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Can we talk about WBT? (84,001) by Edouard from France Mariah's performance of We Belong Together at iHeart was amazing. She didn't lip the end. Love the growl, sounded heartfelt, she gave her all. And that's always more than enough for me. (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 12:41)

With you (84,000) by Lara from Middle East What do you think it is? I was wondering if it was a ballad, did she sang it for her nephew Shawn for his first dance at the wedding? (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 10:12)

Re: With (83,993) (83,999) by Lexingz from Estonia I agree wholeheartedly. I for one was very grateful for the chance to see her put on a decent performance on iHeart. I wish I had not taken for granted the quality of her performances when her voice starting to slip in the early 00s but was still pretty great. I wish I had been more grateful for the voice she still had then. Perspective. (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 09:48)

Re: Vocal analysis (83,996) (83,998) by Lexingz from Estonia The emphasis is on "crazy" melismas (like VOL). I get your point though, I was thinking about it after I wrote the comment. (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 09:44)

Re: GTFO on the charts? (83,987) (83,997) by 123 from USA It was released on Thursday not Friday therefore it's only 1 days worth of data. Had they released it on Friday like most singles then it would have been a full week of numbers. The label didn't intent to put anything behind a buzz single therefore releasing it on Thursday to avoid any big name releases and get more buzz and attention as it would be part of few if any new releases. What artist is still getting #1 records 30 years into their career on a consistent basis? I'm not caring if she charts anymore as most artists today can't match the stats she accumulated on her first album, let alone career. As long as it's quality music I'm happy. Now if she actually puts in the effort Janet's currently doing, regardless of success, I'd be proud of her. GTFO has me actually excited for the next project. No more rehash from the past. A new direction which most of us have been begging for. (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 08:29)

Re: Vocal analysis (83,990) (83,996) by Sarah from Netherlands No melisma in Without You? Are we listening to the same song? (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 08:11)

The voice (83,995) by RibbonB from USA If anything is wrong with her voice, she doesn't seem to be worried about it. She also seems determined to keep performing a rather relentless schedule since her divorce. She's gotta keep those dancers and what not employed. No tours, no need to be fully staffed up. I believe that she still has her great songwriting ability, but she seems to be keeping it under wraps. I hope she gets back to telling great stories, poetically, with banging beats, or with subtle instrumentation. The stories she's been telling since Infinity are petty and a bit shallow. GTFO is an awesome music track, but the lyrics are minimal and aggressive. It seems like it's mostly the chorus and missing a verse or two. It seemed empty as she performed it on iHeart. She could have a great remix with Maxwell or any great r and b singer singing verses begging to stay, to her how about you gtfo. She needs to be creative and smart about her next moves not the same old petty arguing with unnamed whosoever. (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 03:27)

Article: Mariah's "GTFO" single fails to chart, sell, or stream (83,994) by Andrew crisostomo from Canada, niagara falls "Sold zero copies." I bought it the morning it came out. As Donald Trump would say, "fake news". I know you media outlets love hearing that. (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 02:17)

With (83,993) by Gee from U.S.A. (New York City) With things going in a more productive and positive direction as of late in the world of Mariah even after the positive reception at iHeart we as a family are focusing on the negative opposed to the positive. Honestly we need to be grateful that Mariah is still here sharing her many gifts with us. We seem to forget that these gifts will one day only be memories. Yes her voice is not the same from 1990-1996 but it is something that I have come to terms with. I am still grateful for everything she has given us even though there are vocal limitations nowadays, I know that there will never be another or new Mariah Carey no matter how much the industry tries to make one. (Tuesday 25 September 2018; 01:14)

Re: Mariah's voice and breath control (83,982) (83,992) by Joachim Agerup Løkkevik from Norway Randy, that is the most honest message I have read on this board, thank you. I used to read and post messages here all the time, but the last few years I haven't, fun to be back. I also believe something happened between Daydream tour and Butterfly. A doctor friend of mine, who is also a fan of Mariah, firmly believes her voice got damaged because of the hose you have to have down your throat under the operation when you get breast implants. I remember he told me this 15 years ago, and I don't know what to believe. But if that's the case, I think it's the saddest way of damaging your voice, because of vanity. I think the voice now is at its worst that it has ever been. I still enjoy watching her performances, because I love her. But I always hope that there will be some improvement of some sort, but it never happens. Since she can't do wonders with her voice anymore, I wish she could at least have some more energy on stage. I saw her in concert when she visited Oslo during SSFT, it was amazing, and that is what I have decided to remember. I wish her all the best for this next era, and I hope she will keep on doing live stuff like iHeart, because no matter what, it's always fun to see a new performance. (Monday 24 September 2018; 23:43)

Re: GTFO on the charts? (83,988) (83,991) by TJ from Norway My whole point was not the charts, but the quality of her music. (Monday 24 September 2018; 23:03)

