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

5 current female acts you'd like Mimi to work with (77,480) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Now we all know that we'd sooner see Mariah dye her hair green than collaborate with another (singing) female artist, but it's just a shame that she won't collaborate with these younger ones from this generation (so far): 5. Adele - They could team up for an uptempo track from Adele's future dance album. 4. Lady GaGa - It's clear Mother Monster is a lamb and it seems Mariah respects her as an artist so what is taking them so long? 3. Beyonce - There have been a lot of rumors and speculations and it's time for this to finally materialize. 2. Ariana Grande - I know, I know Mariah doesn't know her and that at least 3/4 of the Lambily thinks she's a dumbed-down, derivative copycat, but remember what Me And The Music did for Britney and Madonna? Well actually nothing commercially speaking, but it actually bridged the generation gap between the fans of both artists and doing this would at least establish that Mariah is not threatened by some starlet. Plus, if you really dig a bit, a lot of Ari's non-teenage fans are actually lambs who are waiting for new Mariah music. 1. SZA - The least mainstream on the list, I probably only put her at #1 because her brilliant debut album Ctrl has been the best R&B opus I've heard since KING's We Are King last year. I'm obsessed with Love Galore and she is the artist that Rihanna wanted to be with ANTI but fell short of. If Mariah's resistance to working with female artists stems from fear of being overshadowed by the magnitude of her co-star, then she won't have much of an issue with SZA. She might finally influence Mariah to finally take the alternative/progressive R&B and neo-soul route she hinted on with #Beautiful and Make It Look Good on her last album. Oh well, one can only wish. (Wednesday 26 July 2017; 09:58)

Sad (77,337) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines First, Chris goes. Now this. R.I.P. Chester Bennington. (Friday 21 July 2017; 00:45)

Comeback (77,334) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines As someone who also entertains crazy, implausible ideas from time to time, I'm not completely shooting this one down, but are we really supposed to believe that all of this bullcrap that has been going on over the last 3 years has been part of some elaborate plan to stage Mariah's comeback? This period has professionally been the worst throughout her entire career and as much as I would like to think that this mess has been a deliberate effort by her team for Mariah to have something to come back from, I really don't think Stella is that smart. Highly unlikely. Way too much damage has been done and Mariah has lost probably at least half of her core fanbase in the process. So far Stella's biggest accomplishment as a manager is that she was able to somehow convince Mariah to become one of the things she has once hated - a reality star. And not even the good, entertaining kind. So I guess I should take back what I just said and admit that Stella may be smart after all. *shudders* (Thursday 20 July 2017; 23:41)

Oversinging / young singers (77,112) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Mariah has often been criticized for oversinging, especially during her earlier albums, which she actually has admitted in an interview before. But even her oversinging then pales in comparison to the desperate attempts of today's generation of singers. Have you heard Demi's newest single? Girl is just obnoxiously screaming her lungs out in the chorus. Poor Demi. She really can't catch a break, can she? She'll have the occasional top ten single but then fizzles out quickly. Out of her contemporaries, she's had the least impact and is easily the most forgettable. She can try, but she'll never be as edgy and kooky as Miley, nor can she ever have Selena's ear for great experimentation and quirky vocal delivery. Loving Fetish, by the way. It's like Good For You part two. Nice. (Friday 14 July 2017; 12:32)

Re: Wild Thoughts / chorus girl Mariah (76,918) (76,935) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines There are artists who use samples and make them count. On the other hand, there are also those who just lazily slap them on the track. Mariah is one of the former. She chooses samples for a reason yet makes sure that the other parts of the song hold their own as well, unlike other artists and producers who just let the sample do all the work by turning it into the song's hook, and Wild Thoughts is the perfect example of that. Mariah really knows her way around a sample - she understands that borrowing sounds from other songs a) is costly, b) is a responsibility to both the artist she borrowed from and the public, and c) should be justified by the final product. Mad respect to her for that. (Friday 7 July 2017; 00:54)

Wild Thoughts / chorus girl Mariah (76,917) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I get the appeal of the song, it's okay though it's a blatant attempt at capitalizing on this renewed interest for Latin-tinged music and tropical beats, but that's only due to the brilliant sampling of Santana's Maria Maria. Without it, the whole thing falls apart. I have always felt iffy about Mariah's own songs where she was relegated to the role of chorus girl, but sometimes I feel like she should do what Rihanna does these days and jump into guest spots for songs from hot producers. It does sound desperate, but at least it would somehow widen her horizons a bit and work with people outside her usual circle. Calvin Harris just dropped the summer album of the year that's funk-oriented, and he has songs in there where Ariana and Katy sings like 2-3 lines repeatedly. I wouldn't mind if Mariah did that these days. I mean she already did Why You Mad, so I assume there is no way that things will get any worse than that. I mean this idea of unlikely collaborations and this hip-pop thing may not be something she invented, but is something that she brought to the mainstream in the form of Fantasy. So why not own that and take advantage of it, show everybody that nobody can beat her at her own game? (Thursday 6 July 2017; 12:47)

