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

5 Whitney songs that Mariah would slay (66,210) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines It's been a while since lists have been posted here. While waiting for music-related news from Mariah, here's a list of 5 songs (which unintentionally happen to be all slow jams that are mostly non-singles) from Mariah's good friend Whitney which I think our girl would also do justice to and I wish she could consider doing as a tribute in the future: 5. Until You Come Back - This will suit Mariah's current voice well, as it was also recorded by Whit at a time when her voice started to show signs of wear and tear as well. 4. After We Make Love - Mariah's breathy coo would be perfect for this track. 3. For The Love Of You - We all know by know that Mariah does well with breezy, laid back songs like these. 2. You Give Good Love - Everything about this just screams Mariah - the melody, the smooth groove, and the sexy overall sound. 1. Just The Lonely Talking Again - Mariah's vocal tone and delivery will surely complement this smooth, elegant number. Honorable mention: Saving All My Love For You - I have no doubt that Mariah will do her own thing with this, but the song is one of Whitney's signature songs that it would be difficult to ignore its popular association with her. What are yours? (Tuesday 13 September 2016; 5:46)

Infinity (66,173) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Over a year later, I have come to realize how, as much as it isn't her worst single ever, it's overall one of the least successful ones sonically. My biggest problem with Infinity (other than the painfully strained belts) is and has always been the sub-par production. Mariah's vocals have never sounded so "cut and pasted" before, and the whole thing really sounds like 3 or 4 different songs clumsily strung together to form a single audio track. In that sense, it reminds me of and seems to be the R&B counterpart of Lady Gaga's Venus, where almost every part could be a strong hook that more appropriately belongs to a different song. Both songs ultimately come off as Frankenstein musical projects as a result of their disjointed nature, which is not to say that this approach to making music doesn't work. Girls Aloud's Biology for example, is a masterclass in making different musical styles/genre weirdly work as one brilliant track. I am all for breaking the rules of production in the name of musical experimentation, and I hope Mariah does that more in her future releases, but creativity should not come at the expense of overall listening experience. (Monday 12 September 2016; 11:27)

Article: Mariah takes bubble bath in diamonds and nothing else (66,125) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Now this is beyond unnecessary - it's downright rubbing it in others' faces. Do you hear that? That's the collective "ugh" from disappointed fans around the world as they roll their eyes while sipping "normal people champagne" waiting for more worthwhile, music-related news. (Sunday 11 September 2016; 9:12)

Re: Honey 9-3-16 (65,930) (65,942) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Oh. My. Gosh. She actually sung more than 60% of Honey. Must have been a good night, haha. Hope this isn't just a one off. (Tuesday 6 September 2016; 13:44)

Re: Duet With Ja Rule prevented a sophomore slump (65,933) (65,941) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Those numbers show that she actually hasn't sold well since 2002. I feel like the term "flop" is relative to an artist's overall success. In that context, whether or not an album is considered a flop highly depends on it's performance compared to how well its predecessors did. The bigger the difference, the more of a flop it is. Although we should be a bit more considerate especially in comparing albums released in different decades for obvious reasons. Rebirth was the first real time J.Lo has flopped. We can say Love? performed modestly considering how digital single sales, which was in was in full swing back then, affected how albums sold. As such, J.Lo has been flopping against her own standards since over a decade ago. To be fair, that means Mariah has flopped since 2008. E=MC2 even underperformed considering it was riding off the high of TEOM, although that's mostly on Mariah and her team for choosing the wrong singles post TMB. (Tuesday 6 September 2016; 13:29)

Re: Sade (65,921) (65,929) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Sade is golden. I have all her albums, which have increasingly become harder to come by (only 6 so far, and from Lovers Rock, it took a few months shy of a full decade for her to release Soldier Of Love). I especially love her voice more when she was younger, from the Diamond Life to the Love Deluxe era. I'd love Mariah to cover Your Love Is King, War Of The Hearts, Love Is Stronger Than Pride and Kiss Of Life. (Tuesday 6 September 2016; 4:02)

Family drama comments (65,880) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines So far, most of the readers' comments I have seen regarding this issue lean towards defending Mariah. Even some of her haters have her back on this. I guess that's a good sign that people may not have completely lost faith in her as a person after all. (Sunday 4 September 2016; 11:42)

