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| Name: | |
Will |
| Country: | |
England |
You can follow me on twitter: @MCsavedmylife |
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Status of things (104,072)
by Will from England
(Wednesday 15 November 2023; 23:14) | | |
Mara, we must've channeled one and another to have the same comments on her wearing her emotions/heart on her sleeve, at the exact same time.  |
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This is a reply to message 104,069 by
Mara from United States
(Wednesday 15 November 2023; 21:59) | | |
I have to agree with this Bradley. There is something missing this year or season I should say. She looks like she is going through the motions and is perhaps on "auto pilot". I hope she is ok. Her sparkle is a miss this year and I can feel it almost like the first year at the Beacon where she geared up singing Hero and she was separated from Nick. I wonder if her and Bryan took a break to see how things went and decided to officially end the relationship recently. I just hope she is ok. This is her time and she always has that sparkle in her eye and seeing her almost blank makes me sad. Maybe she is just tired of this and not in the mood this season. It happens to all of us. But as a day one 1990 fan, M always wears her heart on her sleeve and we can read her better than anyone else. We love you Mariah - go out there and have some amazing shows making amazing memories with your beautiful children by your side.  |
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Pendulum (104,070)
by Will from England
(Wednesday 15 November 2023; 22:37) | | |
| It's interesting to see the wild pendulum swing in personality presentation Mariah can give within a year. Last year she was a bit all over, not sure what to say or do, and her mannerisms and insecurities were magnified ten fold, whether it was performing or even in interviews. But at least she was more alive and animated. Lately, it's been low energy with minimal expressions mixed with slowed down speaking, a half smile and laugh and shorter answers (not a bad thing but still). It's like we've gone back to late 2008/2016. I do think she and Tanaka have split privately, and she's going through it, and maybe that's what's brought on the recent writing spree and she's dealing with that. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, and keeps them close to the surface. Whether it's when she's happy, nervous, annoyed or sad, she can't hid it very well, though try she might. And I do think we're now seeing her dealing with a private breakup with someone she has known in 2006, threw away an engagement to a billionare for (granted, I don't think she really loved Packer so wasn't a huge loss there), and has been a larger part of her life up until this point, in the public eye again the best way that she can. |
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Status of things (104,068)
by Will from England
(Wednesday 15 November 2023; 21:59) | | |
| It's always seemed like a shame to me that Mariah's side project always have a short shelf life. Once they've been around for a few months, either the contract for those items discontinues and she moves on to the next or she loses interest altogether once it stops becoming lucrative. Her perfume lines (not including the lollipop bling lines, but the first one for sure) could have been a long term product for her, like Britney's or Beyonce's. |
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This is a reply to message 104,064 by
Brad from USA
(Wednesday 15 November 2023; 17:24) | | |
| It's funny, yesterday I listened to a few MC songs that I hadn't listened to in a while, like "Lead the Way". After doing so, I thought "why can't we just be content with exploring such amazing vocal performances and not bicker or focus on what we are not receiving as fans". And today, I viewed the Jennifer Hudson "interview" and wondered "what is going on with her that she has to have such interviews and questions scripted and then repeated for every subsequent interview she does during her publicity efforts"? It makes me question her well being and mental health status. I hope she is well. There are clearly changes we are not aware of, as evidenced by Tanaka's seeming absence, her reduced social media presence, the lack of any new recordings in years and the seeming abandonment of MC brand products like Black Irish and Mariah Cookies. Perhaps it's not our "right" to know but we do wish to be supportive of her as an individual, an artist and entrepreneur. |
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Mariah, please be ready (104,004)
by Will from England
(Thursday 9 November 2023; 23:46) | | |
