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About Randy from USA: MC is my favorite artist of all time and I love her songwriting skills on her introspective songs. My favorite album: Butterfly. My favorite song: Right To Dream.

Jaker20 and how to get rid of the MC blues (50,047) by Randy from USA I don't like Rihanna and yet I agreed with your entire post. MC is too legendary to be so nasty to younger artists and Rihanna did sing live and I do not believe MC's Fly Like A Bird was 100% live. And yet at the time when I posted it, everyone attacked me. I'm gonna say this one last time. MC on wax is amazing. Live is something else. What the disconnect is, we can all speculate. But what everyone agrees with is image-wise, eternally 12, and being mean to other artist isn't endearing. I love her. The other day I put on a random shuffle of her catalogue and it reminded me through even my own negativity why this woman is an uncelebrated ICON. You're So Cold, I Don't Wanna Cry, Twister, Reflections, Obsession remix with Gucci, Mine Again and Without You played. Hardly any of that is related genre-wise or producer-wise and name one female artist who can write and produce such an enjoyable and diverse body of work. I challenge you all to shuffle all of MC and be reminded why we fell in love and be hopeful the voice gets straigtened out. (Thursday 12 February 2015; 0:24)

Annie Lennox at the Grammys (49,945) by Randy from USA No ear piece and she sang her heart out. Hasn't she been singing longer than MC? Why can't MC command a stage when it counts? (Monday 9 February 2015; 3:32)

Andrew you're way too harsh / my theory (49,678) by Randy from USA Listen I'm not delusional like some on here but I do think you have gone a bit on the deep end with asking her to retire and implying she's not singing on her records. Here's my theory. I think she's making the full voice belt notes in the studio with a lot of digital aid. Maybe she's screaming the notes and they're toning down the harshness so that she sounds like she's belting. That is her voice though. Now you will agree with me that it is also fraudulent. I don't think she should retire though. I think she should sing in her Right To Dream, I Still Believe, When You Believe, Crybaby range. That lower husky tone is where she can always sing and always do it live without backing tracks, earpiece drama etc. She also needs to readjust her entire catalogue to fit this. Dude I agree that there's a problem but attacking her is not helpful. She's known for her voice and has been trying to keep it together since 1997 and now the cat's out of the bag with her lipsyncing the full voice belt ad libs at the end of songs. She's been doing it since that Oprah performance and has never had to address it. This is going to force her to. You can't look at the impromptu Fallon performance and think all is lost though. Mariah still has a voice. She needs to make music, even if she can't do what she used to. Singing and songwriting is part of her life and she would never retire. (Tuesday 3 February 2015; 7:33)

Vocalists versus performers (49,598) by Randy from USA People keep talking about all the other people that lip sync: Beyonce, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Madonna. I'm sorry, are they vocalists or performers? What should MC be considered? Right. A vocalist. Patti never lip synced. Aretha never lip synced. Barbra never lip synced. And Whitney went out like a soldier regardless of where her voice was. If a fireman can't fight fires he gets fired. If a teacher can no longer teach he gets fired. What happens to a singer that no longer sings well? Oh, nothing. They continue to rake in millions and have fans who make a fraction of what they make and spend a week worth of earnings to see them, defend them. I still believe MC has some magic in her. I can't let go of that Fallon impromptu performance. But what's going on now is going to hurt her legacy and for someone who said this isn't getting the attention of Rockafeller NYC Christmas performance, this is on TMZ. She's becoming a joke and may not achieve icon status if this continues. I also agree with Edward, in addition. You cannot keep throwing whistle noted out there and saying she still has it. Whistle registers do not make great vocalists. If that was the case, Chante Moore, Shanice and a few others would be legends too. MC is supposedly 7 octaves and it's starting to seem that only 2 of them make it to live, not prerecorded shows. (Monday 2 February 2015; 4:03)

