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

Re: B Rodney Jerkins (92,946) (92,948) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Rodney Jerkins hasn't really had solid production since, well, Brandy's brilliant Full Moon and Michael's Invincible the year before. He had a few flashes of brilliance here and there since, but post 2003 he really hasn't had a signature sound other than the "Darkchild" tags he put on many of his productions. (Wednesday 19 February 2020; 20:47)

Re: Mariah needs to recover her voice and stop touring (92,918) (92,947) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I say the sudden change is a confluence of many factors, with individual differences being the #1 factor. Each person's body is different and responds to stress, lifestyle changes and detrimental habits differently. She was never a marathon live singer to begin with. Several voice coaches have noted the anomaly of her being able to sing in spite of her nodules, also criticizing her singing techniques to be potentially damaging in the long run. She identifies herself as an alto when many classify her as a soprano, and that kind of misunderstanding of your own voice may lead to unhealthy singing habits. She might have sounded good, but she probably wasn't singing the best way. We also know how aging has contributed to her tone, even within her first 5 years in the business, her sound has gone from fuller, darker and even brash to lighter, more feminine and ethereal. On top of these were the external factors - her marriage was on the rocks, her arguments with the powers that be for more creative freedom on record, her slowly breaking free from control and partying harder, etc. Write this off as another list of growing excuses for her decline, but I'm just saying that such drastic change is possible in such a short time frame as a result of the perfect storm of every reason mentioned. Some more than others, some actually out of her control. (Wednesday 19 February 2020; 18:54)

Re: We Belong Together (92,928) (92,930) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines As phenomenal as We Belong Together is, I think it is not the best idea to recreate past glories especially since "lightning don't strike the same place twice" (which is ironically a Mariah lyric on a WBT clone track). Her signature songs had their moments, and every time she has followed the same formula to achieve the same results (which is ours to assume but the similarities just seem give the purpose away), the results have never really quite reached the highs of the tracks that inspired them. WBT has had so many iterations since 2005, all inferior, that I honestly have lost count. Mariah's better off experimenting, working with new producers that she hasn't worked with in the past. That's what made Caution so great and impressive. It establishes the fact that Mariah is just as involved in the creative process as much as her collaborators are and that she truly is a co-producer. Having so many cooks in the kitchen, one would expect a scattershot, messy album. But Mariah just has her way of keeping her signature sound intact (even some critics have pointed it out) and her producers introduce just enough nuance to make things a little different yet not too much to stray too far from the public's expectations of a Mariah record. If Mariah's gonna have another huge hit, it's likely something that isn't a retread of her past triumphs. (Wednesday 19 February 2020; 03:25)

Re: New Lamb alert (92,916) (92,921) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines When YouTubers make reaction/review videos on past material from artists who aren't as popular as they used to be such as Mariah, you know they're doing so out of love or at least genuine interest. This type of content typically doesn't pull in a lot of new subscribers. Every budding/established YouTuber who wants to grow their following are usually determined to put out content on the hottest and most recent releases to capitalize on fan interest, so when they do react to older content, especially from less current artists, it is something that's worth appreciating. I have been watching reaction/review videos for years now and while these mostly naturally focus on the YouTubers themselves than the material they're reacting to / reviewing, this is still a great way of introducing older artists and their material to new, likely younger audiences who wouldn't have seeked them out on their own. So next time you find a content creator you like, request them for Mariah single/album/discography feature via the comments section. Especially when she has new releases. They just might oblige and help get Mariah some new lambs. (Tuesday 18 February 2020; 15:51)

Re: New Bond song (92,865) (92,872) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I love Bond theme songs as well, if only for the reason that the franchise was able to curate a specific, instantly recognizable sound that can only be associated with the movie. I actually also appreciate Madonna's, because that was a time the franchise decided to deviate from their trademark sound. I always thought that if Mariah would make a a Bond song, it would be something that would be closer to my faves - Gladys Knight's License To Kill, Lani Hall's Never Say Never Again or Sheryl Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies. I love Garbage's The World Is Not Enough, Adele's Skyfall and the new one from Billie, but those also seem too dark for Mariah. (Saturday 15 February 2020; 02:43)