Family drama (65,879) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I rarely post when it comes to Mariah's personal life, especially when it comes to her family and romantic relationships, just out of respect, I guess, since the media already does that in a remarkably awful way. The thing is that unless we really have been there to witness how Mariah deals with these special people in her life, we are only left to speculate. Even so-called "insider" sources aren't reliable. So Alison turned to prostitution once again, maybe out of desperate measures, or maybe because it happens to be one of the few things she knows that worked for her before. On one hand, maybe Mariah stopped (that is, if she really, completely did) supporting her sister because she has realized how much of an enabler she has been in the past for doing so, although maybe she may have taken it a bit too far this time. On the other hand, a lot of people who deal with substance abuse are known to be very good at looking for someone else to blame for the consequences of their own actions, and maybe Alison is one of them. Morgan's actions may also either be partly or fully driven by genuine concern, depending on how opportunistic you think he is. That's a lot of maybes, huh? Exactly. (Sunday 4 September 2016; 11:41)

Re: Summer songs (65,868) (65,876) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines That's so cool. If you notice, Mariah may very well be the queen of summer ballads. (Sunday 4 September 2016; 11:13)

Comeback possibilities (65,871) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines If Mariah manages to pull off yet another comeback, I feel like it would be more critical than commercial in nature. It probably be akin to Britney Spears' recent resurgence rather than Beyoncé's much celebrated blockbuster return. Albums just don't sell as much anymore, and even younger artists such as Alicia Keys or newer ones like Ariana struggle to shift units. A decade ago, a mainstream artist selling less than 100K a week would have been considered abysmal. These days, we can have charttoppers that haven't even surpassed 70K in sales. I'd rather settle for critical acclaim. Many great albums in recent years haven't done so well commercially and have gained a cult following due to their superb quality. At this point in Mariah's career, she shouldn't be releasing "smashes" if they're only hits in her eyes (Infinity and Triumphant come to mind). If she doesn't have any potential #1s or top 10s, then maybe she should just be releasing albums as a whole without any preceding/supporting material. These days it's really rare for great LPs to be bestsellers as well. Fortunately for Mariah, she's had her share of those in the past. She said it herself - she wants to have songs that she can be proud of at the end of the day. MIAMTEC was a good warmup albeit with some very obvious weak links. Now it's time to focus on making something that's lean and mean rid of all the dead weight. (Sunday 4 September 2016; 7:08)

Article: Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez together on stage? (65,835) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines See MTV this is why you struggle to remain relevant. You're willing to do everything for these 2 superstars (who clearly would rather embarrass themselves in public than be in the same room together) fake a beef-squashing that won't benefit their careers more than they would save the plummeting ratings of your senseless awards show or once great channel that has somehow oscillated into one of the trashiest networks what with your countless "reality" shows, cheap shock tactics and your propensity for giving awards to questionable recepients. I miss the MTV I grew up watching, when it used to be the coolest thing on TV. (Friday 2 September 2016; 23:09)

Re: Mariah and Jazz (65,787) (65,814) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines There Goes My Heart is a lovely track with a cute storyline and its playful sound masks its slightly sad undertone. Maybe too much whispering for some but for me, it suits the summery, laid-back, beach-side vibe. Light summer jazz, if you will. It's one of Mariah's more unique songs in her catalog. (Friday 2 September 2016; 4:04)

Re: Mariah should cover "Never can say goodbye" (65,801) (65,813) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines That would be great as well. That or One Day In Your Life. (Friday 2 September 2016; 3:54)

Re: Michael Jackson cover (65,804) (65,812) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Butterflies is one of the few great songs on Michael's Invincible and is one of my top 10 MJ songs. The only artists who I know can do it justice are Janet and Mariah with their penchant for complex, dizzying harmonies. It would be perfect. Plus, although it was released as a single and was a top 15 hit, it isn't as popular as MJ's other blockbuster hits so that should take some pressure off Mariah if she covers it. Part of the reason why Mariah's take on On More Try was underwhelming was because it was well-loved and an effective as well as impressive exercise of restraint from George Michael to begin with that any attempt to recreate it would have been criticized as well, except maybe if it were Adele's as she clearly can do no wrong in the public eye these days. I think with Butterflies, it will not only be more suited to Mariah but also a bit easier for her. Please make it happen. (Friday 2 September 2016; 3:54)