| Your comparisons are quite correct: nobody would expect any professional at the top of their game to return to the field in which they dominated after sustaining an injury. I also agree that Mariah should not talk about her voice in public, and she knows it. Maybe in a few years time, if she dains to produce a second book, she may talk about it then, but until that time, she will remain tight lipped. And speaking of which, she is far too reliant on her auto-cue to move her along in the script of the show, to know the next line of the song, and still she can get caught out. I agree also that her desire to perform has greatly deminished, and I think at this point, that is to be expected. But then again, I think she's in a very odd positioning that few of her peers can relate to. She isn't Beyonce, Gaga or Madonna - who rely on the theatrics of the stage. She isn't having the hits that she once had, so she can't rely on that aspect of the business. There isn't much money in the music industry unless you have an AIWFC type of song, or are Taylor Swift, so she can't rely solely on music for her main income (which is why she has all the deals at Christmas), and she's beyond the point of where she could easily pivot and do what Rihanna, Kelly and J. Hud have done, which is to fully diversify and fully go into other opportunites outside of music for their coin. Who else in her peer group can relate to this state of career limbo? I think her continuing to put on shows, does stem from the deep seeded fear she once spoke of, of having the rug pulled from underneath you. She and her family live and extravegant lifestyle and all her income comes solely from music, which I've already said doesn't pay much anymore. So I think that she feels she has to continue on putting on shows to still bring in the money, and why not when it's such an easy goldmine to delve into until people are tired of it. It doesn't matter how much she is worth, that feeling doesn't fully ever subside or go away. |
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This is a reply to message 103,995 by
Andrew from United Kingdom
(Thursday 9 November 2023; 00:36) | | |
It's hard to find a comparator for a singer but when a tennis player has an injury they do not sign up for a circuit of Grand Slams and tournaments. When a rugby player has a pulled hamstring, they are taken out of the season. If you can't sing, don't get on stage - and charge money for it?
This sounds mean, maybe it is. And I think if people know what's going to happen and they buy tickets to it, then I'm all for that. But very majorly supportive of people like Adam who chooses not to buy high-price tickets to something very average. The Caution tour was Mariah's first tour in the UK I didn't attend since the Rainbow tour. Because I, likewise, didn't see the point. I'd rather spend the money on a vacation - which is what it costs now.
However, I think you're missing the crux. It isn't that Mariah isn't signing so much, it's that she doesn't move, she doesn't banter much, she doesn't do much of anything. I remember attending the Christmas show at the O2 not far from me: I could see she was reading an autocue of what to say. "I have my own reindeeeeer." That isn't just a loss of confidence, that's a loss of dignity, wouldn't you say?
When someone is asking Mariah to be prepared, it's a grave, grave state of affairs that this needs to be requested. But, I do hope she puts on a good show and doesn't fill YouTube with yet more toss. |
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Mariah, please be ready (103,994)
by Will from England
(Wednesday 8 November 2023; 22:29) | | |
It's very true that from 1990 to 2008, she was very confident on stage and quite rightly so. Her voice was in control, she could do anything she wanted with it and it would be there. 2009 onwards, she has suffered from persistent public vocal mishaps:
1 - Michael Jackson's funeral: Her first mishap where her voice cracked and it was talked about in public. However, she had many strong performances after this.
2 - Rockerfeller mic leak: Her first major public scandal on her voice, which saw her pull back from performing on the show after 3-4 fantastic annual performances. I believe this is where the majority of her fears of performing started in earnest, and for her to never have a something like this happen again, relying more on playback for her harder songs later on.
3 - Good Morning America: Now it's difficult to pinpoint what the problem was here, whether it was the sound mix, playback failure or something else, but again, her performance of Beautiful got mixed responses.
4 - MIAM tour: The early stages of the tour were upstaged by her bronchitis and it took her a while to recover. But once she did, she had some great vocal moments again.
5 - NYE: We don't need to rehash this one.