The delusion is real (49,559) by Randy from USA When I said she lip synced her high belting notes at every performance years ago, I was attacked. Now I see everyone finally getting the fraud. But what trips me out is how some of you are still making excuses. Someone on this board actually thinks that someone behind the scenes doesn't like her and turned her mic down. She's being sabotaged and bullied from someone in her camp? The Fantasy and WBT tells the story. I could care less about whether she changes her hair, her ensembles, her staff. I want the woman who is considered the best singer in the world to address what has been going on since that fateful performance in 1997 on Oprah. She needs to address it and stop with the smoke and mirrors. (Sunday 1 February 2015; 18:13)

Oh hell no, 18 #1s really ranked (49,334) by Randy from USA I do not agree with that list at all. Here is MCs #1s ranked in quality. 18. Thank God I Found You - No one knows this song but the lambs. The remix is hot though. 17. Hero - Cliche. She didn't even write it for herself. 16. I Don't Wanna Cry - Awesome production but too clean. 15. Dreamlover - Not the version she put together. Tommy interfered and made Wally A add to it to make a pop hit. 14. I'll Be There - A last minute add to a show. Think about that. 13. Love Take Time - A song she never performs or references at this point. 12. Someday - If the album version was the video aka the black version then this would be higher. 11. Don't Forget About Us - Awesome song but it was an afterthought/ written in a rush for a rerelease. 10. Touch My Body - Loveable melody. 9. Honey - Video makes this a top 10. 8. One Sweet Day - 16 weeks. Need I say more? 7. We Belong Together - If it weren't for her comeback and the final hook octave shift, this would be #18 on my list. 6. Emotions - The best she's ever sounded on wax. 5. Always Be My Baby - Pop meets JD. 4. Fantasy - Hip hop meets pop for the first time. Iconic. 3. Vision of Love - Who's first single is this dramatic (the opening and closing)? 2. Heartbreaker- Who puts 3 and 4 syllable words in a pop song? 1. My Al - The lyrics. The voice. The video. Perfection. Nothing like it. (Wednesday 21 January 2015; 3:29)

Redundant (49,217) by Randy from USA MC looked perfect on Ellen. Beautiful, radiant. Guys I don't hate Nick and I think the whole thing is sad. He may be immature but she likes that sort of thing. Who else was gonna be festive during holidays and anniversaries and such? Yes I was shocked by the marriage but there was a part of me rooting for them to work things out. I know she never wanted to raise children in a divorce situation. I hope we do get a #1s package with new songs. I would be very happy. I am not going to see her in Vegas however. I saw Charmbracelet and she struggled through the verses and lip synced the adlibs and high full voice belts. I refuse to travel and pay to sit through that again. But I wish her well and I am happy you guys are excited. (Thursday 15 January 2015; 23:40)

Covers (48,922) by Randy from USA Loving You, How Can I Ease The Pain, My Favorite Things (she promised that one awhile back), I Care For You, She's Out Of My Life, I Can't Make You Love Me, You Were Meant For Me. (Saturday 3 January 2015; 0:33)

I forgot where I was for a second (48,581) by Randy from USA I answered a question someone posed: Why is MC not respected by the industry? I am a fan. Always have been or else I wouldn't spend time on this site. Can we have a dialogue? Some of you are raising valid points I didn't think about. It's not necessary to attack me. I think my problem with MC is that I'm tired of defending her. I think a lot of you must live in cities full of lambs and have only facebook friends that love MC. My co-worker said to me today "Oh I love MC but she can't sing anymore." My mentee asks me "Did MC get her voice back yet?" on a daily basis. My godson's mother thinks MC is nothing but a whistle register. I'm watching Beyonce become the most nominated Grammy female of all time. So I have theories. Since everyone thinks that I am dead wrong; what are your theories on why MC gets so much criticism and hardly any accolades? This is the woman that wrote Petals, Languishing, Right To Dream, Outside, Butterfly, My All and Vanishing. When the image portrayed doesn't fit the deep introspective lyrics that made her a genius to me, and others criticize her, am I not to ask questions, when I know what she is capable of? Wendy Williams, the #2 most watched daytime talk show in the country, since most of you think she's irrelevant, is talking about how bad her concert is today. Yet many of you act like all is peachy keen and the whole world loves MC. And MJ's legacy has been tarnished for a long time so please don't tell me he was getting away with being eternally 12. (Wednesday 17 December 2014; 23:47)

