Messageboard

About this_is_qhm from the Philippines: I love the intricate vocal harmonies only Mariah can make.

Re: Andrew gone (87,365) (87,383) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines That's really interesting. She's strictly a 90's fan, huh? Well, the best part of us as fans is that we all enjoy Mariah differently. I, for one, am amazed at how there are people who can say they are strictly a Mariah fan of a certain era only. I guess it's easier to pick and choose your favorite parts of an artist's career if that artist isn't as brilliant as Mariah, who, even at her worst, is still listenable. Even fellow legends have really questionable/bad albums in their discography which one would only own if they were either superfans or just being ironic (Janet has her pre-Control records; most of George's earlier Wham! material was horrible; Whitney's post-My Love Is Your Love albums can be quite a pain to listen to due to the sharp drop in quality of both the material and her voice; you understand exactly why What's Going On, Let's Get It On, Here My Dear and I Want You are considered the classics that they are compared to much of his other material). It's rare to find an artist who is capable of coming up with something like Giving Me Life almost 30 years after her brilliant debut. (Thursday 3 January 2019; 13:21)

2018: the year of Mariah (87,349) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Can we just take a hot minute to realize and appreciate how awesome 2018 was to Mariah? Which goes to say that it has also been the best year to be a lamb in quite some time. We'll always be hoping that there are bigger things on the horizon, but let's just be cautious and say that this is probably as big a comeback we could expect from Mariah post-2010. This woman is pushing 50 and yet she: - managed to redeem herself from one of the biggest national televised flubs of all time by not shying away from the challenge of a redo and turning out a good performance - brought back fun, interactive Mariah: cute videos for Allure and Glamour, a fun cover art reveal for Caution, doing The Mariah Experience, and an overall upgrade on her social media game that says she isn't the relic many consider her just yet - stayed lucid, engaging, informative and has been less contrived in all of her interviews, revealing more about her creative process than she has ever had over the past decade - booked very good high-profile gigs where she mimed considerably less, looked less awkward and actually sang more - stepped up the visual aspect of her appearances, employing more elaborate choreography, vivid backdrops and more cohesive and sensible imagery - acknowledged the power and loyalty of her fans who successfully helped get justice for Glitter 17 years after its original release - pulled off a more focused album promotion and rollout strategy - came up with her best-reviewed album ever - once again hit new peaks and broke new records with her 24-year-old perennial hit and its parent album - somehow achieved something we thought was not possible: make herself likeable again - while doing all of the above, looked her best and rocked the best fashion she has worn since 2013 Knowing all of these, we could officially end the year as Mariah fans happier than we have ever had in years. May 2019 treat all of us even better. (Monday 31 December 2018; 23:19)

Re: Walter the retail relic (87,182) (87,233) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'm late to the party, but Geronimo, yours is the one of the most honest opinions I have read about Mariah and Walter's collaborations. It is easy to assume that the magic they made together is somehow the pinnacle of Mariah's output. That is true to some extent, as many of the tracks they made together are part of Mariah's essential hits. But to claim that nothing that Mariah has ever done outside their partnership has reached those highs, just like someone has opined earlier, is just blasphemous. I wouldn't lend too much credence to Walter's statements. The fact that Mariah is still the influential artist she is while Walter has not thrived outside of the 90s in itself says a lot. No, the 90s wasn't a time when people musically "let loose", not especially for the diva pop singers. That era was quite the opposite, actually - it was uptight and even almost regimented. It was just their carefree vocal performances that were considered an escape and a wonderful contrast to the standard big-voiced diva pop sound that dominated the airwaves. Walter's work with Mariah, while mostly outstanding, was expected of her during the 90s. It was the default sound back then. It was Mariah's input, being the brilliant songwriter she is, that added personal touch to the classic, overwrought big ballad and elevated it to an art form that gifted interpreters such as Whitney, Toni and Celine simply cannot touch. It was their collaborations that deviated from the norm (Underneath The Stars, Fourth of July, Dreamlover) that actually deserves more credit. Mariah is a very versatile artist, as once again demonstrated in Caution, with the uncanny ability of working with producers with very varied, distinct styles whilst maintaining her signature sound. But she also was a woman who had to fight really hard to get any creative say on her earlier sound. She was also around when hip-hop was in its infancy. She witnessed firsthand how it blossomed and became the prevalent force it is today. So to dismiss Mariah's transition to hip-hop and R&B as inauthentic and solely a survival instinct, as someone else has posted earlier on this board, is just ridiculous. Mariah's move towards hip-hop is as organic and unforced as it gets. The Fantasy remix proved that. The Butterfly album furthered it. Even the much maligned Rainbow album which saw her fully dabble into urban felt like a natural progression. It is easy to place Mariah's earlier, cheesier and more saccharine material often rife with platitudes and cliches on a pedestal because they were the big, inescapable hits. Back then, even her obscure album tracks were hits on their own way just because of Mariah's faultless vocal performances and then-untouchable star power; the same way Adele's entire 21 and 25 albums were revered track-by-track because of her immense popularity, when frankly, a closer look of the material would reveal that not all of them are as great as we paint them out to be. It's almost a crime to say anything bad about the Afanasieff years, when in fact many of the more interesting tracks in the albums he had a heavier hand in crafting were the songs that he did not produce (Always Be My Baby, Babydoll, Honey, Never Forget You, Melt Away, Fantasy, The Wind, Make It Happen, Breakdown, etc.) In contrast, Mariah's latter post-Afanasieff material is almost automatically deemed inferior because they feature more hushed, weaker vocal performances, have less traditional writing and less instantly distinguishable melodies and arrangements, but mostly because they are less popular. There was a time when the Mariah-Walter formula worked so well. That time has passed. It's unfair to compare songs made during entirely different decades and musical landscapes. There is no way to objectively compare Portrait to Looking In, Hero to Through the Rain, Without You to I Wanna Know What Love Is, no matter how similar they seem. Implying that Mariah has transitioned into R&B & hip-hop and other "trendier" genres out of necessity more than anything is probably the most arrogant way one can downplay her artistic credibility. Just saying. Happy Holidays, y'all. (Wednesday 26 December 2018; 12:20)

