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About Billy from Greece: I don't know, and neither do you.

Re: Carlos (50,204) by Billy from Greece Hi Carlos. Could you please provide a link for the photograph you have as your profile picture? Thank you in advance. (Monday 16 February 2015; 10:47)

Nannies / Mariah "comment" / public (49,456) by Billy from Greece These stories are definitely ear-candy for the general public who consider Mariah a supreme diva-bitch in the vein of original "supreme" diva-bitch Diana Ross. At the same time I do recall an interview of Mariah in early 2014 (not sure at the moment which one) where she did throw shade to some nannies (before any of these stories break out) hinting at hiring/firing different people "when they try to be more important than mommy". This was not the exact quote, but she did say something along these lines, which means that there must be a history of mishappenings. The comment, though, in the recent article that the twins "were getting confused about who mommy was" does sound far-fetched. Still, such stories about Mariah that have been more often in the last decade combined with her stint at American Idol are the source of the general public's "change of heart" towards Mariah. In fact, out of all the issues that have been discussed here about the underperformance of "The Elusive Chanteuse", I believe that it was the Nicki Minaj fight debacle that caused everything. Remember that in the 1980s Diana Ross suffered a huge decline in popularity and public liking in the US as a result of a fictionalized stage play ("Dreamgirls") based on a foe's autobiography, and then of an unauthorized biography portraying her as a tyrranical person. (Thursday 29 January 2015; 17:05)

TEOM / 10 years later (49,390) by Billy from Greece 2005 was really a page-turner for both Mariah and her fans. The "Mimi" album was eye-opening. It was as if it came out of nowhere with a big bang. I was left speechless song after song. "Mine Again" made me drop my mouth a few times I recall. I loved the live instruments, I loved Mariah establishing herself fully as an R&B artist. Equally important, apart from overcoming the "Glitter" jinx, "TEOM" was significant for Mariah in terms of how she was seen within a broader pop culture, namely, as a black artist, which meant a lot to her obviously. At the same time, as much as I loved the whole era, in the next years I ended up cringing every time the fans would wish that Mariah repeat everything she did with the "Mimi" album. In fact, the "TEOM" cast a huge shade over subsequent releases and their evaluation, to the point that it became overbearing. "Mariah was so classy during the Mimi era. Mariah was so perfect during Mimi. Mariah, why can't you be the Mimi album all the time?" I don't know if it is mainly people that became fans during that era that make these comments and cannot envision Mariah outside that "role" but I feel torn now about the "Mimi" effect. Even Mariah was trapped in the unparalleled success of that album and the pressure to repeat it. The album as a piece of music is truly valuable. However, I wish fans will able to appreciate what Mariah has done post-"Mimi" and not glorify an era just because of commercial success or a (questionable) Vogue stylist. (Friday 23 January 2015; 21:50)

"Emotions" / "Make It Happen" (49,324) by Billy from Greece This is mostly for the young ones who may not be aware of this, but remembering the controversy regarding the singles from the "Emotions" album, I revisited the "originals" from which MC and C&C supposedly borrowed. While The Emotions' "Best of My Love" can be considered an inspiration, in the case of "Make It Happen" and Alicia Myers' "I Wanna Thank You" I have to admit that the chord changes of the intro are very similar between the two songs, although the foundational melody is pretty different. Bottom line: both are great songs. (Tuesday 20 January 2015; 20:02)

Re: Grammys (49,288) by Billy from Greece My last post regarding the Grammys included a link of an article published by Billboard. You can find it online if you're interested. It offers some explanation about the voting members and process and how the recording academy is not responsible for the results. You may gain some insight into why Mariah has been snubbed throughout her career. (Sunday 18 January 2015; 20:18)

Grammys (49,280) by Billy from Greece Some information that may (or may not) clarify some things pertaining to the Grammys. (Sunday 18 January 2015; 7:40)

Re: Jenny / "Without You" (49,268) by Billy from Greece I guess subtle jokes don't communicate via written language always. (Saturday 17 January 2015; 23:14)

