Messageboard

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

Re: Mariah the trendsetter (82,864) (82,870) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines While I agree with your point, I believe MIAMTEC is more of a "varied" album rather than "avant garde" if we're really being strict with the term. Nothing about is groundbreaking, and all of the sounds there were either current or past trends, but she still was able to create an expansive collection of sounds that, while still are clearly rooted in R&B and pop, don't sound monotonous. It's her most varied-sounding release because of the circumstances it has been recorded in. In its 5 years of creation, she has been pulled and pushed into many directions. While one would expect a very disjointed final product as a result, it all impressively flows as one body of work. That's her skill - she takes an idea/trend and makes it her own and manages to make it one of the best executions of such. It's her masterful take on any sound/genre that sets her apart from the rest who do the same. You just know that in the hands of less capable artists, a MIAMTEC-style album would have been a disaster. Even her worst songs such as Infinity and Infamous, as underwhelming as they are for an artist of Mariah's caliber, would have been considered achievements and career highlights for other artists. (Tuesday 19 June 2018; 12:45)

Re: Current songs and albums (82,838) (82,851) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Current albums on heavy rotation: Voicenotes - Charlie Puth (Perhaps the most enjoyable pure pop release this year so far. Done For Me, How Long and LA Girls are just addictive. And he produced the whole thing. This dude is criminally underrated.) Camila - Camila Cabello (As if there was any doubt why she was the star of Fifth Harmony. Havana, She Loves Control and Real Friends are my faves. Arguably the breakout artist of 2018.) No Shame - Lily Allen (Her rawest, best album yet. If you think she's been honest before, she's even more so this time - painfully, even. Trigger Bang, Apples and Cake are so good.) T.K.O. - Mýa (These 90's R&B veterans still stand head and shoulders above the newbies these days. Mýa looks like she hasn't aged a day since 1998, and apparently so has her voice. Ready For Whatever, Open, You Got Me and Ready are standouts.) R.O.S.E. - Jessie J (There are times when artists rebel from convention and expectations and come up with their best work. By staying out of the charts for the sake of self-expression, Jessie J became more relatable. The allure of Dopamine, Queen and Dangerous is just undeniable.) Current songs on repeat: New Light - John Mayer (This is the John Mayer we all know and love. And that video is some ridiculous clip that we never thought we needed.) Let You Be Right - Meghan Trainor (A little bit of disco is always a good thing. Such a low-key, fuss-free track with a subject matter not often dealt with in pop.) Leave It Smokin' - Tamia (90s junkies are gonna love this. One of Tamia's most effortless-sounding tracks ever.) Let Me - Zayn (Not sure why his new output aren't catching fire like his breakout singles were, but Zayn still has one of the best voices in pop and R&B right now.) Over My Head - Echosmith (The chorus has one of the more interesting melodies I have heard in a while. Sounds very indie pop.) (Monday 18 June 2018; 07:51)

Re: JD hate (82,786) (82,806) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I respectfully disagree. I don't think there's a very distinctive "JD sound" apart from the usual claps that he uses for percussion and him talking in the background of some of the songs he produces. His contributions in MIAMTEC were his best in a while, as most of what he did for E=MC2 were basically obvious efforts to recapture the glory of WBT and weighed the album down. You were right about the versatility part, though, although I definitely like that more than you do. This just means his sound is evolving and isn't stuck in 1995 or 2005. Even Max Martin's productions these days (No Tears Left To Cry) sound nothing like ...Baby One More Time (1998) or I Kissed A Girl (2008). So should Mariah work with him again, they better make it sound fresh and inventive just like ABMB and WBT were when the first came out. Make It Look Good was his best effort in a long time. And like Hilton said, it must fit well within the overall sound of the album. (Thursday 14 June 2018; 14:41)

Bruno and Janet (82,764) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines So apparently this is really happening. Mariah's last good collaboration was with Miguel. Our girl really seems to be either too picky/proud/self-conscious to collaborate with other artists that aren't rappers. She's brilliant and creative on her own, but a little more open-mindedness and exploring can keep her from doing the same old things. Go with someone younger who's hot right now - SZA, Charlie Puth, Bruno Mars, Ariana (it would break the internet but unfortunately Mariah doesn't seem to know her) and maybe even Cardi B (she's the golden girl who can do no wrong these days, just look at what she did for Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars' singles) - just about anyone but the usual suspects. (Tuesday 12 June 2018; 17:06)

