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About Billy from Greece: I don't know, and neither do you.

Re: Worst Mariah song (84,210) by Billy from Greece I had totally forgotten about "Little Snowman". That is a weird song right there. I think I have listened to it one time, if not less. Other than that, I don't get all the hate when it comes to "Infinity". It's ok to me, though I don't listen to it that regularly. The similarly much hated "Boy" is also ok as far as I'm concerned, though the chipmunk vocal annoys me, but I also find interesting how she structured her vocals in the verses. There's a subtlety in the groove and I consider it more of a ''transitional" mood piece in CB. But, yes, choosing it as a single instead of "The One" was totally stupid on behalf of Def Jam. (Tuesday 2 October 2018; 11:12)

Mariah / Barbra (84,208) by Billy from Greece If Mariah's album is coming in November as it is rumored, then it will be 2009 all over, since Barbra's new (pop) album is also coming mid-November. Even after more than fifty (!) years in the business, Barbra's team is kicking a*s. I totally love Barbra, but I hope MC gets the bigger debut this time around. (Tuesday 2 October 2018; 11:00)

Big Jim Wright (84,151) by Billy from Greece Big Jim was found dead in his apartment? What on earth? His work with Mariah was truly special. Just sad. (Sunday 30 September 2018; 08:20)

#1's (84,103) by Billy from Greece Just a reminder: in less than two months we'll be commemorating the 20th anniversary of this legendary compilation. Now you can start feeling old once more. (Saturday 29 September 2018; 16:28)

Showbizz 411 "article" (83,966) by Billy from Greece Is Roger Friedman obsessed with Mariah? (Sunday 23 September 2018; 18:01)

"Triumphant (acoustic)" (83,896) by Billy from Greece A real transformation. (Thursday 20 September 2018; 19:14)

New release (83,869) by Billy from Greece I probably just found on Ebay the "new" release that someone found on Amazon a couple of weeks ago. It is as yet untitled yet on the cover (that has a very nice photo of Mariah) it writes "Japan Best". (Wednesday 19 September 2018; 08:34)

Re: GTFO (83,716) (83,720) by Billy from Greece Apparently, this is a buzz track. Video comes tomorrow, yay. First official single arrives October 5, called "With You". GTFO gets more and more addictive as you listen to it. (Thursday 13 September 2018; 14:42)

GTFO (83,716) by Billy from Greece First thoughts: quite current aesthetically yet classic Mariah-esque vocal layering. Hook that seems to be addictive. It does bring to mind the flow of "Candy Bling" with the fast-paced singing. Very subtle, somehow dreamy. The "aggressiveness" of the title is juxtaposed with the relaxed tone of the song. My only problem: I can't imagine it translating well live. (Thursday 13 September 2018; 14:11)

Outside (live - snippet) (83,656) by Billy from Greece Oh me, oh my. Super short but still she did it. (Tuesday 11 September 2018; 11:33)

Re: Mariah's next look (83,632) (83,640) by Billy from Greece He was indeed unequivocally revolting and a person I wouldn't want to associate myself ever in real life. Just a bitter, negative subject with tons of issues quite possibly, and in pop culture terms a pure nobody. (Monday 10 September 2018; 17:16)

"Music Box" (83,572) by Billy from Greece I had no idea that "I've been thinking about you" samples Melvin Bliss' "Synthetic Substitution" and Slave's "Just a Touch of Love". Weird that it is not indicated in the credits. I think the same thing happened with the sample used for the "Make It Happen" club remix in the single's credits. (Sunday 2 September 2018; 21:46)

Christmas show 2014 (83,374) by Billy from Greece That was a really great show with excellent vocals. I put it on just to have a look and ended up listening to the whole thing and halfway I started checking tickets again for the upcoming Christmas shows. (Wednesday 15 August 2018; 11:53)

Re: "I Still Believe (Stevie J. Remix)" (83,331) (83,334) by Billy from Greece I agree. The "I Still Believe" maxi single is thoroughly fulfilling, almost as a stand-alone piece of work. (Wednesday 8 August 2018; 21:37)

"I Still Believe (Stevie J. Remix)" (83,329) by Billy from Greece This has to be the most forgotten remix by MC, with re-recorded mind you. (Wednesday 8 August 2018; 10:06)

Re: My new article about "The Butterfly Returns" (83,320) (83,328) by Billy from Greece Really great article Richard. I enjoyed it profusely. (Wednesday 8 August 2018; 08:52)

Re: Mariah's voice (83,054) (83,057) by Billy from Greece Thank you for the very extensive reply. I also believe that to a major degree the vocal issues she may be facing are psychosomatic in their root, and I have also sensed a feeling of "burning out". I have also thought about what you've said concerning the eagerness in the early part of her career and the effect that that had on her performances. But as you said, life happens. By the way, cute pic. (Monday 9 July 2018; 21:22)

