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

Irrelevant but... (46,855) by Billy from Greece Lately (namely, almost the past year), I've been obsessed with Sarah Vaughan. Yet another aries diva, just like Mariah, Diana Ross, Aretha, Elton John (!), Chaka, and the list goes on. I remember Mariah mentioning her quite a few times (even earlier this year) as an influence, but I never really delved into her catalogue and body of work, until (relatively) recently. If you haven't done that either, do it. The woman is a wonder to behold. Her voice went through various changes through the decades, becoming quite dark and heavy towards the end of her career, yet retaining an undeniable allure. She may be considered an "acquired taste" (in the sense that her style is probably less immediate than Ella's) but the breadth of styles and genres she crossed is impressive. I personally prefer her post-1960s work (while her late 1970s work is some of her best). Listening to her improvisations on her "Live in Japan" set, as well as her little stories and the kind of humor interjected in between, reminded me a lot of Mariah, especially in the impromptu performance in Carlyle (2012). A true artist. (Friday 19 September 2014; 21:45)

Rolling Stone feature (46,829) by Billy from Greece There is a Rolling Stone feature on the 100 best singles of 1984 that has been circulating, and both (originals) "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" and "Didn't Mean to Turn You on" are included. In both tracks, Mariah's name comes up. Here's what the commentators wrote respectively, in addition to comments about the original versions: "Mariah Carey took it one step further in 2002 when she turned it into a full-on, symphonically orchestrated R&B song" and "Mariah Carey used the original instrumental bed for her 2001 version, which appeared on the soundtrack to her notorious quasi-biopic Glitter." Glad to see Mariah mentioned in such pieces. It shows that what she does/has done does matter indeed. (Thursday 18 September 2014; 10:33)

Tour musical director (46,781) by Billy from Greece Big Jim Wright is the musical director for the tour. Yet another step in the right direction. I love all of his contributions to Mariah's album, ever since "Rainbow", and I'm really happy they have a steady partnership throughout the years. I wish they did even more stuff together. And can we mention once more that "Cry." is an absolute masterpiece? (Sunday 14 September 2014; 10:21)

Mariah's catalogue (46,667) by Billy from Greece Although in recent years it was the death of specific artists that re-instigated public interest in them as personalities and in their body of work, I'm glad I'm appreciating Mariah in the present, for the abundance of music she has created and, subsequently, offered to the public. Reflecting on a very recent incident where a "fan" of Diana Ross ripped a picture of hers in front of her car when she did not sign it, I realize once more that even well-intentioned fans sometimes think that their favorite artists owe them something, be it the music they want to hear or attention. Aside from these issues, re-listening to "Charmbracelet" and "Memoirs" recently, along with the exquisite "Elusive Chanteuse", I'd like to say how much I admire Mariah as the artist she has chosen to become. Obviously, noone's perfect, and flaws are to be found. But, taking these albums as an instance, I find utterly admirable the way she re-invents the persona she has chosen to cultivate in public, which shows an insight that transcends the present moment. There is such richness in these albums that they can be approached like mini-"novels". Mariah has evolved from a girl with a fantastic voice to an artist whose spirit and creative imagination has infiltrated her work, resulting in thoroughly fulfilling musical experiences, that surpass anything middle-of-the-road, perfectly constructed/consumable out there. (Sunday 7 September 2014; 16:04)

Gorgeousness (46,555) by Billy from Greece And what about that fantastic harmonizing? (Monday 1 September 2014; 20:14)