Christina Aguilera - Like I Do (feat. GoldLink) (82,720) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Let's be honest, any momentum for Christina's new album is pretty much dead now. Accelerate was a mess, Twice fell on deaf ears, and a Demi feature and a high profile performance wasn't enough for Fall in Line to make a dent. This new song will most likely follow suit, which is a shame, because it's the only taste of the album so far that most fans can really get behind. There's something very Mariah about how Christina approaches hip-hop these days: the simpler and sparser production, rap verses that seem to come out of nowhere and the relatively subdued vocals which limit showboating only towards the end of the track. Like I Do reminds me of Ciara's Goodies in that the memorable synth line - in Christina's case, a chirping meandering flute - is the (all caps) chorus, and the actual worded chorus is catchy but merely secondary. It won't be for everyone, but its chill yet swaggering throwback sound is the best thing yet to come out of this underwhelming album rollout. It's what Accelerate was supposed to be. This is an Anderson Paak production and he sings backup in the chorus really well. (Saturday 9 June 2018; 13:09)

Skinny legend (82,700) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines First off, Mariah's latest TV appearance on Kimmel was great. She was lucid, engaging, likable and best of all, fun, with just the right hint of diva. Yay to that. Now if you've been lurking in comments sections of various media sharing sites, blogs, as well as on official and fan-made Mariah-related accounts on social media, you'd probably find it just as amusing as I do to see sooooooo many comments (especially as of the past 3-4 months) along the lines of "skinny legend", "she's so thin I can't even see her", "skinny bish out to snatch y'alls faves wigs", etc. I mean a lot of it is so weight-centered, it's insane. This shows just how much people still appreciate physical appearance over anything. I ain't mad - Mariah is looking her best since the AI days, but I honestly don't believe she looks "skinny". To me that word is reserved for 90s Mariah and E=MC2-era Mariah. Now, she looks healthy and that's the best description. I don't know if her weight loss is gonna directly impact her singing in some way, but I feel like the newfound confidence in her current figure can help uplift her self-esteem and at least help her perform better than the stoic, passive, lazy "performer" we have gotten used to see for most of the 2010s. I hope she keeps this image up because she still has a lot of irreparable damage to recover from. (Friday 8 June 2018; 06:14)

Tamia - Leave it Smokin' (82,675) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I know there are some Tamia fans in here, so have you heard her new single? It has no explosive chorus, no real infectious hook so I get that it may be underwhelming to some, but you just cannot deny that smooth groove. That's a 90s homage done right. So good. On repeat right now. (Wednesday 6 June 2018; 13:49)

Jessie J - R.O.S.E. (82,584) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Anybody else feel like they have known about an artist for a long time, and despite their undeniable talent, there's always been a few things about them that ticked you off and kept you from fully investing in their material? That's how I always felt about Jessie J. She is a very capable vocalist who has always rubbed me the wrong way - whether it be the obnoxious oversinging, shamelessly Top 40-geared singles, standoffish vibe, etc. It wasn't until just yesterday when I came across her newest release that I finally heard her being herself and speaking her mind. R.O.S.E. is an album dropped in 4 EP installments: Realisations, Obsessions, Sex and Empowerment. While the songs aren't necessarily too on-the-nose in representing the theme of the EP they respectively belong to, the set as a whole is still a very strong set of tunes clearly designed to express rather than burn up the charts. In fact, none of them are really commercial or radio-friendly at all, hence the limited success of all its preceding singles. It's just nice hearing an artist break away from what they are known for, even if it costs them commercial success. It's a dark, modern R&B album that definitely feels like an awakening. This is one of my faves, Dopamine, which boasts of a sound that may not be fresh, but something that I would like Mariah to try in the future, because I think her current vocals and staccato singing will work well with it. (Wednesday 30 May 2018; 13:30)

Re: #Beautiful (82,557) (82,561) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines If there was any post-2010 Mariah song that could have been #1, it's easily #Beautiful. Mariah was ready, Miguel was hot commodity, Mariah had the Idol gig, and the song was fresh fire. Nothing on the radio in 2013 sounded like it. But the negative publicity brought about by the feud with Nicki overshadowed everything. Mariah even more unlikable than Nicki at that time, and although on paper she would have made the perfect AI judge, her performance of her duties ranged from meh to annoying (yes, the rambling was too much). In the months that followed, she had the accident, the album delay, the late rollout of supporting remixes the bad live performances, etc. All of those killed #Beautiful's chances of at least hitting the top 10. Such a waste. Maybe even a bigger waste than Migrate not being released as a single. There, Bill, I said it. (Tuesday 29 May 2018; 09:24)