Criticizing Mariah / other divas and fans (83,043) by Billy from Greece Since the sensitive issue of the voice has come up again and some posters put the blame on Mariah and her lifestyle and bad decisions and bad behavior and irresponsibility and all that good stuff, I was thinking again about how the fanbases of, say, Aretha or Dionne have been treating their divas following the peak. The difference between them and Mariah's fans (or critics, or commentators) is that they support them hundred percent even when not in their best. Aretha and Dionne have been heavy smokers and that has shown in their singing as well. By the late 1980s, their voices had changed quite a lot and in Aretha's case, her raspiness and belting power had diminished a lot. Also, for almost twenty five years, Aretha's higher range is not necessarily the most attractive aspect of her singing. Does it matter to her fans or the public? No, because she had managed to establish herself as an undeniable legend with all the work she had done before. She was truly one of a kind. The difference between them and Mariah lies in that she does not get the same respect despite the legacy she has built. We could elaborate on the reasons on a different post, but the thing is it is as if Mariah is in a constant mode of proving herself for some reason. This had to do with the super high standards that were set in the early part of her career (just like with Whitney), not only because of the natural talent she possesses and the commercial success she achieved but also because of how she was promoted and marketed, which was indicative of its era. (Monday 9 July 2018; 12:37)

Re: Mariah's voice (83,034) (83,041) by Billy from Greece Hi Manuel. Great in-depth analysis. I'm curious about the following: Why would Mariah develop difficulty with proper breathing technique and/or placement of her voice if in the early part of her career (or later, for instance, Charmbracelet tour) she did not suffer from that? I understand that to an extent it has to do with the way she has chosen to approach her vocal delivery to cover the whole range of dynamics, from soft to belting. Apart from that, I won't go into greater analysis of Mariah's voice the way that it has come up again in this forum. It's pretty standard by this point: the first few shows of any new tour are usually not the best. It takes some time for her to adjust, vocally or performance-wise. To me, despite all the changes that have occurred following thirty (that's right, thirty) years of performing, her voice is still rare. Of course I can tell the differences compared to the so-called "prime", but she still has it, not necessarily for performing the songs in their original structure, but once she is allowed a more fluid style and a more relaxed conceptulaization, her instrument truly shines. Her expressivity based on vocal tone alone is still unmatched. (Monday 9 July 2018; 12:08)

"Can't Take That Away" (live) (83,032) by Billy from Greece The "I, I have learned" part that she has been doing differently from the studio version since the Divas Live is one of the best things I have ever heard in my life. It last two seconds, but, wow, I don't know, it always gets me. (Sunday 8 July 2018; 22:21)

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

Re: New album (82,908) (82,909) by Billy from Greece I'm quite baffled by the information you bring as actual facts. You say "Mariah talked about her serious financial problems back in 2001" - when exactly? From my own "research", Mariah has never discussed "serious financial problems" publicly or used a phrasing that resembles that. The quote "the money ain't in my bank account" was said during a 1997 interview with Jamie Theakston when he asked her about a rumor that suggested that she's made 200 million dollars, which at that point was pretty logical since she was only 8 years in the business. Also, during a 2011 interview with Rosie O'Donnel she mentioned that because of the recession and everything that has has happened in recent years "nobody's safe no matter who you are" but that's as far as she gone in making a statement about finances. (Tuesday 26 June 2018; 11:55)

Re: Me. I Am Mariah (interview/special) (82,885) (82,886) by Billy from Greece Hi Edouard. I agree with everything you said regarding the tour. I was at the Amsterdam concert, my first Mariah tour ever. It was amazing hearing her voice live, which made me "understand" it better, its highs and lows, the "weight" that it carries, and the truly heavenly tone she has. Apart from that, the band sounded really great live, which I did not realize from the videos on YouTube. It was also clear that this was done by an artist who truly knows her job very well, despite the inconsistencies we have witnessed at times. (Saturday 23 June 2018; 17:40)

Me. I Am Mariah (interview/special) (82,884) by Billy from Greece This is the main interview/special that promoted the album back in 2014, done with the quite sleazy Matt Lauer. I remember how sad she looked during the entire thing, even during the performances. By that point she had already broken up with Nick yet it was not out yet, still quite obvious. Mind you that this was also the last Mariah era prior to the "nightmare era" that started in 2015 and culminated in 2017 (though 2015 was pretty decent, and we got the SSFT in 2016, yet you know what I'm referring to). (Saturday 23 June 2018; 09:23)

Re: Greatest Mariah performance ever (?) (82,852) (82,855) by Billy from Greece I agree. Definitely another quintessential Mariah performance for sure. In my top 5. (Monday 18 June 2018; 13:27)

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