Given that Mariah is someone that has always prided on her image, how she is perceived, and the one thing she prided on was her voice, to be able to have it perform flawlessly that would bring people to their feet in admiration and applause. Now, it is unreliable, inconsistent and does not do what she wishes for it to do. It has reduced itself down, giving her more heavier bass notes rather than the high notes she used to sail into with an ease. She doesn't know what it's going to do next, whether she can rely on it in public. So, taking all that into account, and the vitriol she has had from the public (need I remind you that even during the press conference for #1 to Infinity, she was asked whether there were gonna be many pre-recorded vocals), with the knowledge that she knows she is going to be filmed and have it analysed note for note, why are you surprised she has become less of a confident performer? |
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This is a reply to message 103,993 by
Andrew from United Kingdom
(Wednesday 8 November 2023; 18:23) | | |
| I don't understand from where this idea of Mariah being an "unconfident" performer still permeates? She was unrefined during the debut performances into Emotions perhaps, but 1993 - 2008 oozed confidence - granted: sometimes ebbing, sometimes flowing, but confident she was. It is only since Memoirs did Mariah have a personality transplant. I'm swaying to the idea that she was beamed up to the mothership and replaced with a somewhat imperfect and faulty replica. |
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Jimmy Kimmel (103,917)
by Will from England
(Monday 30 October 2023; 00:21) | | |
| I would be surprised if she did, it's more likely she's on there to promote the Christmas shows and that would be it. |
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This is a reply to message 103,907 by
Jamie from UK
(Sunday 29 October 2023; 10:05) | | |
| Just seen Mariah is due to appear on Jimmy Kimmel show on 2nd November. I wonder if she will announce something then? |
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Merry Christmas to you too (103,895)
by Will from England
(Friday 27 October 2023; 16:50) | | |
| Mariah does like to have her albums with a tongue in cheek title every now and then, I suppose if we were to count the re-released deluxe Merry Christmas album as her third, Merry Christmas II You II would be perfect as it would be her fourth one. |
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This is a reply to message 103,894 by
Andrew from United Kingdom
(Friday 27 October 2023; 15:55) | | |
| I would think a 3rd release is better timed for MCH30 next year. Hopefully a release won't be called "Merry Christmas One And All". I think Merry Christmas III is a solid title. Merry Christmas III or Merry Christmas II You II. |
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Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour (103,863)
by Will from England
(Wednesday 25 October 2023; 11:22) | | |
| That tour was my first time seeing Mariah live. It was surreal to finally be seeing/hearing her after so many years (I've since seen her twice more), but it was strange that they opted to not have large screens so that the audience at the back could see her, especially in such a large venue like the O2, even at the Royal Albert Hall they had screens. Vocally it was stunning and everything was on point. |
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This is a reply to message 103,856 by
Andrew from United Kingdom
(Monday 23 October 2023; 20:53) | | |
Often imitated, never duplicated.
It was as professional as a tour from her I had seen. And it visually quite great. Plus, the variety of songs from the discography of course better because it was late in the day.
I remember Martyn asking my opinion at the time and I could only say that I didn't really care about the lipsync or the awkward transition because it was just like a big Mariah Carey nightclub. And Martyn liked it. Although he was a lad of very, er, questionable taste.