Thoughts (65,635) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Mariah did relatively fine for her first night at the Colosseum. I hope she gets better in the following shows and end it with a bang rather than a whimper. Meanwhile, on a completely unrelated note Britney Spears just released her best album in years while Carly Rae Jepsen dropped an EP of outtakes from last year's widely critically acclaimed E-mo-tion LP, which pretty much means I'm gonna revel in pop nirvana that will tide me over until the next few months, or hopefully long enough until we hear new material from Mariah. I really hope that Empire track is good enough to spark some public interest. (Friday 26 August 2016; 12:57)

Miming theory (65,586) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Okay this may paint Mariah as a bit too vain, but let's be straight here - she has progressively obsessed about her appearance in just about everything she does what with her constant hair flips and acting as if she's completely surrounded by mirrors and cameras all the time. So yeah, Mariah mimes a good 30-40% of her shows these days. Aside from the fact that it's simply become more of a struggle for her to hit the usual money notes, and the valid yet abused excuse of her "saving her voice", I feel like another good reason why she lips is because she wants to be able to get through even the most difficult performances as pretty and poised as possible. We know that when she just lets go, she can really almost mimic, if not even surpass certain parts of the recorded versions of her songs, albeit nowadays that comes with the price of her running around directionless on stage with her arms madly waving in all places. The worst part is that she doesn't seem to think that this is the biggest thing that gives her away. Most recent case in point, she'd lip the first 2 lines of the second My All chorus, pause for a second and then come in live at "'cause I can't go on..." until the chorus ends. You clearly see how she somehow even manages to smile while "singing" those first 2 lines while she struggles a bit with the following lines, which are supposed to be easier to sing. In fairness to her for this particular song, it is hard to belt out the beginning of the chorus when it pretty much segues from the end of the preceding verse, but that's the problem. But still, don't pretend to sing a difficult part of any song with such ease and serene facial expression only to expose that you faked it later on by showing signs of struggle when the singing the less challenging parts and then think that you have everybody fooled. She must stop keeping up this ideal of looking pretty, sexy and perfect every time she performs. Early Mariah managed to hit those high notes more easily and gracefully in the past and yet she rarely wanted to act out any intention of seducing the audience. Now she just can't seem to do without the fake-sexy-come-hither-gaze-while-feeling-herself-all-over-too-much routine. Her efforts are split between looking great while sounding good and while that's still possible to some extent, it just makes one wonder what magic would happen if that energy went into actually trying to nail the song. (Wednesday 24 August 2016; 12:26)

Re: New promo (65,542) (65,549) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Wow. That looks hella weird. Makes me wonder if Mariah is ever involved or consulted when it comes to the the visual aspect of promoting her brand. I mean if she is then this is just self-sabotage. Though I recall her commenting on the creepily photoshopped YTKWTD single art that she has no power over that. Like how is that so? I mean she is the artist after all, so how can she not have any say on these things? Just how dis-involved can she get, or how involved is she allowed to be? (Tuesday 23 August 2016; 10:18)

Re: Article: "American Idol" contestants react to Mariah Carey (65,518) (65,545) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I don't have anything against Lazaro, nor do I care for his recent comments. I think his story is inspiring, but honestly, seeing it from a talented performer standpoint, him even making it to the top 10 was a huge mistake. The fact that he ended up as the last guy standing was a travesty. None of the guys were great that season, but he just got by with his boyish good looks and great backstory. Was the voice there? Maybe, as he had this diamond-in-the-rough appeal. However, he just wasn't ready for the bigtime. You could almost hear the amount of hard work that went into coaching him to put out a passable performance at best. But then again by that time AI has already long lost its credibility as a singing competition, so I guess that didn't really matter. (Tuesday 23 August 2016; 4:12)