Re: In The Fix (92,835) (92,842) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Having Demnodules removed doesn't guarantee anything. A lot of factors contribute to vocal change. Mariah would be better off taking the safer route by making lifestyle changes and making more disciplined choices as these the only factors she has truly has any control of. Aging, hormonal changes caused by motherhood and menopause, etc. have and will continue to contribute to her vocal evolution, for better or for worse, for as long as she lives. Comparisons of her vocal journey to similar singers may be valid, albeit to a certain, very limited extent mostly due to another crucial factor - individual differences. This is probably why you rarely see singers in popular music being openly and outwardly critical of their peers' abilities because they understand that everyone's path is different; plus no one can discount there's the added enormous pressure put on them by being in the industry, being under constant scrutiny of the public eye and the stresses that these cause which artists will react to and deal with differently, mentally, emotionally and physiologically. (Friday 14 February 2020; 02:29)

Here to stay (92,818) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines We all should take it from Languishing: "And after all these years of enmity, envy and tears, it's a shame you don't know me at all." If there's one thing we could say about Mariah, it's that she is not a quitter. Even during her lowest of lows, she has always tried to bounce back after and as long as she watches her health I don't see that changing drastically in the next 20 years at least. She will keep on making music, getting business/endorsement deals, etc. She will gradually slow down, but she's not gonna stop. She is in it for the long haul. As for the constant touring, the 2010s has reassured Mariah that she just has to do the bare minimum and still sell tickets, so I don't see that ending anytime soon, especially since that's how she makes bank these days much more than actually selling new music. Kind of sad, but if younger artists like Gaga, Christina and Kelly are resorting to residencies these days, then Mariah likely isn't going anywhere, even with the accelerating deterioration of her voice. Also, we need a pop legend in the industry who is still capable of making good records. MJ, Whitney and George are sadly not with us anymore. Celine's last decent one was in the early 2000s. Madonna hasn't made a great record since Confessions on a Dancefloor. Cher is likely just gonna do themed cover version albums especially after the success of her latest one. It's just Janet and Mariah who have actually proven within the last decade that they can come up with accomplished, critically praised albums of new music decades into their career, way past their prime. So why stop now? The holidays won't let her anyway. (Wednesday 12 February 2020; 19:27)

Jessica Simpson (92,789) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines She is definitely not the best singer, but she has always managed to maintain a likable personality and comes across as very honest. Haven't listened to her memoir yet, but from the excerpts that have been shown in her interview with ET, she really wasn't afraid to get into the dark details of her failed first marriage, her weight struggles, her relationships post-divorce, her substance abuse, and her experience with the pressures of being in the industry. We have to remember that this sweet, pretty woman came out at a time when people didn't need another teen pop princess on the scene (Britney and Christina were already around) and Mariah was about to leave her label then. Tommy was desperate to find any big-voiced girl who can fill the void. Jessica is smarter than many give her credit for. She knew exactly how to use her "dumb blonde" persona to her advantage, surrounded herself with the right people and managed to build and grow an empire of her own while she was going through her career, personal and relationship issues. The only album I own of her is her post-divorce album A Public Affair, which wasn't well-received but to me is still a fun listen because it strikes a good balance between pop and country music (her voice and over-emotive singing style suits the latter better). I think she is quite inspirational and has remained pretty humble all throughout her life in the spotlight. Good for her. I'll be floored if Mariah will turn out to be as candid in her memoir as Jessica was. (Monday 10 February 2020; 14:18)

Re: Nao (92,758) (92,760) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Saturn is truly a great album. Even better than her debut album. Make It Out Alive, Yellow Of The Sun and Love Supreme are awesome, but its the combo of Orbit and Saturn that is truly out of this world, pun intended. Beautiful. Nao has such great range. So underrated. (Friday 7 February 2020; 17:00)

Superbowl Mariah (92,727) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Maybe from 1997-2008 would have been a great time for Mariah, as she was much more willing to get out of her comfort zone then, she was confident on stage, was much more mobile and far less awkward as a performer. The audience were also more receptive of her then, online life was less brutal, and the audience didn't expect too much visually. If Adele does it and pulls it off with minimal choreography then Mariah has a chance. (Wednesday 5 February 2020; 01:31)