Favorite/most memorable Mariah vocal runs/riffs (76,898) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This is gonna be hard: 10. Cry. - To me, her most recent memorable riff happens during this song's climax (third to the last singing of the word "and"). 9. Whenever You Call - One of the loveliest endings to a Mariah song ever. The second to the last singing of the word "call" that segues into the final singing of the song title. 8. Fantasy - Not exactly the most challenging one, but this invitation to Fantasy is so effectively good that they kept it for the official remix: intro before the beat kicks in. 7. Circles - Some of Mariah's most impressive runs are those that start as simply sung notes yet ascend to a whistle within milliseconds: final chorus ("and I don't think I can't make it without you..."). 6. Butterfly - Beautifully placed, hearing this is the aural equivalent of seeing a butterfly soar to the sky in slo-mo: after the bridge ("until you learn the way it feels to fly..."). 5. My All - Every single time Mariah sings the word "tonight". Seriously. Only a genius would be able to come up with such variety in a single song. This could be another list entirely. 4. Vision Of Love - The that iconic one that announced her arrival: outro ("and it was all..."). 3. Never Too Far - She has a lot of gorgeous skyscraping runs but this one is one of her most underrated: the final "oh" towards the end. 2. Can't Take That Away - That monumental one towards the end ("that shines brightly..."). 1. Lead The Way - You know it's that great when even the background music momentarily stops just to showcase it. Perhaps her most difficult one to replicate because of its speed and complexity - she goes through around 20 notes in just 4 seconds: final chorus ("and let it take over..."). Conclusion: nobody - and I mean that in all caps - riffs as well and inventively as Mariah. (Wednesday 5 July 2017; 10:57)

Re: Connecting the dots (76,868) (76,877) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Actually she did incorporate a line. Towards the end of the song, she ad-libs "you're my fantasy" lifted from the Fantasy (Remix). (Tuesday 4 July 2017; 10:15)

Fourth of July cover (76,876) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines It's that day again. Did you know that there was a time that Filipinos also celebrated July 4? It was when our country was colonized by America several decades ago. Anyways, on to the song. Fourth of July remains to be one of Mariah's most complex songs thanks to its vocal layering and endless vocal runs. Like its parent album, it never seems to age. Don't know if this has been posted here before, but I came across this great cover of it by a guy (there haven't really been many, but this is the best I have seen by far). He makes the most out of the limitations of his voice, proving that this song could very well be a hit for a male artist R&B today. Nice job. (Tuesday 4 July 2017; 09:35)

Re: Jazz album (76,764) (76,781) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I believe Mariah sings jazz better now than she ever did when she was younger for two reasons: 1. Her voice has adopted this leathery texture that's especially apparent when she sings in falsetto. The resulting sound is raspier, drier, less polished, yet also warmer and more suitable for the genre. 2. She now has the experience to back it up. Her performances are grittier and more raw, lending more conviction to whatever she sings. You no longer hear an ingenue - you hear the dignified sound of a woman who has lived enough to share her inspiring story. Although some here deride the idea of releasing a jazz album believing it would be the final nail in the coffin of her flailing commercial career (and there's a real chance they may be proven right), I would still love to hear it. If she doesn't plan on changing her lifestyle habits anytime soon, jazz may be the only genre she will sound good in. (Friday 30 June 2017; 09:49)

Re: "Fourth of July" - unheard vocals (76,739) (76,759) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines That final run should have been used in the studio version of the song. Much sexier and smoother. Levitates you to the clouds and cushions your fall to the ground within a matter of seconds. Virtuoso. (Thursday 29 June 2017; 13:08)

JoJo - Wonder Woman (76,700) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines While the state of Mariah's career has been stuck in the same limbo for the past 3-4 years, I'd rather listen to fresh, new music. JoJo just dropped a great song possibly meant to capitalize on the success of the blockbuster movie of the same name in theaters right now. This is slinky, minimalist R&B at its best because it highlights her amazing vocals. Now if only Mariah had the guts to make songs without having to force herself to come up with easily digestible hooks. But then again she is an R&B singer with a pop heart, so I guess this would be too much to ask of her because it would be going against her instinct. I hope this is a taste of another album from JoJo. She truly is one of our most underrated artists. (Tuesday 27 June 2017; 15:33)