Re: New promo (65,532) (65,544) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines The airbrushing on Mariah's body on that is horribly obvious, especially the part around her tummy (check navel). Now I am not new to the internet, much less the reality that everyone benefits from photoshopping these days, but if we're being realistic, this is partly why she can't seem to catch a break. They should have stuck with the cropped, more PG version. This whole body shot just somehow distracts from what is supposedly the real spectacle of the show - her voice. (Tuesday 23 August 2016; 3:21)

Article: Mariah Carey's underrated sophomore album turns 25 (65,400) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines "Mariah wouldn't completely liberate herself from the fetters of everything she believed was holding her back until 1997's Butterfly, and has since strained to maintain an equilibrium in terms of both her music and image, often slipping into caricature." Truer words have not been spoken. This pretty much sums up not only her image these days, but her as a person, period. More and more people are finding it difficult to believe that the hitmaker they loved back then and the Kardashian she has pretty much oscillated into these days are one and the same person. No wonder there are crazy theories floating around of "the real Mariah" dying/being abducted at some point and then being replaced by this whole other person. I hope we don't get to a point where such outrageous speculations start to sound more comforting than the reality that is. (Thursday 18 August 2016; 10:03)

Appropriately sexy (65,177) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'll be waiting for that day when Mariah realizes that sexy isn't necessarily synonymous to skin-tight, low-cut, see-through, bra-out or bra-less, pant-less, skimpy, lingerie-only, peek-a-boo, or barely-there. One can be age-appropriately sexy with minimal skin exposure. Not every freaking get-up should leave little to the imagination. Mariah, now sure if you're aware of it, but you're starting to look like Stella by the day. No, just no. It's never good to take fashion and makeup tips from Disney's Ursula. (Friday 12 August 2016; 6:06)

Re: Pettiness: in reverse (65,116) (65,118) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Thank you. Exactly. Like when did "diva extraordinaire" or "queen of shade" ever spell "approachable"? I know this labeling thing is quite high school-ish, but whatever walk of life you're from or age you are, these are labels that will never ever be responded to positively. I guess we could say shame on the media for perpetuating these labels, but at 26 years in the game, let's be honest - the bigger shame is on Mariah for acting the way she did, especially knowing how the media would take it. Now we can all make excuses for her about how she's free to live her life, how she's somehow "earned" the right to act that way (I know I did before - a lot), but it has come to a point where she's finally at a better place in her life, 2013-14 has long passed. If she still can't succeed now, then it not only speaks of how real ageism is or how brutal this game has become, but also how much she has lost touch with what really matters - her connection to her fans. I know she still appreciates us deeply, and her ways of expressing it has changed (and lessened) over the years, but I hope, I really do hope she also gets to see how much of a struggle it is for us fans to defend her constantly. And no, don't even bother with the "nobody asked you to stand up for her" argument - we're fans, dammit. And we still hurt when we see her hurt, even if the pain happens to be self-inflicted. And no matter how much we criticize her or even make public declarations of how we've "given up" on her, the truth is, we know deep inside that we'll still be the last people out there fighting tooth and nail for her, because that's what a true fan does. Deny as we may, there's a bit of an Andrew in all of us - maybe not as brutally frank - but he's in there. Seemingly overflowing with haterade, but silently die hard. (Wednesday 10 August 2016; 11:33)

Re: Mariah's World (65,102) (65,105) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I great that you see that Mariah's selling her personality, because honestly, I don't know what it is she's selling anymore. Which is funny because she has sold a lot probably the widest variety of things over the past 5 years - perfume, nail polish, video game, even flavored water (how is that going by the way, does anybody know?) and yet I still feel like the only thing that she sold over that period that sticks out and is even worthy of discussion was MIAMTEC and we all know how that turned out. So if she indeed is selling her personality, then she's in trouble because even that doesn't seem so appealing now. (Tuesday 9 August 2016; 15:24)

Re: WTF? (64,980) (64,990) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Honey, you are reading waaaaay too much into this. Relax a bit as you take a festive sip of bubbly. (Friday 5 August 2016; 11:55)

Article: Mariah Carey talks "Mariah's World" (64,959) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Season 7? Really? She was a mentor for a week then. She was a judge for the whole 13th season. Why am I even explaining this? It's just one of the saddest things ever when reporters don't even get the most basic facts straight before publishing it for the entire world to see. (Thursday 4 August 2016; 15:58)

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