of "Unbreak My Heart", "Spanish Guitar", "I Don't Want to", and "You're Makin' Me High" are fantastic. I'm also a big fan of Seal generally and many of the remixes of his 90s and early 00s stuff. (Monday 5 September 2022; 13:53)

Re: Butterfly announcement? (101,138) (101,141) by Bobby A from United States It's probably for the best right now until she can come up with a new sound by experimenting with some new young producers. I really can't think of any one producer that has really dominated the pop and R&B charts this year. Most songs this year have all sounded the same. Radio has been quite boring this year. Let's see if Taylor Swift changes my mind with Midnights on October 21. She has really been on a creative journey during the past 3 years. I would like MC to create a new album that takes her back to her beginnings focusing on her songwriting skills. (Monday 5 September 2022; 13:00)

Re: If saying... (101,134) (101,140) by RibbonB from USA Listen. (Monday 5 September 2022; 10:59)

Re: The Ballads compilation (101,130) (101,139) by T from USA I always thought it was just a cash in album from Sony. Totally unnecessary because there was already a greatest hits. Unless it was going to go back and look completely at her more obscure ballads to shine light on her songwriting. Personally I'd rather a covers album at the time: 1. I'll Be There 2. Endless Love 3. Without You 4. Open Arms 5. Beautiful Ones 6. I Still Believe 7. Do You Know Where You're Going 8. Against All Odds 9. Didn't Mean To Turn You On 10. Bringing On The Heartbreak 11. I Want To Know What Love Is (new) (Sunday 4 September 2022; 14:23)

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