Re: All I Want For Christmas is You (87,228) (87,232) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines As great as that is, I think it could be a #1 next year. As for this year, it just fell a spot to #7, and while this new record does count for something, the song rapidly falls of all charts shortly after December 25, so we'll see how this plays out come the new charts next week. Merry Christmas, y'all. (Wednesday 26 December 2018; 09:58)

Mariah-approved (87,131) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Just gonna leave this Mariah-approved cover of Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) right here. By the way, I heard she has new music coming up. (Wednesday 19 December 2018; 11:20)

Article: All I Want is highest-charting holiday hit in 60 years (87,129) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This has a really good chance of breaking into the top 5 next week. With our collective hopes, let such words materialize. (Wednesday 19 December 2018; 10:41)

Re: Jaker20 (87,121), Tori Kelly (87,127) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines The problem with Tori Kelly, as talented as she is, is that her material is just weak. She hasn't found her sound yet, which is critical because her voice is pretty indistinguishable. In a way, she's like Katherine McPhee - talented, but just isn't remarkable enough to stand out. But unlike Katherine, she still has a better chance of making it big. She should just need the perfect storm of strong material, an unmistakable sound, a great team behind her to succeed. (Wednesday 19 December 2018; 09:40)

Re: What's the next holiday classic? (87,058) (87,109) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I have listened to so many Christmas albums. For me, it takes a very special artist to make a holiday song memorable, let alone a hit. Unfortunately, I can only think of 2 artists capable of doing so - Mariah Carey and Kelly Clarkson. Here are their songs that should be played alongside AIWFCIY: 5. Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) This is a simple, beautiful ballad that she can clearly still mostly sing live in its entirety with her range today if she wanted to. The only problem with it is how dated it sounds. It's got that 90s stamp. Last Christmas has the 80s written all over it, but that combined with the bells and other festive instrumentation works to its advantage. 4. When Christmas Comes Whether it be the original or duet version, this again has that vintage feel that makes it glide like no other modern Christmas song can. It sounds like Fly Like A Bird's holiday sister. This is the closest Mariah has come to achieving her Mine Again vocals, which even by then we knew she could not replicate live. It's also what keeps this song from being accessible. 3. Underneath The Tree There's a good reason this was the most played new Christmas song in 2013. It has that timeless vibe. This was obviously heavily inspired by AIWFCIY and it's the only similarly-styled song by any current artist that's even worthy of being replayed over and over. 2. Wrapped In Red The emotion in this song is enough to make it a winner. That, combined with a pitch-perfect vocal, gorgeous melody and lovely lyrics should make this a hit, but it just may be too sophisticated for radio. The wall of sound treatment makes it sound timeless. It's the best track on its parent album of the same name. 1. Christmas Time Is In The Air Again How do you know a song is classic material? When even its original version sounds like a cover. Play it for anyone who isn't familiar with Mariah's discography and they would instantly mistake it for a rendition of an older recording. It definitely isn't as catchy as AIWFCIY, but that's mostly due to its tempo and subdued nature. It's the perfect length, not repetitive and is very elegant and romantic. Since Mariah's whispery delivery is acquired taste (though I feel it's quite apt for a jazzy track), it could be the reason why it hasn't gained traction despite many live performances. It's worth noting, though, that if Mariah and Kelly keep singing them in high profile events during the holidays, they may just be slowly but surely ingrained into the public's consciousness and become future hits. (Tuesday 18 December 2018; 00:36)