Superbowl Halftime show (92,709) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines After two very disappointing years (thanks Justin and Maroon 5), this year was a nice surprise. It was amazing how well J.Lo and Shakira represented not only their culture but older women in the industry in general. So many young female artists are out there yet you couldn't really spot anyone who can move and command a stage like these two can. Light on the explosives and the usual Superbowl gimmicky spectacle, more focus was directed to the dancing routines, which were really, really tight even at breakneck speed. J.Lo's daughter singing kind of reminds me that it probably won't be long before we see Monroe doing the same onstage. Well done. (Monday 3 February 2020; 17:54)

Re: Hip pop (92,690) (92,695) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines She may have alienated a good portion of her AC fans and that for sure has affected her sales in some way, but that is also what carried her into the next decade. Besides, pretty much any artist who started out young and whose outputs have been met with staggering success, even in their prime years (usually 20s), are bound to experience a decline of some sort (Taylor Swift post-1989). For Mariah, it wasn't really about integrating hip-hop but just gradually broadening her sound in general that eventually saved her career. This is how she was able to gain new fans with TEOM that continued up to even MOAIA. After that, people just started to care less and less. This may be debatable, but had Mariah stubbornly stuck to her pre-Daydream sound, knowing the rapid shifts in trends from 1995-2004 (R&B - hip-hop - Latin pop - bubblegum teen pop - urban - rock), she probably wouldn't have made it past 2000. TEOM was instrumental in bringing contemporary R&B back to the forefront, laying the blueprint which Ne-Yo, Jordin Sparks, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Cassie, Keri Hilson, etc. would follow and top charts with later on. (Sunday 2 February 2020; 00:33)

If Mariah's gonna go full 90s with her next album (92,688) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Then production is key. This idea's cool, and Mariah's a 90s artist so she'll fit right back in and I'm fine with it. It's one thing to make the retro sound work for a single track, but to actually stretch it out into an entire album is a bigger challenge. The only other mainstream effort that pulled it off successfully in all aspects was 24K Magic, and that was largely thanks to The Smeezingtons and Bruno's sharp creative direction plus musicality. Mariah has to go more indie / low profile when it comes to producers. For a 90s sound, I stumbled across this guy Devin Morrison searching through Bandcamp last year. He produces his own stuff as well as for other artists. His debut album Bussin' transports you to the 90s, and is more organic and less flashy in sound than what The Smeezingtons do. He has a new song out, Casper. I urge you to check him out. He knows 90s R&B. If Mariah or any artist is gonna take the 90s route, then he's the guy to work with. Dude is talented and soulful. (Saturday 1 February 2020; 16:37)

Re: Salaam Remi (92,661) (92,663) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Salaam and Amy Winehouse made magic together. Timeless music. He also made very respectful mixes of some of Marvin Gaye's songs on his posthumous record released last year. Guy is very good at what he does. He'd do very well with Mariah. (Wednesday 29 January 2020; 16:44)

Re: Mariah's sizzling picture / Dolly P. challenge (92,653) (92,660) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines It is hilarious, though, how the 3 of the 4 images feature the 3 men in her life she has been with the longest - the first husband (LinkedIn), the second husband and baby daddy (FB) and current boytoy (IG) and then a completely random throwback men's mag type photo from a racy photoshoot from almost 2 decades ago (Tinder). The sense of humor is just on another level. (Wednesday 29 January 2020; 12:28)

Re: Hip pop (92,657) (92,659) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Just like I said - it was Mariah who popularized it. The Fantasy remix was the biggest hip pop song of the 90s, even bigger than Black or White, a pop hip-hop song that went to number 1 in 1991 as well. Janet's You Want This featuring MC Lyte was actually a top 10 hit in 1994. But it wasn't until Mariah came along with the Fantasy remix that such type of duet gained so much popularity mostly due to the stark difference between Mariah and ODB's styles of music at the time. It was a very unexpected, unconventional move and that made it seem like such a novel idea at the time even if someone else did it first. If anything, the recognition is actually less about Mariah getting the song to #1, but more about her proving that a full-fledged successful hip-hop crossover is possible for an established pop artist by merging the 2 genres seamlessly. (Wednesday 29 January 2020; 12:10)