Re: Whitney Houston (82,524) (82,537) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Whitney is a very talented performer. Mariah and Celine ain't got nothing on her when it comes to sheer vocal live belting power or soul, especially during her peak. But that's sadly all she is and has. We will always be doubting the artistic merit of artists who make a living singing songs of others. Sure, their talent can come through in their interpretations, but to me, if they don't write at least 30% of their entire catalog, they can't be the type of artists that Carole, Joni, Madonna, Janet, Mariah, Amy, etc. can. And yes, her latter performances were more about her bravado than actual performing. And I have never really enjoyed any interviews she did save for those she did with Mariah, and that's mostly because Mariah was in them. I don't know - when she speaks, it never really comes off sincere - you can almost see the wheels turning in her head. Of course in her latter years she loosened up more and became more candid, but often times it wasn't in a good way and she came across as bitchy. But she's in a better place now and we love still everybody, especially if everybody is someone who has helped pave the way for Mariah. (Sunday 27 May 2018; 07:07)

Re: Bill from UK (82,506) (82,511) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines He sure is a good-looking fella, and you seem like a few steps away from looking up his Insta and sliding into his DMs. Just kidding. Peace. (Wednesday 23 May 2018; 13:23)

Re: Janet at the BBMAs (82,502) (82,510) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Sure, thanks for not snapping at or going all out on me as well. Haha. Sorry, not to perpetuate anything, but you know your rep in this board. Anyways, as per criteria, I really don't think there's any, really. Once J. Lo got that recognition in 2014, I feel like any idea of a reasonable criteria has gone out the window. Sure, I admire J. Lo's impact to the female Latin community, I'm sure her presence and success has opened many doors for her fellow Latinas, hence their increased visibility in today's entertainment industry, but Billboard is still a music chart, and J. Lo has not contributed anything noteworthy to the modern American hits vault. But enough about J. Lo. I'm kinda thankful Mariah didn't get the award yet, at least for this year. I personally feel like something as big as this should coincide with an album or single release. And as great as Nu Mariah is looking today, I don't think the vocals or performing confidence have been restored to the same extent, at least not yet. Had she won this award this year and performed, I kind of have a feeling that she would've settled for the same safe, boring song choices and lip the same parts she does on tour, and that the hype from it would have already died down by the time the album gets released. She's definitely gearing up for something - it just seems like she's just not fully ready yet. Should she get it next year, it would hold a better significance if only for sentimental reasons, as it would mark the 20th year since she received the Billboard Artist of the Decade Award and Song of the Decade Award for One Sweet Day, as well as the 10th year since We Belong Together won the same honor. But oh well, as long as they give it to her before the BBMAs take another break (if they ever again, like they did from 2007-2010). (Wednesday 23 May 2018; 13:20)

Re: Janet at the BBMAs (82,499) (82,500) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Look, the BBMAs is mostly, if not solely based on American success and impact but we already know that. And any Janet fan knows that that was far from her best performance. There were many times that she did better on her recent tour. Plus the fact that J. Lo was honored before Celine, Cher and Janet has already proved that the award is not necessarily based on chart achievement or previously won awards. I'm just being appreciative of her contributions to music, particularly for black women in music. Whatever Beyoncé, Ciara, Tinashe, Rihanna, etc. can get away with today, they owe it to Janet. They are special in their own way, but they themselves have spoken on Ms. Jackson's influence on their work. Sure, she will never be as popular as Bey, but when you get to sell 20 million records worldwide with a self-titled album (you dropped your last name from) in 1993, that is something, considering only Whitney was probably the only other female African-American artist to do so at the time. Sure her BBMAs performance wasn't up to everyone's taste/standard, but so was Celine's a few years ago. I choose to see it as a success story of a girl who has come from the most recognized family in music who somehow was able to break through the shadows of her siblings despite her limited vocal abilities and make a name for herself other than being referred to as the Baby Jackson or Michael's sister. To me and others who think similarly, that is what we see - a triumph. Do I think Mariah deserves it more? Sure, given her pervious record-breaking successes. But I wouldn't say Janet doesn't at all. She just got it before Mariah. But I guess being first doesn't matter that much (or anymore) when J. Lo already has you beat. Mariah's time will come in due time that Billboard realizes how senseless they were at handling this award. By then, hopefully she would have fully gotten her act together to give a decent performance. But for now, I celebrate Janet's victory. (Wednesday 23 May 2018; 01:08)