What's the next holiday classic? (87,058) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Anyone who has not at least heard AIWFCIY at this point is probably either fully deaf or not born yet. But it didn't really get off to an explosive start. Despite Mariah's popularity at its time of release, it was nowhere close to the overplayed classic it is today. It speaks so much of Mariah's caliber as an artist to achieve such success. It's one thing to have hit song. It's another to have a holiday gem. The former is a million times easier than the latter. So many attempts by so many singers including Mariah herself have followed hoping to score similar success but have failed. However, to the credit of a few, they truly deserve to earn classic status. So among the modern original Christmas compositions you have heard since 1994, which songs do you think can and should be future classics? (Sunday 16 December 2018; 09:45)

Re: Caution drops to #163 on Billboard 200 albums chart (87,011) (87,026) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Funny how we always wish the album was longer when it's really mostly just us fans who are patient enough to sit through anything Mariah that's over 45 minutes. That's understandable, though, because as fans, we just want more material, period. But Mariah's fanbase only accounts for a small fraction of today's music-consuming public. Caution's running time actually is perfect for today's generation. It's just the right length for streaming. Quality over quantity will always win. On this board, it's common to see these wishes for Mariah to work with past producers again as if getting back together would automatically guarantee great output. Despite the magic she and Walter have made in the past, Mariah clearly has her personal reasons to not collaborate with him. Regardless of what they are and if they're valid or just plain silly, I'd rather respect that than force her to work with someone she isn't comfortable with or ready to. I don't think Mariah should be releasing old stuff from the vault just yet, especially if she is still very much capable of creating impressive new material. Knowing how much Mariah's voice has changed over the years, if she does revisit and release some songs from the past, I'd rather have her re-record them to feature her current voice. There's nothing wrong with releasing rarities. I just don't want the compilation to end up like MJ's posthumous albums - disjointed, overproduced, strictly for the nostalgia and just very random. Look, we get it - it sucks to see a good album fall off the face of the earth so fast, but it is what it is. Yes, her team did commit some mistakes in the album's promotion, but I believe they still one hell of a great job; something that would never have happened if Stella was still in charge. Let's face it: the true highlight and biggest accomplishment of this year is making Mariah likeable again. Of course we still have quite the ways to go but considering how seemingly hopeless her situation was a year and a half ago, the progress she and her team has made so far is remarkable. The great album is merely a bonus, and I'm more than happy with that. (Thursday 13 December 2018; 13:47)

Re: Some sales perspective (86,992) (87,000) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines True. For one to truly gauge of how successful an artist is these days, they have to accept that the industry is nothing like it was a decade ago, let alone the 90s. Streaming is key, followed by sales. The only female artists who are capable of blockbuster successes these days are Taylor and Adele. Ariana's "thank u, next" leaped back to number one despite it not being quite the radio hit yet and falling a bit behind on sales, solely thanks to its campy video. For a song to be #1 today, it has to be a strong performer in all aspects - streaming, sales, and then radio will catch up later on to help with its longevity. Pretty much no song debuts at #1 based on sales alone anymore. To fully appreciate how successful Mariah is, we really have to evaluate her commercial performance compared to her 90s peers and fellow legends. That is the only fair way to go about it. Even when she's outperfoming a few of them, she cannot compete with today's stars. She still has it in her to produce a hit single, but to have another string of hits is unlikely (although I really hope to be proven wrong). Even Cher lucked out with Believe, and that was during the 90s, a year after Elton had his last massive hit; both achievements were thanks to a less ageist audience then. We have to see things from the right angle. When people talk about Celine, it's not about her music anymore. I'd go as far as saying that if Whitney (God rest her soul) were still around, she wouldn't be making waves either. Janet needed Daddy Yankee to take her to the top 10 of the iTunes charts. Post-2005 Madonna's has been skirting around for a musical identity since. Lesser 90s acts like Brandy, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, and even Britney and Christina are struggling even harder than Mariah is. Mariah, on the other hand, still managed to top the worldwide iTunes song charts with an uncharacteristic profanity-based mid-tempo jam and has fans capable of turning her initial disappointments and flops into hits over a decade or two after their original release. So Caution will probably fall off the Billboard 200 in two weeks. She'll still be happy because she's finally getting the critical respect she has so wanted for the longest time. That matters more than sales at this point. (Wednesday 12 December 2018; 12:32)