Re: Glitter era vs now (76,437) (76,442) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines In the off chance that your query wasn't rhetorical, I'd say the Glitter era, as disastrous it was for Mariah both personally and professionally, is still better because she learned from it and grew stronger because of it. The reason was valid. It truly was a breakdown. She still had the public's support, which showed throughout the Charmbracelet era. By contrast, I don't even think you can call what's been happening post-Idol an era at all - it's more like a nightmare we still keep wishing to wake up from but instead keeps pulling us deeper, taking turns for the worse on almost a daily basis. This mess-fest that's been happening for the past 4 years now is Mariah throwing away everything she's worked hard for during her first 2 decades in the industry. You can really see just how different the Glitter era was from today by simply observing the public response to what's happening. Living through 2001 was painful. 2013 onwards is just exhausting. The fact that people have gone from sympathy to apathy is very telling. This isn't MJ or Whitney levels of depressing - at least not yet. I hate to say it but she may well be on her way there if she continues to regress at the rate she does now. Thankfully Roc and Roe are there to keep her sane. (Tuesday 20 June 2017; 12:18)

Re: Feuds? (76,370) (76,396) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines D. Mariah has never been good at feuding. She can't help but throw shade until all of them dark colors run out and seems incapable of letting go and move on. I really hope Mariah and Nicki could work again someday. Nicki is just as petty as current Mimi is but no one can deny that she's been one of the most bankable artists in the scene in the past 7 years. There's a reason why she's still around and Iggy Azalea was just flavor of the month. For this generation, she's what Lil' Kim was in the 90s and what Missy was in the early 00s. I think she and Mariah are just too much alike attitude and personality-wise, so they can't really get along that well. But they still can make great collaborations together. I'd prefer her working with Nicki over her working with up-and-coming/C-list rappers. Gone should be those days of choosing to work with them so that she won't be overshadowed as much under the guise of "helping them" because this time, if she wants to rent a rapper anyway, she should be going for the big guns - Drake, Kendrick, Kanye, Nicki, Chance, etc. (i.e. people who actually chart on iTunes, are viewed on YouTube and get streamed on Spotify). Thirsty for relevance? Better quench it the right way and do music with the right people instead of entering ridiculous business ventures, staging faux-lationships and squeezing yourself into unflattering outfits. (Sunday 18 June 2017; 09:43)

Re: 27 years today debut album (76,257) (76,272) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I Don't Wanna Cry and Alone In Love, though I might easily swap the latter with Sent From Up Above depending on my mood. Those two were huge missed opportunities. I truly feel like even Prisoner, with its cheeky rap that's cringe-worthy by today's standards, could have been the perfect upbeat follow-up to IDWC and could have topped the charts as well, with its melody that's less fussy than Someday's. (Tuesday 13 June 2017; 13:00)

Re: Mariah Bulochnikov (76,108) (76,118) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This is the most glaring evidence yet that The Walking Blush has indeed brainwashed Mariah. Since when has the "prowling-middle-aged-desperate-divorcee" look ever been "in"? I swear at this point they probably are getting twinsie-themed pictures of themselves, giggling themselves to sleep in the same bed every night. I dread that day when I can barely even tell them apart, and these photos only serve to suggest that we've accelerated to that point even more. To those suggesting that Mariah should go back to being a brunette, now would not be a good time. Not if she rocks it with that tragic look. They've likely been sharing the same closet and going to the same doctor for at least a year now. Someone bitch-slap Mariah out of this hypnosis stat. (Thursday 8 June 2017; 12:16)

Artists you love that may surprise others (75,967) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Okay, this board has been under quite a dark cloud since Martyn's passing. May he rest in peace. So to lighten things up a bit, it's sharing time once again. It's a given that we all love Mariah, and it probably follows that we also love her diva contemporaries. But we also follow artists that aren't necessarily like them that may seem random or come as a surprise to others. Mine are: Jason Mraz Neon Trees Hiroshima Tove Lo DNCE Joao Gilberto Lily Allen John Mayer The Cardigans Hall & Oates D'Sound Ellie Goulding Cher Lloyd Michael Franks The bird and the bee Mandy Moore Amerie Michael Learns To Rock Sophie Ellis-Bextor Kimbra Carly Rae Jepsen Swing Out Sister Color Me Badd Seth MacFarlane The Carpenters What are yours? (Friday 2 June 2017; 14:02)