What did you like about it? |
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Mariah lately (103,862)
by Will from England
(Wednesday 25 October 2023; 11:19) | | |
| Can we just take a moment to appreciate how great Mariah is looking right now? She looks so good in that black dress with the Emancipation straight blonde hair, and the latest video and picture on her Instagram. So so good. |
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Einstein re-release in 2009 instead (103,715)
by Will from England
(Wednesday 11 October 2023; 17:04) | | |
| It's not just the lyrics, but the whole vibe of the songs on MOAIA simply don't match the mood she was inspired by for E. Does the album flow with those MOAIA songs added on if you looked at them lyrically? Still probably not. I guess you could see it by lining them up to play next in Itunes or Spotify etc. MOAIA was just a whole different vibe. Think about Cool On You, you can clearly tell that it was a 2008 cut without hesitation vs Obsessed. |
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This is a reply to message 103,711 by
T from USA
(Wednesday 11 October 2023; 01:53) | | |
| I guess you do make a point. But I actually think Obsessed, It's a Wrap do match the other juvenile lyrics of other songs on the album, maybe they could be joined by Up Out My Face and Standing O and that would've rounded out Einstein nicely. (UOMF actually references Harvard, it basically writes itself.) The autotune on those songs also would lend some continuity. I just think having TMB, Obsessed and IAW all on one album would make E=MC2 a streaming monster like Daydream. |
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Einstein re-release in 2009 instead (103,708)
by Will from England
(Tuesday 10 October 2023; 22:43) | | |
| I don't know, Obsessed was a last minute addition to MOAIA after Bagpipes was released and she wrote it in response specifically. I don't think that sonically, it makes sense for those 4 songs to be on E=MC2 because her voice had changed again by that point (it sounded fuller vs the songs on E), and they just don't flow well with the party atmosphere she had with that album. DFAU etc. worked well for TEOM because there was still a sonic theme going that she was after and they fit well with the rest of the album. Those four just don't go on E. |
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This is a reply to message 103,699 by
T from USA
(Tuesday 10 October 2023; 01:34) | | |
We all know the tragic story of E=MC2's trajectory after the first single, the disappearance of Mimi and then the re-emergence in depression. In hindsight, with the lack of commercial success she's had since (except Christmas), one really can look back at the mistakes made like not releasing Migrate as the second single and think it was her last big change at commercial dominance. Would've a re-release like she did with TEOM made a big difference? Would it have sparked new life for the album? Imagine Obsessed was the fourth single from a repackaged album. I think I would've taken that over MOAIA.
1. Migrate (ft. T-Pain)
2. Touch My Body
3. Cruise Control (ft. Damian Marley)
4. I Stay In Love
5. Side Effects (ft. Young Jeezy)
6. I'm That Chick
7. Love Story
8. I'll Be Lovin You Long Time
9. Last Kiss
10. Thanks For Nothing
11. OOC
12. For The Record
13. Bye Bye
14. I Wish You Well
15. Obsessed
16. Betcha Gon' Know
17. H.A.T.E.U.
18. It's a Wrap |
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She's checking her list - she's checking it twice? (103,683)
by Will from England
(Sunday 8 October 2023; 11:57) | | |
| I noticed that her energy was low, almost akin to late 2008 when she was doing the ISIL promo. I think part of the reasoning is because the last time she performend in public, I think we can all agree she was a bit all over in terms of her presentation whilst on stage, and her voice was being carefully scrutinised so now she's playing it more reserved. She's recorded new live vocals for her harder songs (I love the new Fantasy one), and she's taking them out for their first tryout in public. It is odd though how she doesn't seem to remember which version she is going to perform or where the higher belts are for her to sell the performance. Having said all that, she does look great now she isn't tied into a bone corset and the moments she did sing live were better than what her Christmas shows last year were, though there is still a noticeably reduced range. It's odd as well, she was more happy to change up the melody and sing lower notes earlier on in her career (Butterfly SNL comes to mind, but I'm sure there are others), but now she seems determined to still prove she has the higher register available to her, though we know that this is more unstable and less likely to be hit live. |
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This is a reply to message 103,682 by
Brandon from USA
(Sunday 8 October 2023; 05:48) | | |
Andrew, I am in total agreement with everything that you said. I think she hasn't progressed as a live performer because she's always in her head trying to remember when the recorded vocals are gonna kick in. She's constantly looking down to the teleprompter as though she is singing karaoke to her own songs because she needs reminders for the backing track. It's so annoying. She needs to lower the keys even more already so that she can actually sing her own songs start to finish. Whitney, Patti, Mary J, Barbra Streisand, Chaka, Gladys, etc would never even on their worst days vocally.