Re: Caution album (86,974) (86,980) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines In today's music scene, I don't believe the strike-while-the-iron-is-hot mentality works that well anymore for this generation's most popular mainstream artists, let alone legends like Mariah. I think they should let AIWFCIY have its moment to shine first, especially now that it has just reached a new peak and we have at least two tracking weeks more before it falls out once again. Hopefully she hits the top 5 by then, and the press it would receive would be a great bed of positivity to release. Right after that, riding on that high, then they drop the A No No remix. It may not buoy the album back up, but at least it could be a hit thanks to Cardi's huge streaming pull. (Tuesday 11 December 2018; 13:38)

Re: Re: Last Kiss (86,956) (86,960) (86,964) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Exactly. I understand producers wanting to leave their stamp on their projects - it's their signature, that's fine. Some of JDs mutterings don't make sense to be on their respective songs at all, but as long as his input is nowhere near DJ Khaled's obnoxiousness, we'll be fine. I gotta admit, though, that with E=MC2, the only other thing I don't like about that album (aside from the fact that the ballads are obviously poor rehashes of WBT that blend into each other) is that JD has peppered a lot of the songs with his jibberish. Thankfully his next works with Mariah weren't like that. (Monday 10 December 2018; 13:46)

With You cover (86,957) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines You know you have written a great song when someone (from the opposite sex) does his own version of it and it still knocks. Sorry for emphasizing the gender flip - it's just that not a lot of female original songs this kind sound good when covered by a guy. That's why many guys don't attempt Mariah songs. (Sunday 9 December 2018; 12:42)

Re: For the life of me (86,838) (86,847) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I actually like it when you get a little mushy. It's rare, so we'll take what we get since we all know you'll have your pitchforks out come your next post. I for one love Caution - I think it's the perfect album for 2018 Mariah and even more impressive considering her age and her current status in today's industry. And like you said, industry respect is key. Physical sales in the age of steaming is practically irrelevant, and Mariah has had that and much more in the past anyway, so when everything is said and done - no matter how much she is considered a has been and a flop, it's the respect that will stay at the end of the day. Considering the extreme brand tarnishing that we all had to sit through in recent years, who would have known that she could turn things around so quickly? I mean who else does this sort of redemption arc happen to? And I feel that you like Caution the least - for now (all caps). I mean look at you - I recall you went from hating the initial snippet of GTFO, then liking the song. Same with With You. You didn't like The Distance, but then you learned to like and even praise the first half of Caution. Mariah sneaks up on you like that and she's probably the only artist who can. Anything can happen at this point. (Tuesday 4 December 2018; 11:07)

Re: 8th Grade (86,796) (86,805) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I actually haven't heard a Timbaland song quite like 8th Grade, to be honest. If anything sounds like an Aaliyah track on Caution, it's the title track. That is 2000-2001 Aaliyah right there: beats, vibe and all. (Monday 3 December 2018; 11:27)

Caution: a track a day (7 of 7) (86,784) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines 8th Grade Should Mariah plan to release anything slow from what's left of this album, this is it. It would definitely be a risk, and she'd playing the game as if it were the late 90s - early 00s again releasing a track like this, but we clearly ain't chasing charts anymore so what more does she have to lose, really? Just shorten that outro and get someone hot (this is begging for a Drake or even a The Weeknd feature) to do his thing before the bridge and fingers crossed we have an unexpected hit or more likely a good chill urban soundtrack to our woe is me pity parties. Timbaland is one of those producers who have such a distinct signature sound - he dominated the mid-latter 00s and Justin Timberlake practically owes him more than half of his career. But in keeping with what she's done to every producer she's worked with in Caution, Mariah shows him who's boss and keeps all his artistic excesses at bay. Timbo wisely obeys and so there's less of the random spoken samples (usually expected in his productions) scattered throughout the track to distract from the dreamy, hypnotic background. This sounds like it would be fun to perform live because it's perfect for audience interaction. The uncomplicated chorus is easy to sing along to and despite the curious title, it's lyrics are very relatable. Mariah has always loved doing something for the nostalgia, and now she has another pretty albeit sad song built around that concept. Just press play and let the reminiscing begin. (Monday 3 December 2018; 00:29)