Eyes / Ellen (49,244) by Billy from Greece No disrespect to those believing that Mariah looked happy on Ellen, as it comes from a loving place, and I'm not doubting that either, but let's face it, only Mariah knows how she feels no matter how she looks (and did she look gorgeous or what). Remember an obscure song she recorded that says "you always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows"? (Friday 16 January 2015; 23:25)

"One More Try" (49,240) by Billy from Greece Am I the only one that gets a lump in their throat just with the opening bars of "One More Try"? The original song is obviously gorgeous, but Mariah's version. It is this album's "The Beautiful Ones", primarily in terms of meaning and significance at the point that it was recorded. Mariah is totally "naked" in this song, showing what a brave artist she really is. Especially when she's whispering "who's the teacher, I'm the student", I just lose it. Such an emotional song. (Friday 16 January 2015; 21:52)

US lambs (49,239) by Billy from Greece I'm so gutted and jealous over the US lambs being able to go see MC. I need to pay over 1000 dollars for an airplane ticket just to get to Vegas, meaning no show for me. I want to see Mariah live dammit. When will be my turn? Cry baby, I cry. (Friday 16 January 2015; 21:41)

"Meteorite" (49,237) by Billy from Greece Can we acknowledge the banger that this hypnotic track is? Mariah is the epitome of the dance diva here. Superb work from a masterpiece album. (Friday 16 January 2015; 21:33)

Slant Magazine / Juzmine Sullivan (49,218) by Billy from Greece In an interview with R&B singer-songwriter Juzmine Sullivan, the interviewer (Andrew Chan, also a fan of Whitney) poses this questions: "How much does the singer in you factor into the songwriting process? You listen to some of the other great female singer-songwriters in R&B, like Mariah Carey, and you imagine while they're writing a song, they're keeping in mind that moment when they can make that key change and hit the sweet spot in their range. Is that something you think about while writing?" Cool, right? (Thursday 15 January 2015; 23:49)

Shelly / "Vanishing" (49,182) by Billy from Greece Dear Shelly, the iconic "Vanishing" should never, by any means, ever, in the history of mankind be touched by the "artist" you mentioned. No disrespect, but for the sake of the lambily, even as a thought, it should evaporate as soon as possible. I mean, ever. (Thursday 15 January 2015; 9:21)

Diana Ross (49,112) by Billy from Greece Anyone who says that Diana Ross is just an "average" singer has been clearly either not listening or very much influenced by misinformed "word of mouth". The woman is a world class interpreter of lyric, much like Barbra and Whitney, adhering to the melody of songs with meticulousness and intense connection so much that she achieves full conviction. The nature of her voice and vocal style may not be widely associated with black female singing, primarily by the mainstream/pop audiences who identify it with gospel and power belters, hence why usually gospel-influenced singers like Aretha get prioritized. Although her singing sounds "easy" it demands total control of her instrument, which she still has. In fact, as she grew older, her voice matured in her own benefit, augmenting in volume, acquiring excellent belting technique (showcased in the early 1980s in particular) and exploring huskier territories (see 1999's "Every Day Is a New Day"). More importantly, she exudes a very distinct personality in her singing, which is crystal-clear and never overbearing. There are too many examples to site here that showcase her as a vocalist (for instance, "Summertime" from 1987) but check out the expanded "To Love Again" (1981/2003) album, which is basically an excellent ballad collection. Another favorite of mine is the one below. (Sunday 11 January 2015; 15:08)

Dvd dubbing / video editing (48,899) by Billy from Greece Not only there is audio dubbing (something almost everyone does, although I truly believe Mariah did not even need it and I tend to always prefer the unedited versions) but there is also video "dubbing". That is, some small parts of the concert were retaped, maybe to look better, I don't even know. You can see that in "Hero" at Proctor's. You can follow the simulated live parts by checking the changes in her hair. It sounds funny, but I'm not kidding. (Friday 2 January 2015; 12:47)