B and Otti (48,557) by Randy from USA I probably was wrong about the general public knowing the words to WBT but I still ask. What is MC's signature song? And I stand by my Thank God I Found You remark. I went to the store to buy the maxi single at the time and it was sold out but yet radio was not playing it. Ask a non-lamb to sing Thank God I Found You by Mariah Carey. You will get crickets and yet it went to #1. I notice people responded to my #2 point but not my #1 and #3 point so my theory is pretty close to correct. (Wednesday 17 December 2014; 2:54)

Why Mariah is not respected as a legend, icon in the industry (48,534) by Randy from USA #1. The problem is that her image: eternally 12, lighting, splashes, dahlings, good side, the dresses, lateness overshadows her talent. The woman who wrote Right To Dream, Butterfly, Looking In, Languishing and Petals doesn't even seem like the same person as what she portrays in the media. #2 Her hits are not hits. A lot of her lambs begged radio stations to play her and bought multiple copies of things so songs like Thank God I Found You, Loverboy, I Still Believe made it to the top 5 but in reality no one outside of us know the words or the songs. In addition, what is her signature song? Vision Of Love? Hero? Dreamlover? Fantasy? We Belong Together? And do non-lambs know all of the words? Pretty much everybody in the United States knows all of the words to I Will Always Love You and My Heart Will Go On. #3 Glitter. The thing is anyone can bury a bad movie performance or a flop album. The fact is all of the comics used her as a punchline and many people still think MC is cuckoo. They see her as someone who is fragile and can't accept setbacks. These reasons are why, although she has outsold a lot of people and broken many records, no one but us sees her as the torch carrier for Ross, Streisand, Franklin, Labelle etc. And these lackluster performances and excuses are making things worse. (Tuesday 16 December 2014; 6:45)

The London Sessions (48,508) by Randy from USA So, I just bought Mary's new album because of the hype it has been getting. It is amazing. I love every track. It's a departure from everything she's ever done. It's very stripped down and caters to all audiences. While I was listening, I couldn't help thinking: Why can't MC strip down the image, strip down the production and only record vocals that she can sing 100% live comfortably at a moment's notice? Then I thought: I'd rather MC keep doing things that she wants to do, even if it ruins her career and keeps her from receiving the respect an icon should get by non-lambs and the music industry, than do something that's not her. I am of two minds. I have a feeling though if MC took my advice she'd shut down the Grammy's, have another chart topping album and a couple more #1s. (Sunday 14 December 2014; 19:21)

This is actually a win for MC (48,343) by Randy from USA I think she will go back and figure out why she can't deliver for TV the way she can for small intimate settings and I gotta hand it to her for not letting her wall of background singers do the singing and not lipping the performance. I really want her to let go of her insecurities and just allow songs to flow naturally from her. I'm glad this happened because it's been smoke and mirrors for way too long. And once again, anyone with an ear can hear she still has a voice. Now what to do with it is the issue. (Saturday 6 December 2014; 14:53)

My two cents (48,262) by Randy from USA Even though there are a few that claim MC is the second coming and never does anything wrong, I am glad to see an objective conversation about her voice and the NBC performance. I have to admit, I was very happy she sang 100% live. That in itself was a feat. No she didn't sound perfect or even good, but anyone with an ear can tell she has a lot of voice still left. It is not over. What I can't understand for the life of me is why Mariah Carey is still nervous, fumbling with her ear monitor, unable to sing in the cold, can't deal with a divorce (her second) etc? She is considered one of the best vocalists of all time. Mariah Carey. I don't think some of you lambs get what that name is supposed to evoke. Sure everyone has a bad day. Sure she wasn't the worst thing ever. I don't understand why she can't just have a performance where she just sings straight without frills and then doesn't get the flack. You all know I have been very vocal about Mariah tailoring her new songs and live performances to how her voice is performing now. No one on that show sounded as bad. No one in the world lamb or otherwise would consider any of them as great of a singer as Mariah Carey. So why the excuses? She needs to strip down the ensembles, the splashes, the vocal acrobatics and just be an artist and sing well enough to not inspire the internet hate. I love her but by God defending her to nonlambs is becoming a full time job. (Friday 5 December 2014; 6:40)