Janet at the BBMAs (82,494) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Icon indeed. She danced less than usual, but that's understandable since she's not 30 anymore, yet that did not make her performance any less powerful. That is how it's done. She instantly made every other performer in the show look like amateurs and their performances look like child's play. The song choices were brilliant (although I would have appreciated some What Have You Done For Me Lately, as it goes with Nasty so well). Love the interpolations of snippets from obscure album cuts (Burnitup, When We Oooo and China Love) and it amazes me that she still kills the best dance break of all time on If. Just when you think she's done, she does another unexpected throwback to the SNL performance of Throb, of all songs in her expansive catalog. That was just genius. The one thing I enjoy the most about Janet's performances (that many of today's stars fail to understand and incorporate in their performances) is that she understands how to create suspense by using short breaks - those small, quiet moments that make good use of the audience's applause, letting her savor all the adulation before she hits them back with interesting ways of resuming her performance. Her brother Michael was a master of this, too, and sadly, only Beyonce and Madonna seem to be the artists capable of pulling this trick off to maximum effect today. If there was any doubt why she was chosen this year (or at all), this ought to shut them up. It's wonderful how her ferocity as a performer contrasts with her relaxed, reserved, soft-spoken and humble demeanor. She knows exactly how to use her wisp of a voice to her advantage, and employs the best ways to compensate for those limitations. That makes her deserve this more than any black female artist out there today. Congrats, Janet. That acceptance speech was lovely, too. (Tuesday 22 May 2018; 10:52)

Re: janet. turns 25 (82,465) (82,480) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines We 90s junkies gotta stick together. Yeah, I've watched Throb on SNL. It was great especially towards the end. But I feel like the most epic performance of that era was her mashup of That's The Way Love Goes and If on the MTV awards, if I'm not mistaken. Stripped definitely would not have existed without janet. Even Fergie's enjoyable debut album is an offspring of janet. I even find it tons more interesting than Music Box which was also released that time. (Sunday 20 May 2018; 13:24)

Re: janet. turns 25 (82,467) (82,479) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Thanks, that's so sweet of you, but I'm usually just very descriptive of the albums I actually like or dislike. Anything that falls in between is not worth talking about. Haha. (Sunday 20 May 2018; 13:15)

janet. turns 25 (82,463) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines One of the most impressive strings of albums in pop ever is Janet Jackson's Control - Rhythm Nation 1814 - janet. - The Velvet Rope in terms of quality, creativity and chart success (heck, I'd even include All For You and Damita Jo up there but that's just me). From a declaration of female independence to social awareness to celebration of the female sexuality to mature introspection - Janet's laid down the blueprint that would be emulated by almost every black female singer out there today. janet. remains her most eclectic collection of songs to date. The genre-hopping masterpiece where there are more interludes than actual songs still sounds relevant today. Nothing will ever touch the slinky bassline of That's The Way Love Goes, the sheer creativity of If, and the sensual slow burn of Any Time, Any Place. And those are just 3 of the 9 singles. I personally love those that didn't get released as well, such as The Body That Loves You and Where Are You Now. Such a great album. It's no wonder that it's her bestselling one. Happy 25, janet. (Saturday 19 May 2018; 12:05)

Re: JLo (82,458) (82,462) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Point taken. Sure, not all of J. Lo's endeavors post 2000 have prospered, but what I wanted to point out in my last post was that regardless of how J. Lo's ventures perform commercially, she and her team has done better at making her efforts count towards maintaining an image that's likable. Granted, Mariah has had some projects that have worked to her favor, but those are all overshadowed by those that did not - American Idol, Mariah's World, Infinity, I Don't. Both are moguls at this point, but J. Lo's stamp and brand has been more visible. Not to mention to a shade-sniffing public, Mariah just seems to give them what they want for them to twist and blow up, portraying Mariah as an insecure, catty bitch and therefore lessening her likability. Sure, visibility and likeability does not automatically translate to commercial/critical success, but in the age of social media, the more you're seen in a good light, the better your chances of being recognized and followed by the newer generation, and for aging 90s divas, that's vital. The entertainment industry relies so much on perception that very little attention ever gets paid to the actual talent and effort. That's where Mariah loses. On a brighter note, losing Stella was a huge step in the right direction, but Mariah still needs to get out of her comfort zone and high horse and put in the extra work. (Saturday 19 May 2018; 09:41)

Re: Mariah late to the party? (82,440) (82,456) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines J.Lo is probably the biggest plagiarist of all time, but I do like many her stuff as well, from the debut album to Brave. I even like a few songs on Love?. She has zero originality, but I applaud her for being the first true Latina all-rounder superstar whose charisma and popularity still baffles me to this day. She's got mad focus and has been working non-stop just like Mariah has, except that J.Lo seems to have held it better together especially post 2008. To the average person, she's still more likable than Mariah since then, too. (Friday 18 May 2018; 13:56)