Also, why does she keep giving these low energy performances like she did in Quatar? What is going on? |
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Well, I guess I'll shut up then (103,638)
by Will from England
(Monday 2 October 2023; 22:23) | | |
| I wouldn't take it so seriously. She's in on the joke, and fully aware of the videos that have been going around for the past couple of months, like she was with the McDonald's ad of her standing in the ocean. We've already had this discussion of her slowing down and taking more time for herself and her family, and if she is lucky enough to only have to work 2 months of a year, make that money during a period of time that she loves to celebrate, then let her. Lord knows I would love to. Whether you like it or not, Mariah is now synonymous with Christmas, and not evey artist can do that (associate themselves specifically with a popular holiday period), I think the only other one could be MJ with Thriller but that's the one song. Brands would kill to own a verb (googling, tweeting etc.); Mariah Carey owns an entire holiday period. |
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This is a reply to message 103,636 by
Randy from USA
(Monday 2 October 2023; 20:20) | | |
She said it herself on her Facebook concert promo. "Yes, the actual defrosting has begun." If she's fine with being frozen from January 2 - October 31 each year, why am I arguing for her legacy. I'll join the lambs. Yaaassss Mariah. Hit number one again. AIWFCIY is the best thing you've ever done. It's your signature song. It's the only part of your catalogue that matters. My queens slays 9 weeks every year. AIWFCIY has won 28 Grammys, gotten you into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and won you a video vanguard. Your legacy just like your voice is completely intact.  How did I do? |
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Disc two (103,338)
by Will from England
(Thursday 7 September 2023; 13:20) | | |
| She could well be waiting for the 30th anniversary to go all out, if there is anything to release. I think her friend on Twitter Liron mentioned that there weren't many/any unreleased or unfinished songs from Butterfly which is why there weren't any songs on Rarities from that era (though I personally doubt it). |
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This is a reply to message 103,332 by
Stacey from USA
(Thursday 7 September 2023; 03:03) | | |
| I'd argue MB 30th is better than what she did for Butterfly 25th release. I thought Butterfly was her most personal release and what we got wasn't a whole lot. Yes, we got digital EPs of all her remixes from that era. But most of us had already heard of them. I'm talking new, unreleased stuff. Thoughts? |
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Music Box 30th anniversary revealed (103,325)
by Will from England
(Thursday 7 September 2023; 00:22) | | |
| I would've thought it's because she's released all that she wants to release from those eras for Rarities and the MC30, and maybe saving some for Rarities Part 2 that she talked about? One can hope. |
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This is a reply to message 103,307 by
Robert-Anthony from United States
(Tuesday 5 September 2023; 00:00) | | |
| I am wondering the same too. She didn't do a 30th anniversary for Mariah Carey or Emotions. Music Box must be really dear to MC. Daydream's 30th anniversary will probably be huge with the release of her version of Somebody's Ugly Daughter. |
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Music Box 30th Anniversary (103,324)
by Will from England
(Thursday 7 September 2023; 00:20) | | |
| I think it will be the same as the rarities and Tokyo Dome, it will be both on physical CD and streaming. |
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This is a reply to message 103,318 by
Andrew from United Kingdom
(Wednesday 6 September 2023; 23:22) | | |
| I must admit I don't really understand what is being released and how? Is Proctor's Theatre being released as an audio? If so, is it going on Spotify or do you have to actually purchase a hard copy? It's all pretty confusing. |
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New era? (103,249)
by Will from England
(Saturday 26 August 2023; 23:50) | | |
| I think it's to be expected that she slows down now. She's done literally everything there is to accomplish in music that she wants to do and has broken and made so many musical history records; she's done all the dog and pony shows for each album; she's performed in nearly every country; she's had to her rise, fall and return to grace. Her arc is complete, and there is nothing more for her to do expect enjoy the life she has built for her family. Her children are nearly teenagers, and for now, she is enjoying being a mom to them, occasionally recording and writing stuff, but without the pressures for commitment to a record label to deliver a full album and do a promotional tour. Look at the other legacy acts around, there isn't anyone in her category making music or having hits (with the odd exception here or there like Kylie), it's all the younger upcoming artists and I'd like to think that she has made peace with that. Her final large promotional push she had to do, that I feel she wanted to achieve and was easily attainable at that point, was to get AIWFCIY to number 1, and that's done, and that song will now continue to increase in weeks at number 1 every year, before finally becoming the longest running number 1 song ever on the chart ad infinitum. However, that's not to say she will never release another musical project, I don't think that she can ever let that happen considering her views on Caution, but something to really sum up over 30 years in a cut-throat business and something she can be proud of being the final major project, and finish it with her sweet 16th album. |