Confession (47,856) by Randy from USA I am in love with "Oh Santa". I'm playing Christmas music and of course MC is a heavily featured artist on that play list. That song came on and I lost my mind in the car. It's very happy and upbeat and I have no idea it wasn't a massive hit like AIWFCIY. (Saturday 8 November 2014; 17:11)

Pissed (47,511) by Randy from USA I am upset that her team released this video on Facebook of her doing whistle notes. No one doubted that MC could still do whistle notes. In fact, that's the one note I am pretty sure she can hit live, even if the rest of the performance is a backing track and she's lip syncing. Early in her career, MC said she didn't want the whistle register to become a gimmick. Now it's used constantly. A whistle register does not a singer make. If that was the case, then Chante Moore would have 18 #1s. A friend of mine told me in the late 90s when things began to go wrong MC would be nothing without the whistle register. Now what do I say to this friend? I love MC. God knows I do. But when will it stop with the smoke and mirrors? When will she address what's going on with her full voice? For someone nicknamed "The Voice",' I'm not seeing a single performance worthy of that title. Even when most lambs are "moved" by a recent performance, I see it as marginal, capable of being copied by any singer, of course, except the whistle notes. (Monday 20 October 2014; 6:49)

Lee / Emotions (47,493) by Randy from USA Much better. I am pleased. I can't say she sounds amazing. It's marginal for someone who is considered 'the best vocalist in the world' by many. But I'm glad to see whatever was going on the first night is not permanent. (Sunday 19 October 2014; 1:17)

Wendy Williams (47,215) by Randy from USA She just covered MC's bad vocal performance today on her show. I know you all think she is below MC and MC doesn't pay her any attention. I'm not sure if you are aware of it but she has the #2 daytime talk show behind Ellen and is beating Ellen in some markets. I'm not the biggest fan of Wendy or her opinions but I watch her everyday because it's entertaining and Oprah left a huge vacuum. With that said, Wendy did not play the clips of MC singing because it would cost her show money to do so, but encouraged her viewers to youtube the clips. My point: I love MC. In fact my favorite song by her is one where her vocals were less than stellar, even in a studio. It is Right To Dream. There is no excuse, divorce, weather, travel, bad video clips, first night jitters, for her vocals. If she sounded like Ashanti, Brandy, Monica or any other marginal singer, then I can say, "oh, her voice isn't what it used to be". She is "The Voice". Even if she couldn't hit the high ad lib belts, why couldn't she sound pleasing to listen to during the verses? Listen, I am not trying to be harsh. You're right MC doesn't owe us anything. But I've probably spent $2,000+ over the years on MC items. I'm fine with that. I got some amazing things. Her primary job is as a singer. I am a teacher. Taxpayers pay my salary. If I don't teach well, I get fired. What happens to a multi-millionaire singer who has made her money off of her public? Every institution is now holding employees accountable. Are we not to hold MC in accountable? As a very public fans for years, how do I answer that she sounds awful, and yet singers who are not as popular as her, but have been singing just as long, like Tamela Mann, Regina Belle, Celine Dion, who may not sound like they did at their beginning, are still pleasing to listen to and not referred to as The Voice? (Monday 6 October 2014; 23:30)

The tour (47,113) by Randy from USA I'm just tired of making excuses. The setlist was too long, she is going through a divorce, she traveled across the world. We are getting too many bad performances from someone who is supposed to be one of the all time greatest vocalists. Since that Oprah performance of Hero in 1997, it has been way too many inconsistencies and no I don't expect her to be perfect but to have a noticeable difference in your voice and never address it directly and keep on with the smoke and mirrors. I remember watching her at that BET performance thinking to myself, why is Mariah Carey lip syncing? Isn't that reserved for JLo, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson? This is Mariah Carey. I think some people love her so much they just hang on to the fact that she's almost on pitch. And call that a great emotional performance. Aretha, Patti, Chaka, Gladys and Tina held on to their voices for decades and even though they have all declined somewhat, there is still some resemblance of their former greatness. So basically, I will be spending the next 6 months defending her on Facebook. I am mortified, yet again. (Sunday 5 October 2014; 0:11)