Re: Trilogy (86,749) (86,762) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Thanks for pointing that out. Story-wise, Lullaby is the sequel to The Roof despite being its complete opposite in terms of sound. Most people feel like Giving Me Life is the sequel because of its dark, late night vibe. To me, GML is too sparse and lacks the lush vocals of both The Roof and Lullaby to be the sequel of either. However, I think it combines elements from the two. GML's general tone and vibe plus the melody is definitely The Roof-inspired, while the opening notes that are repeated all thoughout the song before the outro as well as the punishing beat (albeit slower) is more reminiscent of Lullaby. It's nice how we all have different interpretations and opinions on the song. I love reading them and they really reveal quite a bit about what kind of listeners we are individually and how we enjoy music. (Sunday 2 December 2018; 15:30)

Re: Caution (86,734) (86,751) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Darkchild has been pretty much recycling beats since he tapped out of creative ideas after Michael's Invincible and Brandy's Full Moon (both the best display of his work). That's why Brandy decided to work with Timbaland for her next album Afrodisiac because she felt that the perfect modern R&B sound Rodney created for her in Never Say Never was given to other artists that he produced for around the time (more notably JLo's If You Had My Love, Toni's He Wasn't Man Enough, some of Whitney's My Love Is Your Love and most of the Spice Girls' Forever album, among others). His last decent work was on Janet's Discipline. Which is why I was quite surprised he had it in him to produce something like The Art of Letting Go. Not like that was a masterpiece or anything, but at least he tried to do something different. (Sunday 2 December 2018; 10:37)

Caution: a track a day (6 of 7) (86,744) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Portrait It has been a long time since Mariah came up with a proper full-length introspective track (Languishing was wasted as an interlude). Overall, this is probably the closest she has come to recreating her 90s sound - no staccato singing, simple chord progression, and an uncomplicated melody that's easy to follow. It is this decade's Looking In, Petals, Languishing and Outside all rolled into one. She stays restrained for the entire song save for the last minute, when she goes off and her voice reveals just how much it has changed over the years. In case Cry. and Camouflage didn't convince you enough the last time, Portrait proves that Mariah still has it in her to write poetically like she did in the 90s. It's worth mentioning just how cinematic the entire track feels down to its instrumentation in the end. This is one of those tracks that fans probably won't talk and rave about as much in the future, but that's only because they'd rather keep it close to their heart. It's quite remarkable how an orchestral track like this can perfectly close out a modern R&B collection of disparate styles. Mariah rarely misses the mark, but Portrait further shows that when she really gets it, she's untouchable. (Sunday 2 December 2018; 00:53)

The Gentle Return of Mariah Carey (86,743) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines So I came across this podcast hosted by Jon Caramanica, a critic of The New York Times. He is joined by three other music writers and together, within the hour long session, they discuss Mariah's return to music. At about 35 minutes, they start to veer towards the changes in current R&B and hip hop and how different those genres are now to how they were then. They often go off on tangents but please listen until the end as they eventually get back to Mariah and even compare her career trajectory favorably to that of Usher, which I know doesn't make sense when you read it, but I swear they do make a very good and valid point. Here are a few salient points: 1. Mariah 1997 onwards has always been unapologetically her. She has been her own artist and has never really sold out to follow trends. 2. The industry has changed so much, including the R&B and hip hop genres. Mariah has been able to move with the times gracefully. As fans on this messageboard, we tend to be confined in this little bubble. Sometimes, we need points of view from other people who are not necessarily Mariah superfans to gain another layer of respect for this incredible woman who, at 48, still manages to kick ass with her material. Such a rarity indeed. (Saturday 1 December 2018; 23:12)