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This is a reply to message 103,247 by
Robert-Anthony from United States
(Saturday 26 August 2023; 03:52) | | |
| Is this the new era that no one expected? An era where we get new items dropped in MC's store quarterly and occasional video posts on Twitter. I believe this is the new norm. Therefore, I am disappointed with the release of the new Honey 2 LP. The gold colored vinyl is not worth buying. I don't purchase color vinyl because it does not produce brillant stereophonic sound like black vinyl. This is where we are from the start in 1990 to 2023. It is really disappointing that MC hasn't addressed anything. Did Elton John or Janet Jackson experience a career slow down like this without some type of announcement? I would like to know. |
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Last award (103,204)
by Will from England
(Thursday 17 August 2023; 22:05) | | |
| What was the last music related award that Mariah received, that was not a lifetime achievement-esque related? |
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Perfection (103,175)
by Will from England
(Sunday 13 August 2023; 01:04) | | |
| Someone did an AI version of Mariah doing a snippet of All Cried Out. |
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This is a reply to message 103,173 by
Terna from Nigeria
(Saturday 12 August 2023; 17:11) | | |
Yeah "All cried out" is a remake by "Lisa Lisa and cult Jam". You can imagine my shock stumbling upon it while on Spotify.  Haha. However, I do think Allure did the song better. |
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I owe Mariah's earpiece an apology (102,142)
by Will from England
(Friday 27 January 2023; 20:21) | | |
| So I think they used those big box monitor speakers to play back the music that they still put out on stage, but not sure if they still use them or not. Even Micheal Jackson hated using the earpieces and fiddled with them as they felt like a fist in your ear, as he said during that This Is It documentary. I think even Mariah mentioned that she didn't like using them and only really started using them during TAOM tour, I've never seen her use them before then. I don't think that they're very comfortable pieces of equipment, as they are moulded to fit into your ear exactly, so that they're ultra noise cancelling so the artist can hear a click track/whatever part of the track you want to hear vs your own voice (hence why she says "turn me up a bit"/backstage comms/whatever. Back then in the 60s/70s, was it a thing to do huge stadium tours as is so common now? Also, the nature of people seeing shows has changed, as my dad regularly tells me, you would go to a show and you'd be quiet so you could hear the performance, not screaming all throughout as is most common now - that's why some artists get so thrown off by the Japanese/Asian fans during shows as they're most silent as a mark of respect. |
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This is a reply to message 102,128 by
Randy from USA
(Wednesday 25 January 2023; 17:55) | | |
| So the Dubai concert Beyonce did has taken over my TikTok. I noticed one thing. She was singing a note and started fiddling with her ear monitor. I thought that was something only MC did when she knew she sounded bad to fool the audience into thinking she couldn't hear herself and there were technical issues. I will say Beyoncé sounded fine when she was messing with it so maybe she couldn't hear herself. I notice Mariah does it every time she's on television but at any rate, does anyone have any knowledge on this topic? Why do people have to adjust the volume on them? Isn't this what a sound check is for? Why are they necessary at all? What did singers do in the 60s and 70s when they didn't have the option to have them? |
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Caution (102,101)
by Will from England
(Saturday 21 January 2023; 14:03) | | |