1990/2014 (46,517) by Billy from Greece It's been a while since I listened to the early Columbia albums, and last night I played the first album. What I've always loved about this album, since the very first time I listened to it, is how distinct the intros to each song are (especially, "VOL", "AIYM", "AIL", "SFUA") that the immediately capture your attention. Also, "Alone In Love" is really special, structure-wise and mood-wise, while I also remembered the story about Warner wanting to include it in a movie soundtrack in the late 1980s (or something like that). Still, while we all know the head-turning effect of her voice since day one, I can't help but recognize that as a vocalist Mariah has grown immensely. Her voice has always been a wonder to behold, but listening to "Cry." in 2014 is a totally different experience than, for instance, listening to "I Don't Wanna Cry" (no pun intended). She has developed such intricacies and details in terms of her technique that are now even more difficult to imitate (than the big notes of the first years), while her interpretive skills are beyond reach at this point (look at "One More Try"). Although I love those early records with a passion, I have to recognize that it was indeed with "Butterfly" that Mariah the artist fully landed. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 12:19)

TMZ clip (46,386) by Billy from Greece Some of you are going to say "but she was just doing her job". Well it is one ugly and insulting job to do, isn't it? The girl incessantly asking Mariah to comment made me so aggravated that I can only imagine how Mariah felt during those moments. I applaud her for keeping her cool. Still, I so loved the moment, after all the fake "I'm sorrys" of the immensely insensitive stalker-interviewer, when Mariah said "No, you're not, thank you though." Classic Mariah. (Tuesday 26 August 2014; 9:31)

"One More Try" (46,281) by Billy from Greece Skipping the current flaming issue. I just wanted to say how epic Mariah's version of this classic is. It is so understated that it can be initially mistaken as underwhelming, especially when compared to George Michael's "divalicious" performance. However, it is totally on par with Mariah's other brilliant remakes, only with an extra touch of identification on her part as betrayed by her very introspective delivery. Inimitable interpretation. I'm also very glad that she retained the "breaking" of her voice/phrasing towards the end, as well as the final semi-wail ("autumn boy") which is as live as a studio performance can get. (Friday 22 August 2014; 22:13)

"Faded" (46,153) by Billy from Greece Sometimes I feel like it is the child of "Alone in love" and "Sent from up above". Awesome track. (Wednesday 20 August 2014; 15:09)

Re: PJW / "Bye Bye" (45,878) by Billy from Greece I loved your post. (Tuesday 5 August 2014; 23:06)

Re: Mimi L. (45,714) by Billy from Greece Just to clarify: my second post was not directed exclusively to you, and I would never mock another person so blatantly. It was a general reference to several posts about the "drama" of the whole deal. Re-reading my post, I can now see how the "Einstein" comment can be interpreted as being offensive when directed to a specific person (which was not my intention), so I'd like to apologize for that. It was more in the vein of "we don't have to be Einstein" to see the concept behind the Katy Perry video. In any case, I've devoted more time and words on the topic than I would originally care for, so I'll stop here. (Friday 1 August 2014; 10:37)

Re: the "drama" (45,708) by Billy from Greece Have you not seen the video where the "singer" under discussion throws major shade at Mariah calling her "fabulous for a throwback"? You don't have to be Einstein to read between the lines. Just look for that interview. I doubt the look-alike in the video is a shoutout. (Thursday 31 July 2014; 22:58)

Haters (45,704) by Billy from Greece Remember that insidious blue-haired wannabe-singer who trashed Mariah on an Australian show a few months ago? Well, she has indeed included a lookalike of Mariah in her new video (as rumor had it), obviously taking a shot at her. Have you heard her speaking by the way? Her presumptuousness is just something else. (Thursday 31 July 2014; 18:51)

Me. I Am Mariah (45,655) by Billy from Greece I just wanted to put out there that this album has been my saving grace these past couple of months. I devotedly listen to it, step by step, every single time I put it in my cd-player (yes, they still exist). It's such a gorgeous piece of work, such a true representation of Mariah the artist. Have you noticed that in most tracks Mariah does all the vocals (including backgrounds)? It's pure Mariah from start to finish. I somehow don't want to tell too much about the album, I don't know why. I feel too connected to it. And yes, "Cry." is everything, and by that I mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Just can't get enough of this beautiful album. (Monday 28 July 2014; 22:48)