Re: Hip pop (92,652) (92,658) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines That's different, because Mariah isn't a hip-hop artist to begin with. Otherwise she would have been credited for that even before Fantasy came along. Her rapping on Prisoner just means she incorporated a few rhythmically spoken lines into her own song and is obviously not an example of her popularizing the "thug love duet", with "duet" being the operable word. By your logic, Janet Jackson's Nasty and What Have You Done For Me Lately would also qualify and would have even been more influential as they were released earlier and were actual top 5 hits. A pop artist infusing her own songs with hip-hop by herself is different from the same pop artist collaborating with an established hip-hop artist, and it's the latter that Mariah is actually recognized for. (Wednesday 29 January 2020; 11:47)

Re: Hip pop (92,647) (92,649) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines To be fair, there were a few other efforts to bridge those two genres before Mariah. Michael did it for Black or White, Janet did it for You Want This, even Madonna did for I'd Rather Be Your Lover. But it was Mariah who popularized it. And like you mentioned, the idea that Mariah, an adult contemporary artist at the time (and probably the last artist in the world that anyone would have ever associated with ODB) had the audacity to go hip-hop then largely contributed to why it was such a pivotal moment. (Tuesday 28 January 2020; 20:18)

Re: Billie and Finneas (92,643) (92,644) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines That's how I felt when I first heard two of their first songs from Billie's 2017 EP, Idontwannabeyouanymore and Bellyache. I knew their sound was going to be polarizing but interesting if they broke into the mainstream. And sure enough, they did. Call Billie's music depressing, morbid, sleepy, macabre, lethargic, whatever - these two have a certain signature to their craft that is cool to hear in today's mostly same-y soundscape. It's no wonder that of all the albums released in the first half of 2019, it was her release that was able to consistently remain in the Billboard 200 top 10 by the end of the year despite having just one #1 hit. She has the ability to connect to both today's generation and the older ones as well and the two songs I mentioned are good examples of how she is able to do both - there's a modern side, but there's also some old soul inside her. And for someone who just turned 18 months ago, her songwriting is quite mature for her age. And her hushed harmonies are gorgeous. Of course like all sorts of revolutionary/innovative sounds throughout history, this will always be met by some resistance, but like you said, it still gives us hope that music still finds a way to evolve through innovation. It's not gonna be for everyone, but I'd rather have that than stagnation. (Tuesday 28 January 2020; 10:23)

Re: Billie and Finneas (92,631) (92,637) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Appreciation for music has always and will always be a matter of personal taste. And we digest music in different ways as well - some go for the melody first, some the production, some the lyrical content, and some how an entire song or collection of tracks (I was about to say "body of work", but you know, Andrew would not let me hear the end of it even if it lacks the word "cohesive" ) works as a whole. Much of the criticism hurled towards Billie is for being strange, for relying too much on mumbling and whispering, for creating darker-themed content, for not creating what some consider as conventionally "good" music. It doesn't matter whether those are fair or not because they're valid to those who make them and that's understandable. As someone who appreciates what sounds fresh and new, Grammy or no, I appreciate artists who actually come up with something that challenges the comfort levels of the general public when it comes to what they consider listenable or even of quality. Sometimes it isn't all about innovation - sometimes it can be about bringing what's unconventional into the mainstream. Mariah actually wasn't the first artist to collaborate with a rapper in a song - Janet, Madonna, Michael, etc. actually did it earlier than her, but Mariah is mostly credited for that nonetheless because she was the one who did it well enough to gain mainstream success and widespread critical acclaim. But in the end the appreciation and accepetance of these things are something that we can and will always agree or disagree on in varying degrees. And that's okay. (Monday 27 January 2020; 21:42)