Re: Vocal analysis (83,989) (83,990) by Lexingz from Estonia Great ear. I never thought about her melismas that way. I took them for granted, I guess. I was always more mesmerized by the overall richness and tenderness and lightness and emotion in her voice because the ability of achieving all those things together at the same time is what set her apart in the first place. Her biggest hit worldwide until this day is "Without You" and she used neither crazy melismas or whistle notes to sing it. Many many pop singers can do amazing melismas nowadays because they practiced them listening to Mariah since they were children. She still has a lot to work with. GTFO was a good song because it makes use of the voice and the control that is still there. I just want her to work with what she has and stop straining. (Monday 24 September 2018; 22:19)

Vocal analysis (83,989) by Matthew from USA She can belt live. She can hit low notes live. She can can hit high notes live. She can whistle live. She can growl or roar live. She can do the breathy whisper live. Ironically, the one thing she seems to have completely lost, is the ability to do rapid runs. That is ironic, because her whole catalog is based on that foundation. Mariah had a tendency to make every note a run and now that agility seems to be gone. Some people say she should adjust her vocal style, but that's exactly what she is doing. Whenever she has to do a run, she does it staccato. For instance, the "oh" before "Lord knows dreams are hard to follow" in Hero. That oh is a run by itself, but she tends to chop it up now, like o-o-o-oh. She doesn't seem to be able to do the full fluid rapid run. Her transitions are all mostly staccato. Which is why We Belong Together is kind of a godsend for her. That whole song is pretty staccato. Even the belt at the end is choppy, like when-you-left-I-lost-a-part-of-me. So she usually sounds good on that. It's such a weird and specific part of your voice to lose, considering she seems to still have the rest of it. But melisma and agility was a giant part of her past, and it's just a big part of pop singing in general, so I wonder how it's going to go for her. As long as she gets it right in the studio, I'm here for it. (Monday 24 September 2018; 21:23)

Re: GTFO on the charts? (83,987) (83,988) by MC1989 from Spain Seriously. I don't get the obsession for the charts. I care about the music, about good songs, about how a song can make me feel. I love GTFO, I don't care about if it charts well or not. It is a success since Mariah brought something most fans liked, and it's a song which is out of her r&b/rap comfort zone. Most songs that reach the top 10 or a number one are very poor, commercial and worth forgetting. Many of MC's greatest songs didn't even charted. I don't care anymore for the "19th" number one or the commercial success as long as the songs are worth listening and bring some feelings, some vibe, some emotion. (Monday 24 September 2018; 21:07)

GTFO on the charts? (83,987) by TJ from Norway I remember people wanted a new number one and clearly this song doesn't reach that top spot. You guys wonder why? It's just not good enough. Yes, it wasn't that bad, but the video was all boobs and wine. She's almost 50 and I guess it would benefit her if she understood that. I'm turning 42 this weekend and I have changed allot since I was in my 20's. I don't dress the same way, even if I still try to be some kind of current. Some styles are made for kids, some for teens and some styles for people over 40. I don't think her fans are 12 years old and she should stop focusing on them. There are less lambs now, than 20 years ago and I guess some will fall out of the Mariah farm this time too. (Monday 24 September 2018; 20:44)

Re: Mariah's voice and breath control (83,982) (83,986) by jaker20 from US Mariah should pursue that singer/songwriter route. In fact, that is probably the only path that will give her a true comeback. The voice is not the same, give it up already. She will always be forever considered one of the greatest vocals ever. But she didn't become Mariah just because of that. What sets her apart from other singing divas is her songwriting and her ability to tap into pop sentiments. And that's what she needs to focus now. Attempting to sing like her past self just betrays the legacy of those songs. She, and her fans, need to refocus and that is taking the singer/songwriter route or maybe even club or dance music where she won't rely heavily on her voice. But her fans are just as hard-headed as her so she's kinda stuck. (Monday 24 September 2018; 20:43)

Re: Mariah was number 2 on iTunes/top 10 all week (83,985) by jaker20 from US It did well when it was released because Mariah has a lot of fans and the song is actually good. But did you notice, as soon as the video was released, the song dropped faster. She has trouble crossing over and she can't rely on her fans alone. It's the same pattern for every single she released this decade. The most obvious example is Beautiful, which rose on the strength of her name and because it actually was a good song. But as soon as that overhyped video was released on Idol, the song dropped. She has an image problem. In fact I would say she has this problem immediately after TEOM, and that's why her decline to E=MC2 was sharp. Love Mimi but she will no longer cross over because she is looking very cheap with bikini and lingerie videos that doesn't help the song. At all. (Monday 24 September 2018; 20:32)

She needs lighter bouncier bops (83,984) by jaker20 from US That she can sing live and walk around the stage. Or something like ABMBaby that is easier to sing. Her catalog is hard to sing and will shut her voice completely if she go this rate. Maybe even bouncier dance tracks that requires some production to cover some of the lipping and make people focus on the production and not just her voice. Or like half and half My All remix she used to do. She has to be smart in her new era or else her career will end sooner than it should. She already has a solid big vocals catalog, now she needs to focus on the production. (Monday 24 September 2018; 20:18)