"One More Try" (45,624) by Billy from Greece I'm not one of those people that will milk a song's lyrics to draw strict (or random) conclusions about who Mariah may have written/sung it for, especially since we don't know what's really '"really" happening in her life (unless she has opnely discussed about it), yet this section of "One More Try" inevitably does create some correlations with people involved in Mariah's life from back in the day (who could be the "teacher")": "When you were just a stranger And I was at your feet I didn't feel the danger Now I feel the heat That look in your eyes Telling me no So you think that you love me, no That you need me I wrote the song, I know it's wrong Just let me go" (Sunday 27 July 2014; 14:58)

"Meteorite" (45,623) by Billy from Greece Does anyone else think that this song was probably inspired by what MC experienced during American Idol, watching people striving for fame? Gorgeous song anyways. (Sunday 27 July 2014; 14:53)

Gorgeous vocals from 2012 (45,376) by Billy from Greece Why are the professional tapings so inferior, audio-wise, compared to amateur recordings like this, which showcase much more clearly the vocals? I don't get it. (Sunday 13 July 2014; 12:44)

Check this out (45,127) by Billy from Greece I'm sorry about the language I may use, but everytime I come across this interview, I just wish I could punch that interviewer. I mean, supposedly Mariah is the diva, the difficult, snob, whatever celebrity bla bla bla. But check the attitude of the interviewer, especially her look. She oozes bitchiness and total contempt for Mariah. MC is so articulate and nice here. And what does that other bitch have to say? "Humility doesn't sit all that comfortably." Really? Some people. No wonder Mariah, or any celebrity, is fed up with interviewers and interviews of this kind and acts "weird" in future interviews. I mean, just look at that woman, her haughtiness. Who does she think she is? I swear, I don't know the lady, but she comes across as a vastly disagreeable person. (Friday 27 June 2014; 9:51)

MC background singers / Whitney (44,802) by Billy from Greece I was checking some Whitney videos, and came across this one from 2008, which I had quickly seen when it first aired, but never did I notice that all of the background singers were Mariah's. I knew Mary Ann had worked with Whitney around 2009, but here you can see Melonie Daniels as well as Takeytha Johnson. Also, although I had found it disappointing back in 2008, Whitney showed some real pipes here. To quote Janet, "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till it's gone." (Monday 16 June 2014; 10:22)

Re: Tony Dicarlo (44,660) by Billy from Greece You're saying that Mariah should work with "producers and writers and create an album with a Norah Jones sound. [....] Mariah needs to leave the hiphop for young artists and focus on a more mature, refined sound, like Norah Jones or Susan Boyle. [...] Songs like Thirsty are not what Mariah needs right now." Susan Boyle? Norah Jones? Again, Susan Boyle? Uhm. Do you have the slightest idea about who Mariah Carey is, personality-wise? I mean, the slightest? I get it with the wishful thinking, but keep it realistic people, on the basis of the artist you're talking about. Again, Susan Boyle? (Wednesday 11 June 2014; 21:39)

Heavenly / Through the Rain (44,487) by Billy from Greece Does anybody else hear the similarities? (Wednesday 4 June 2014; 18:28)

Target edition (44,421) by Billy from Greece Does anybody know if the Target edition of MIAM comes with both the Japanese cover as well as with the "regular deluxe" version cover? I want the close-up version (with the hair pulled back) but some sellers on ebay and amazon advertize the Target version with the cover of the deluxe edition. Any clue? On another note, still waiting for my standard edition to arrive, while no record store has the cd in my city so far, which has irritated me profusely. (Monday 2 June 2014; 16:07)

Me. I Am Mariah (44,062) by Billy from Greece Masterpiece (in capitals). Just speechless. (Saturday 24 May 2014; 14:16)

You Don't Know What to Do (43,763) by Billy from Greece Awesomeness. Love the intro. Especially the "so surprised" section. And yes, the 4 tracks off the album already previewed in their entirety make a brilliant collection of sounds. (Saturday 17 May 2014; 18:27)

New article (43,564) by Billy from Greece New article (Tuesday 13 May 2014; 22:20)

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