Caution: a track a day (5 of 7) (86,715) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Caution In most cases for many artists, a title track is one of the stronger songs, if not the strongest song on the album. The theme of which sets the tone and serves as either the centerpiece or the foundation of the entire body of work it belongs to. For Mariah, the only time this has truly been the case was Butterfly (Emotions and Music Box were both strong, but not as much representative of their respective albums as a whole, and Rainbow was just an interlude, so it doesn't really count). Caution, as Mariah's first title track in over a decade, faces the pressure of living up to its edgy title. On that front, it fails. It's not the uber-cool, banging, sinister song its title suggests it to be. However, as a song itself, it is better than decent. This is the type of material that would die on the hands of less capable artists. While its production is interesting if only in the sense that it sounds like nothing Mariah has done before, it's Mariah's input that singlehandedly keeps it from going limp. The slick, interesting phrasing in the verses and pre-chorus are much more interesting than the hook itself, which is unfortunately the weakest part of the song. The bridge does a great job of building up to the song's climax, which would have been better if she actually thought of something else to go with the great melody other than just repeating the song's title. Caution also showcases some of the album's better, more spirited and enthusiastic ad-libs from Mariah. Overall, it's a serviceable song that could have appeared on E=MC2 and that is better judged by its own merits than as an eponymous track. Should this be a future single, it's gonna need a high profile guest feature to catch fire. (Saturday 1 December 2018; 00:52)

Re: Caution (86,673) / Caution vs. E=MC2 (86,713) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines For me, Caution is a combination of E=MC2 and MOAIA. I know that may sound blasphemous to some of y'all but hear me out - the upbeat tracks on this album have the same party/club DNA present on E=MC2. They sound like they could easily fit into that album. The mid-tempo and slower tracks, probably with the exception of Portrait and Giving Me Life, sound like extensions of the MOAIA sound. I wouldn't say Caution is better than E=MC2, though. I'd say they are equals. E=MC2 just makes for a much more fun and enjoyable listen, while Caution is the most success she has ever had at updating her sound whilst keeping her stamp intact. It is an exercise of balance between indulging what the younger folks listen to these days and maintaining her own sound. Even vocally, I remember many fans and even some critics then being let down with E=MC2 vocally, especially coming from TEOM, but they ultimately still enjoyed the album because it really was dessert to the main course. The vocals on Caution are pretty much the same. Very controlled, acrobatics and embellishments are reserved only for the climaxes, except now they are pushed further in the back. What it lacks in overall catchiness, it makes up for in the background vocals, especially the harmonies. To me, both albums are even. (TEOM is the main celebration.) E=MC2 is the kickass reception party, while Caution is the after party when everyone's already tipsy and reality and sense starts to sink back in. (MOAIA can be the morning after where everyone's hungover and trying to recall the blur of events that transpired the night before.) (Friday 30 November 2018; 23:36)

Re: Why 8th Grade? Butterfly marries TEOM (86,703) (86,704) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Okay, Brandy's voice has changed significantly from when she first came out in 1994. She was only 15 at the time, so when we reference her singing when describing Mariah's current sound, we are not referring to girlish 1994 eponymous Brandy or 1998 Never Say Never Brandy. We're not even pertaining to more mature 2002 Full Moon Brandy or 2004 Afrodisiac Brandy. We're talking 2007 Human Brandy and 2012 Two Eleven Brandy, where her vocals have gone even deeper, she has lost over an octave of her range and her tone has become even raspier, darker and earthier, so when she multi-tracks her vocals, they manage to be warm yet cold at the same time, all while retaining her tone's unique edge. Listen to the entire Two Eleven album. Some of how her layered vocals sound there is how Mariah sounds now on her harmonies on some songs on Caution. That's where the comparison comes from. (Friday 30 November 2018; 17:43)

Caution: a track a day (4 of 7) (86,676) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines One Mo' Gen Raise your hand if y'all initially pronounced "Gen" as /jen/ prior to hearing the song. All of you? Well it's a good thing that this track itself, while based on such an irritating slang, is actually not terrible at all. Now I get that not every Mariah song must be a vocabulary lesson filled with SAT-level words that no one really uses in normal conversations, but aren't we all glad that we have "towering inferno" and "reiterate" to balance things out and save the day? The chorus on this one is the most difficult to stick out of all the songs on the album. The verses are even trickier. But thank God for the updated doo-wop sway and the backing harmonies. Heck, them harmonies are actually what make the song work. They are vital to the point that much of the main vocals, especially in the chorus, would fall apart without them. Mariah has been singing about sex since 1997 and has at least alluded to it before then. Somehow, One Mo' Gen still manages to catch one off guard because of its directness. She really just wants to do it one more time and demands to be satisfied. I mean the woman is practically begging for it - it could be a little unnerving. But that's softened by the flirty manner she sings in. With that being said, it's still a good mid-tempo sex jam and is pretty PG 13 compared to the X-rated content that are pretty much the norm in songs these days. Still can't get over how much she sounds like Brandy (in her Two Eleven days) on the verses, though. It's her earthier tone that does it. Mimi should call her up and cook up something smooth. (Friday 30 November 2018; 00:40)

MORE MESSAGES