| I think there comes a point, in every artists life, where the well of inspiration runs a little dry. How many songs can you write about love? How many new ways is there to describe an emotion? This links to another post, but I can see why Mariah brings in other lyricists because they can offer a fresh prespective on a topic - she's probably written thousands of songs at this point, not all of them great, but still, there's only so many ways to write. She has a style of writing a song that is emotional, and comes from a certain place that, once you're past it, you can't access again. I doubt she can write another song as good as The Roof/Lullaby, nor one as heart wrenching as LTT/WBT/CTTA. Why? Because she's already done that many times over. How many times have lambs complained about her rehashing WBT in different formats, be it musical or lyrical? She has written and released every possible song that she can relate to and draw from over 30 years of recording sessions. She has written about her life, her highs and lows, her deepest desires and wants, thrown in with some less personal ones. MIAM was her last deeply personal record as it was her divorce album, so she had plenty to talk about emotionally and draw from. Caution, whilst I love it as an album, musically was fresh from her because she wanted to work with different people and have a new sound which worked well in her favour, but it's not a lyrical best, save from some quick lines here and there - but it works because she isn't chasing the sound that gave her her hits anymore. If she works with all the right people, and works with the people she's always wanted to work with (don't wait for the right song to come along, just meet up in the studio and jam it out and see what happens - we wouldn't have WBT, ABMB etc. if she hadn't done that), gets some fresh perspective on writing, I think she can produce another stellar album. The vocals, well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. |
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This is a reply to message 102,096 by
Edward from USA
(Thursday 19 January 2023; 13:26) | | |
| I was listening to Caution yesterday and I couldn't believe it's been almost five years since its release. One would think Mariah recorded a lot during the pandemic, so there should be enough material to at least release a solid EP. I do miss "The Voice". Sometimes I'm not sure if Marian wants to sing anymore. Most of her one-song projects in the past ten years have been lackluster, half-cooked. Her songs used to have legs of their own, but for a while now those legs are based on a hype that renders them crippled when you get to listen to them. Most cuts that didn't make it into her albums in the 90's are simply great. I'm not talking about her voice, but the artistry in her music. Butterfly was sung in her whisper register, but oh boy, those lyrics, the sentiment, the music, it didn't need an introduction. It's as if she were done with music but she's thrown into the spot light for a whole month every year and she has to act on it for financial reasons. I hopefully we get some quality music this year. Something different. |
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What's going on (101,841)
by Will from England
(Thursday 15 December 2022; 18:54) | | |
| It is quite shocking how bad her voice has become over the last few weeks. Whatever has happened to it is a very recent thing, because even though the quarantine shows/performances were pre-recorded, they actually were quite decent and had strength, fluidity, range etc. unless they were edited to the hilt. Everyone was praising them to some extent. These recent performances, I just can't put my finger on what she's done to have such a drastic change, even her stage presence is way off. It's over the top, even for a Mariah Carey performance. Everything that she knew how to do (breath control, timing, key selection, phrasing) is all off and it's showing. Is it possible that she's had surgery on them already and it's not healed fully? The voice we have currently is not even a distant relative to the one that recorded Caution, and she considered the vocals on that to not be at their best, I doubt she would even be able to sing any song on that album, let alone her classic hits. |
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This is a reply to message 101,838 by
whisperingmisunderstandings from USA
(Thursday 15 December 2022; 06:46) | | |
I'm a long time lurker as well, thought I'd share my two sense about what's going on with her vocally. A lot of fans have relied on the "vocal rest" narrative, the idea that if Mariah would just take a year off, like she did during her pregnancy, or like she did between the Charmbracelet tour/TEOM, her voice would recover. Her voice did sound pretty strained by early 2020, so the pandemic seemed like a perfect opportunity for her to take a break.
Cut to 2022, her live performances this year have proven that vocal rest alone won't cut it. In fact, I think part of what we're dealing with is vocal underuse. The voice is a muscle, and any athlete knows that there's a delicate balance between overuse and underuse. Imagine an olympic runner taking 2 years off, and then one day getting up and trying to run a marathon. They would not be anywhere near their peak performance, as their body would be woefully out of shape. Mariah went from singing around the house/in the studio whenever she felt like it (claiming to have regained her voice fully) to doing a full set list in an arena, and we can all see she wasn't prepared.