Re: First impressions of TEOM (82,409) (82,417) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines As I was still in high school when TEOM came out, I had very limited budget and bought it on cassette. I always liked It's Like That but I have to admit I wasn't instantly sold on We Belong Together - I think that just shows how fresh that sound was for her because to me it was a bit disorienting (especially the song structure, where the first verse is different from the second and the absence of a middle-eight) after having gotten used to the standard Mariah fair for so long. I remember loving Mine Again, Say Somethin', Circles, Your Girl, I Wish You Knew and Fly Like A Bird from the get go. Everything else kind of grew on me, except One And Only, which is still the song I play least from the album. Say Somethin' was very interesting because it had so much of The Neptunes' influence - the thumping, clattering beats, the somewhat strange melodies/harmonies. Mine Again and Your Girl stood out as well for their beautifully oversung, impossible-to-replicate-live-under-normal-circumstances vocals. Still, I knew from first listen that it was her strongest set since Butterfly. She definitely had arrived. It was palpable that she had something to prove - it was almost as if she was starting over again. It was a glorious period, probably the proudest time to be a lamb just because of how much she was able to overcome. (Wednesday 16 May 2018; 13:58)

Re: My thoughts on Stella (82,412) (82,416) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Truest thing I've read all day. What's great about Mariah's situation today is that everything is kept hush-hush once again, just like the old days. Mariah did a lot of stupid s*** during "Stella's reign of terra" but Mariah's World was the biggest red flag of all. Any manager who tries to upstage the artist they manage for the whole world to see is really in it for themselves. There was a great line uttered by Rachel on the season 2 of unReal - "We don't solve problems; we point cameras at them" or something to that effect. That is unfortunately exactly what Mariah let Stella do during that dark period. Thankfully that's over and Mariah-related news since Stella got fired has been predominantly positive. The only disgusting negative ones involve, well, Stella - no surprise there. She is like negativity in human form. Like a personal raincloud that follows you around always casting a dark shadow on everything. As if we ever needed any more confirmation of this - but Stella-era Mariah and current Mariah are like night and day. (Wednesday 16 May 2018; 13:27)

Re: Memoirs (82,388) (82,404) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I personally have a weird relationship with MOAIA. I love some of its songs (Candy Bling, Ribbon, It's A Wrap, Angels Cry) and really like most of the rest (Betcha Gon' Know, H.A.T.E.U., Up Out My Face, The Impossible, Languishing) and yet somehow, despite it being one the most cohesive-sounding albums Mariah has put out (maybe too cohesive for its own good), I'm not really fond of listening to it as a whole. There was a time it was referred to as Butterfly part 2 and that still somehow irks me to this day (it always seemed more akin to Rainbow). It's not a bad album. It's just not a very good Mariah album. But I understand it holds its moment in time, and Mariah was actually happy during this period, so it really tells much about her talent that she was able to churn out a very convincing breakup record. (Monday 14 May 2018; 09:09)

Re: Allure (82,360) Jamie Theakston (82,363) (82,370) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines There was something there between them, perhaps neither really acted on it and so nothing happened. With his typical dry, British humor which Mariah totally gets, they would've been a fun couple. Oh well. (Friday 11 May 2018; 11:06)

Re: Allure (82,360) Jamie Theakston (82,363) (82,365) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Of the thousands of interviews Mariah has done (hundreds of them I've watched), this is one of the very few that stand out to me because it's really the most comfortable Mariah has been in an interview ever. They've done a few more throughout the years since then, and you just know by how they both talk and flirt that there is (maybe, even now, still is) something there, maybe not romantic feelings, but chemistry, mutual attraction and admiration. They've been rumored to be an item in the past - both deny it, but damn it, it really would have been nice to see them try. They make a really cute couple. Jamiah. Now we'll never know what would've happened if they did. And yeah, traces of that cool, carefree, flirty, fun Mariah exist in her clip for Allure. (Thursday 10 May 2018; 09:47)

Re: Janet wins Icon BBMA (82,335) (82,338) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Honey, don't hate on Janet. She deserves it every bit as Mariah does. The real travesty here is that J.Lo got the same honor in 2014, even before Celine and Cher and Janet. Clearly this is not based on records set or broken. Mariah's turn will come, and it will even be sweeter then. (Tuesday 8 May 2018; 02:11)

MORE MESSAGES