Re: Mariah's voice and breath control (83,982) (83,983) by MusicfanJ from Germany Great post Randy. "Her sad expression told it all when in 2009 she was on GMA and they showed her a clip of her singing in 1990." That's tough. I would be heartbroken too. Imagine you're the best singer ever (well the best of three) and then you loose your voice. Terrible. One said Mariah should talk honestly about her voice "problems". I agree with that. Of course it's the lifestyle, but not only. I do believe like Randy that something happened after the Daydream tour. But I also think if she takes care again of her voice, she can recover. I hope so. (Monday 24 September 2018; 19:47)

Re: Mariah's voice and breath control (83,981) (83,982) by Randy from USA When did MC ever wear flats? Haven't you heard the story for the millionth time about her feet repel flats even when she was a toddler she used to talk on her tippy toes? Something traumatic happened to Mariah's voice between that last Daydream concert and that first promotional Butterfly appearance on Oprah. What we've seen since is a rapid deterioration of what little voice she had left due to: screaming out to hit notes (as she did throughout Butterfly promotion and on Divas 98), recording back to back albums with recording up to four different versions of certain singles, don't forget the splashes dahling, being around weedsmoke/cigarette smoke and not sleeping. I do believe Tommy held her hostage and kept her out of the elements. Maybe her voice is really sensitive and she couldn't hold it as long as Whitney, Chaka, Celine, Patti, Aretha and Gladys held theirs before theirs deteriorated because her voice is sensitive like she says and her living life and having fun is more important. The thing that burns me up is the deceit of it all. Notice how much she pushes she's a songwriter and now says it's more than half of what she does. It's an attempt to distance herself from being a singer. She's an artist now. Even when she was voted the best singer of the last 22 years on MTV in 2003 she said, I don't feel that about myself. Her sad expression told it all when in 2009 she was on GMA and they showed her a clip of her singing in 1990. She looked heartbroken. And since the late 90s it's been excuses. Humidifiers, nodules, his casket was in front of me, the ensembles, the background singers: "stop singin my part now baby" and the ear monitor. The ear monitor drives me up the wall Nikki, who addressed me earlier, because every singer wears them. Yet I have yet to see another singer fidget with theirs. She knows she sounds bad so let's throw the audience off by making them think it's technical difficulties. It's more smoke and mirrors. People always say my posts all sound the same but it's because I keep reading the same justifications over and over. I love MC. Her body of work will never be surpassed quality wise. But she is held up in a different regard as a singer. And yet now people who would never be considered in her league can out sing her. And here's where you say it's 30 years later. And ima say this so many divas lose their voice along the way. They don't play the same games live as MC does and that's what makes it infuriating. (Monday 24 September 2018; 16:21)

Mariah's voice and breath control (83,981) by T from USA It's a fact that high heels and corsets change the alignment of the diaphragm and reduces breath control. So many years of Mariah walking around in super high heels have hurt her chances of ever getting her voice back to the stage it was at when she wore flats. (Monday 24 September 2018; 14:14)

Whatever happened to Shelley? (83,980) by Todd from Sydney, Australia Do you guys remember Shelley from this message board? I think she was from the USA. She always used to talk about her dream that Mariah would close out a concert with "We Are The Champions" by Queen. She also never had a bad word to say about anybody, let alone Mariah. I have no idea why I was thinking about her, but I wonder what her, and people that were so devoted to the Mariah of the 1990s, make of Infinity/I Don't/GTFO. (Monday 24 September 2018; 13:08)

Re: iHeart set (83,968) (83,979) by Lexingz from Estonia I feel it was a solid set. She is obviously not fully back to her confidence yet but she will get there. I was very pleasantly surprised by the condition of her voice overall. It sounds like whatever she has been doing to her voice, it works. The styling was good (the only thing I wished for her was more comfortable shoes to walk in), the make-up and hair were perfect. I loved seeing her with the old back-up singers. The choreography was great and didn't overpower her. Nobody goes to a Mariah gig for the dancers. I am glad someone finally realized that. They are there for her voice, talent and spirit. Let's be real. Her voice is still there. It might be damaged, but it is still there. (Monday 24 September 2018; 12:44)

Re: "Without You" the live version (83,969) (83,978) by Lexingz from Estonia I completely agree. I never listen to the studio version. The live version is the first song I heard from Mariah (I am European so this was her first big hit here). This was the first ever song I remember being completely transfixed by. I was watching TV in 1994 and the song came on and I was being called to do some chores or something but I just could not leave the TV room until the song was over. I had never had such a reaction to any singer. The song came on 10 years ago on the radio (studio version) and I remember my mother asking - "Is this Mariah? Doesn't sound much like her." (Monday 24 September 2018; 12:39)

Mariah was number 2 on iTunes/top 10 all week (83,977) by Sheila from United States That's incredible for a 40-ish female artist to have that type of hit. JLo and Celine don't have that type of iTunes love (Monday 24 September 2018; 11:50)

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