"Don't Explain" (October 4, 2014) (48,886) by Billy from Greece A favorite song of mine, even before the divine Miss M performed it, it has now become even more intense thanks to her interpretation. Although she performed it in later shows when she was in better voice, her rendition from the infamous first "Chanteuse" show remains my favorite. There is a painfully slow lugubrious musical crawling going on in this delivery, with her voice cracking here and there, making it for the listener an almost voyeristic experience. As a writer has put it, "vocal crisis is a form of communication", "when the voice breaks down, the diva shows us how beggared and partial the terms of her triumph have been". Even then, or sometimes especially in these moment, the divine Mariah achieves transcendence. (Thursday 1 January 2015; 23:18)

Re: nikki (48,440) by Billy from Greece Great back to back posts. (Wednesday 10 December 2014; 14:36)

The whole speech (48,409) by Billy from Greece I love her references in this little tidbit. (Monday 8 December 2014; 18:43)

MC's t-shirt (48,339) by Billy from Greece Check the logo on Mariah's t-shirt from way back in 2010. Is it what I think it is? (Saturday 6 December 2014; 10:14)

Marc Shaiman (48,294) by Billy from Greece Yet more reasons to love this sweet man. (Friday 5 December 2014; 22:35)

"All I Want for Christmas" (duet video) (48,180) by Billy from Greece Remember that duet Mariah did a few years ago of "All I Want" that we all want to forget? I guess the one good thing about it is that in the video Mariah looks stunning. I mean, drop dead gorgeous. In all stills and gifs of that video, Mariah captures one of her best looks ever. I guess it should come as no surprise that it was directed by Sanaa Hamri, who in my opinion, along with Diane Martel, has brought out the best of Mariah in most (if not all) the videos they have worked together. (Wednesday 3 December 2014; 22:30)

Mary-Ann Tatum (48,096) by Billy from Greece Apart from Mariah, Mary-Ann has worked with two other legendary divas: Whitney (as I mentioned some time ago), and Diana Ross, on the latter's 1999 great "Every Day Is a New Day" cd. Hm, interesting. (Friday 28 November 2014; 18:06)

"Born Is the King" / MCIIY (48,075) by Billy from Greece I can literally sit through a whole album of "Born Is the King" interludes. The hypnotic harmonies, the deep and slow beat, the layers, just timeless R&B gorgeousness. I've started listening to "MCIIY" lately, which I loved instantly when it came out. "The First Noel" probably contains the best, most clear and "bright" vocal on the album, while all tracks up to the duet with Miss Patricia are top notch. In facts, tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 are exquisite. While I love the vocals on "One Child", I'm not fan of the children's choir. Also, there is quite a "mistake" on this song, around 3:19, which makes me wonder how could MC let it there. There is an interjected "shout" at this point that is really discontinuous with the previous singing, which puts me off somehow. Also, on the sublime "CTIITAA", the moment she raises her vocals for the "and to feel love like ours always" lyric, you can notice that it was sang somehow separately from the rest of the song. Could be because of the pregnancy and her breathing at the time, I don't know. Actually, what in my opinion slightly brings down the otherwise great "MCIIY" are such moments of bad comping, or of rather processed vocals (intro of the camp fest "Auld Lang Syne"). By the way, comping is when several vocal takes of a song are done and afterwards the best phrases/lines are chosen and put together as a whole seamless track. Finally, am I the only one who feels like the extra festive "AIWFCIY" runs a bit faster than the original? (Wednesday 26 November 2014; 8:59)

Subtle Invitation (48,024) by Billy from Greece Can we discuss once more about the masterpiece "Subtle Invitation" is? I get blown away every time I hear it, 12 years later. (Sunday 23 November 2014; 11:46)

Name-calling (48,011) by Billy from Greece Although I could not care less for Wendy Williams, calling her "drag queen" or "man-like" or things pertaining to a non-conforming gender identity is disrespectful towards people that are actually non-conforming. You're basically using it as an insult, which is a clear display of both sexism and homophobia. Please keep it in mind and find more politically correct ways to throw shade if you will. (Saturday 22 November 2014; 9:31)

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