Re: Mariah lost the plot after Memoirs (75,878) (75,890) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Totally agree. A keen observer would have noticed that the 2009-2011 period was a huge transition in the music industry in many ways. This was a time when Lady GaGa and Ke$ha, who ushered in and dominated the scene with electropop from 2009-2010 started to get crushed under the very trends they repopularized in 2011, just a year later. This also brought in the new wave/generation of music fans, the ones who equate relatability with youth, and so artists over 35 began to feel the real struggle of having a top 10 hit without doing something drastic or controversial. This is where ageism became truly apparent. Add to that the shift from being an album-driven to a single-driven business (Adele would later on be the only exception), we would now see why Mariah, a true 90s albums artist, would find it really difficult to catch up. Her decision-making career-wise progressively began to go downhill since then, with more misses and lesser hits as years went by. As terrible as the Idol stint was, she didn't use the renewed interest in her wisely. At the same time, the producers also decided to milk the unappealing feud for promotional purposes. Then came the multiple album delays and her accident which completely crippled any legs that MIAM had back then. It really was a series of unfortunate events and bad decisions. Come to think of it, for Mariah, the only great things that came out of the 2009-2013 period were Memoirs, MC2Y, DemBabies and #Beautiful. (Tuesday 30 May 2017; 23:17)

Re: Martyn who? He is not the only victim (75,698) (75,706) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Shut up. Trust me, you don't want to embarrass yourself more than you already have. Not on this board. You chose a wrong time to be stupid. (Thursday 25 May 2017; 14:59)

This is madness (75,681) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I won't say I can totally relate, but my heart also goes out to Andrew and anyone here who had the pleasure of meeting Martyn. This is one of those times that make the phrase "here today, gone tomorrow" feel real. Probably everyone here has had that experience in different ways at some point in their life, it was just extra difficult for Andrew because of how recent their last interaction was. It's crazy how one event can suddenly make everyone who wasn't harmed feel an unsettling sense of survivor's guilt, especially those from the UK. Easier said than done, but still, stay strong, guys. And poor Ariana as well. So young to have such a traumatic experience scar her for the rest of her life. I hope she also gets to recover from this in due time. It's not your fault that they died. This is just another case of people being at the wrong place at the worst timing. And for the terrorists who caused this, there's a special place somewhere for you. Just you wait. (Thursday 25 May 2017; 00:14)

Dear Martyn (75,675) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Martyn, I don't know how heaven works or if you also have internet in there. But in case you're reading this, let me start by stating the obvious here that we and about 97% of the people in this board don't know each other personally. But that's exactly the thing. It took me several hours to react to the news of your passing because I guess I just underestimated the impact you or any other regular poster here actually has on my life. And you know, when we scroll through messages on this board just enough to be able to recognize the posters' names, we tend to take them for granted. We see these horrific events on the news and they sadden us but don't really hit us until they happen to people we know. I guess the outpouring of love from all of us right now proves that this isn't just some fan board. This is a special albeit dysfunctional family that we are all lucky to be a part of. Now after reading through a lot of your posts, I really hope Mariah knows that she just lost one hell of a great fan. Rest in peace, Martyn. Now you get to shine down on your family, friends and Mariah from heaven. (Wednesday 24 May 2017; 23:21)

Selena Gomez's "Bad Liar" / fresh sound (75,360) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Girl has a wisp of a voice but she sure knows how to use it to her advantage, surrounding herself with the right people to work with and experimenting with different sounds, samples and textures to compensate for her vocal limitations. She was great throughout Revival (loooved Good For You, Hands to Myself and Me &The Rhythm), and her latest is definitely creative and catchy in all the right ways. It stands out from everything else currently on the radio. That Talking Heads sample is just genius. There was a long period when Mariah was also this innovative. I really miss that time. As for Selena, well done and I can't wait for what comes next. (Friday 19 May 2017; 12:18)

Re: The ultimate Mariah Carey song poll (75,271) (75,275) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Butterfly. The least successful yet most meaningful among the three, yet the most difficult to sing. It still is the most liberating ballad I have ever heard in my life. No other chorus in Mariah's catalog soars in the uplifting way that Butterfly's chorus does. And that bridge perhaps is her most perfect buildup to a song climax ever - short yet very moving. It leads to that magical rollercoaster of a run that still stands as one of her best ever. All that and I still haven't talked about the impressive vocal acrobatics and improvisations that follow. Butterfly is hardly the song she will always be known for, but it will always be her best, most sincere autobiographical song. End of discussion. (Tuesday 16 May 2017; 10:51)

(75,121) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Funny how some consider Boy (I Need You) a fan favorite when pretty much everyone here (except me and maybe 2 others) actually dislike it. (Wednesday 10 May 2017; 05:13)

Re: Songs you don't like that are fan favourites (75,074) (75,088) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Yeah, I'm more like a The Wind or Everything Fades Away kinda guy, especially the former. (Tuesday 9 May 2017; 03:33)

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