So yes, Mariah's gonna need to ease back into live performing, like she did in 2014, starting off TECS tour with some terrible shows (probably her worst up to that point), but her voice gradually gaining strength and ending that year with some amazing Beacon shows. I'm hoping that her voice/confidence will improve with the next NYC show/any further shows next year.
That being said, there's obviously waaaaay more going on here, and others have pretty much hit the nail on the head (not warming up, not putting her vocal health first). Alcohol is clearly a big issue as well, and I can't help but wonder if the botched 2014 AIWFCIY moment actually scared her into sobriety (temporarily), and maybe that's why those Beacon shows were so strong. I hope she wouldn't have to experience another public shaming like that but she's made it pretty clear that she has no intention of changing her lifestyle or giving up her vices so idk (hopefully the CBS special doesn't go viral for the wrong reasons).
As far a playback, I'm not a fan but didn't really mind it used sparingly, on climaxes for super hard to hit notes. But this tour is just ridiculous. Her saving grace in recent tours were the little moments, doing snippets of "Slipping Away", etc. but now she's lipping most of those moments as well, i.e. "Miss You Most". Same with "Away in a Manger", it just felt so unnecessary and like she's depriving the show of a needed organic moment.
I genuinely hope she can get it together and improve. I also understand the fans that just want to enjoy her current output, not focus on negativity, etc. But unfortunately there's not a lot of good to focus on, and I fear it won't get any better/will get worse unless MC wakes up and gets focused on what's best for her voice. But that's just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. |
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Concert in Saudi Arabia (101,522)
by Will from England
(Monday 24 October 2022; 00:03) | | |
| I've noticed when Mariah has any form of decent voice back, she instantly goes at it 120% to use every facet of it and damage it even further. With TEOM, she belted like there was no tomorrow, resulting in the more restrained vocals on E=MC2 and Memoirs. Then post pregnancy when she had brilliant fluidity, tone and range, she again went to the max with her voice and undid all the rest (and lack of alcohol) that had helped her. And now, when she says her voice is back to a decent level, she uses every part of it in recording sessions (WBT Valentine Mix and The Roof with Brandy, plus all the other singing projects she has on the go) which ends up becoming lack luster vocal moments live on stage. I love Mariah, but she has missed several great opportunities to learn how to extend those moments where her voice was in great shape and preserve it. And that bloody corset isn't helping matters, she needs to find new ways to dress so that she doesn't have to worry about her weight on stage and maintaining the 8 figure. |
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This is a reply to message 101,518 by
Randy from USA
(Sunday 23 October 2022; 14:05) | | |
| Because I'm an MC fan a lot of things come across my social media. She is struggling through this performance. She needs to give Vision of Love a rest. |
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Re: Just a thought, let's be kind (101,409) (101,415)
by Will from England
(Thursday 6 October 2022; 20:15) | | |
| I mean, it's either cover it up, or have a moment that Whitney had during her ill-advised tour that should never have happened, where she tried to sing live and it just wasn't good with audience walk out - you can bet that Mariah was aware of that is using every trick she knows to mask it, and quite rightly so. Caution was a good step in the right direction where she doesn't use over the top runs that she can't replicate live, isn't using belts etc. and focuses on the strengths her current voice has such as her lower register and straight forward middle of the road vocals, and produced stellar results. When she slows down, has time to breath and doesn't have to do rapid vocal runs, her voice is good in a different way to what it was. |
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Re: Rock album (101,247) (101,251)
by Will from England
(Sunday 18 September 2022; 00:13) | | |
| Not exactly news, she talked about it in her book and I think some of the songs are on YouTube? I'm probably wrong on the last one. It's called Someone's Ugly Daughter. |
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