About the lists and JLo (46,953) by Randy from USA I've been on this board for years and I've noticed that the lists start to appear whenever there's little going on with MC. Right now she's about to tour, everywhere but her home country, which is understandable because we're fickle and nitpickers, so there's no new album, single or television appearance. And let me put this out there. She completely dropped this album. It sold more than JLo's initially and yet JLo is still releasing singles and making appearances. MC has just disappeared. When MC has a new project, and I'm not talking about a perfume or beverage (shade), coming out, then the lists will disappear as they always do. And finally, I looked at the favorite songs list and not one fan mentioned what is my favorite song of all time, Right To Dream. A little sad. (Thursday 25 September 2014; 12:12)

Top 25 (46,844) by Randy from USA 1. Right To Dream 2. Butterfly 3. My All 4. Through The Rain 5. Outside 6. Never Forget You 7. Bye Bye 8. Petals 9. Heartbreaker 10. Never Too Far 11. Loverboy 12. Languishing 13. Close My Eyes 14. Looking In 15. Always Be My Baby 16. Vanishing 17. Fantasy 18. Touch My Body 19. We Belong Together 20. I Stay In Love 21. Obsessed 22. Reflections (Care Enough) 23. Twister 24. Someday (Video version) 25. Can't Let Go (Friday 19 September 2014; 3:31)

Butterfly (46,809) by Randy from USA I get upset with this board sometimes because you all nitpick everything MC does. I agree her live performances have been wobbly, the voice needs repair and her image is comical to the general public. With all of that said, it doesn't add or detract from my life and I'm not in tears because of the current state of those things. I have to wonder if some of you have a career, a family, a job, or a God and Savior the way you obsess over MC's every little move. Now with that said, the reason I fell in love with MC is this album. On Butterfly's 17th anniversary, I learned that an artist could be commercial and deep at the same time. She uses impressive vocabulary, intricate melodies and different arrangements/genres to create this pop masterpiece. And it flows together seamlessly. There has never been an album that infuses genres and flows together like this nor will there ever be. It manages to mix pop: Butterfly, My All, Whenever You Call, Close My Eyes, with R&B: Babydoll with Hip Hop: Honey, The Roof, with Gospel: Outside with 70s/80s Soul/Funk: Fourth of July, The Beautiful Ones and with Dance/Techno Butterfly Reprise/Fly Away. No matter where MC is commercially, artistically or image-wise, I will always be grateful for this album. (Wednesday 17 September 2014; 6:09)

Memoirs (45,952) by Randy from USA I have to politely disagree. I love Memoirs. In fact I like Memoirs more that MIAMTEC, although I know I'm in the minority. MIAMTEC is too earthy, experimental, neo-soul for me and I prefer MC toeing the line between pop and R&B. (Friday 8 August 2014; 22:47)

Favorite covers / favorite songs (45,744) by Randy from USA Well since her team/IDJ seem to be over MIAMTEC, I'll go ahead and answer the current topic. Favorite covers/mash-ups: 5. Do You Know Where You're Going To? (die hards know it's from that Valentines promotional CD) 4. Make It Last/Thank God I Found You (without Nas, the long version) 3. Without You 2. My All/Stay Awhile 1. Against All Odds Favorite songs: 5. Outside 4. Through The Rain 3. Right To Dream 2. My All 1. Butterfly (Saturday 2 August 2014; 15:56)

E=MC2 (45,457) by Randy from USA I agree with whoever said this is her most commercially polished album since Music Box. I love Last Kiss and I never thought Bye Bye was a bad single choice. I live for her final adlibs. But no one is going to agree with me. I thought MOAIA was commercial as well. I do not think MIAMTEC is. Everyone knows that my favorite MC cuts are the introspective cuts like Right To Dream, Petals, Outside, Close My Eyes, Languishing and Looking In. But I do like when she takes those cuts and weaves them in with commercial MC. I feel like MIAMTEC is too experimental/newage/soul but I know she is going to ultimately make the music she likes regardless of segments of her die-hards. Thank God her catalogue is so extensive. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 5:59)

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