Billie and Finneas (92,629) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This might be an unpopular opinion, but Billie Eilish deserved it. The first time I heard When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go last year, I knew how much of a strong contender it would be for Album of the Year. It's not the prettiest set of tracks out there, and is practically an ASMR album with all the weird sounds and sinister whispering, but overall it definitely is an impressive feat especially when you factor in the fact that it was mostly created in a bedroom without much of the big record company studio polish. Who ever would think that an album dismissed as mumble-town would go on and become a worldwide mainstream hit off of the success of just one #1 single? Bad Guy and pretty much anything in its entire parent album sounds like nothing else on the radio these days, but this achievement feels more than a mere result of the novelty of the material, it also feels like the soundtrack of a new generation of listeners. It reminds me of a modern, darker Jagged Little Pill, although not quite as universal and iconic. The songs are deeper and better thought out than most would expect from such a young artist - the track "Xanny" was specifically produced to make the listener feel uncomfortable (and is very effective at it), the closing track "Goodbye" combines all the first lines of the songs that preceded it, etc. Although Billie's sweep reeks much of the Grammys' tendency to drop a gaggle of awards on a new artist, it wouldn't hurt to cut Billie and Finneas some slack. Billie is one of the most unapologetically original artists to emerge in recent years, and her brother's production style is a breath of fresh air in today's sonic landscape. It is yet to be seen if they can actually outdo themselves, but that's another story. Music should also be about challenging the norm and pushing the boundaries of which sound is perceived to be acceptable, and both artists have definitely made 2019 musically more interesting. (Monday 27 January 2020; 12:31)

Re: Love Takes Time (92,601) (92,602) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'm all for Ballad-riah, but I'd like her to work with Finneas for that. Good enough for his sister Billie's entire discography so far, good enough to get Selena her first number one with a stripped, bare bones ballad in an otherwise beat-oriented 2019, then he should be able to work well with Mariah. But I'd really prefer Mariah to come back with an uptempo. She kicked off MIAMTEC things with a midtempo and that stalled at #15, then she kicked off Caution with With You and that went nowhere so I guess it's time to go with something of a faster pace with infectious, high energy. (Sunday 26 January 2020; 15:40)

Re: H.E.R. (92,475) (92,491) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines H.E.R. is one of the artists this generation that actually gives me hope. She has released 2 solid albums, and while her songs can be quite a challenge to tell apart, she is a great songwriter and musician, which is quite really impressive especially considering how young she is. Best Part, U, Focus, 21, Take You There, I Won't, Could've Been, Let Me In, etc. are top-notch R&B. Definitely an artist that lets her talent do all the talking. (Monday 20 January 2020; 05:09)

Re: What if (92,454) (92,467) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'd be thrilled, not at the possibility of them working together again, but of the idea that Mariah is actually capable of squashing a decades-long beef. For about 5 seconds. And then I'mma be over it and go, "Okay, that was interesting, can we bring in another producer that Mariah hasn't worked with yet? Preferably someone that no one would ever expect her to work with." (Sunday 19 January 2020; 18:40)

Re: Celine vs. Mariah (92,437) (92,438) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Haha. Oh Andrew. I'd go all Ricky Gervais on you right now and say, "shut up, shut up, I don't care" and leave it right there, but I won't because you're entitled to your opinion of others' opinions. I was just relaying some shared/overlapping thoughts that I recall some critics have regarding the differences between the three divas that they have brought up or brushed upon in various, random music reviews, some of which I agree with, and some of which I am yet to grasp where they exactly are coming from. The post was not meant to establish those points as facts - clearly there are some people in this board alone who already disagree with some of them. And that's fine. As for me downplaying Celine's abilities, well, the woman has clearly earned her spot in the pantheon of supreme singers, regardless of what I or anyone says, so I don't see what "downplaying" them just to make Mariah look better can possibly accomplish, especially in a Mariah message board. I do enjoy her songs and own several of her albums. The woman has always been more capable of belting circles around Mariah, especially these days. She has the stamina, discipline, work ethic and actual voice to still do that. But to me her performances have more often than not struck me as bit more on the mechanical side, such that at times it's almost as if she catches herself mid-sentence, realizes this and resorts to overdoing stuff just to keep things interesting. Not that Mariah can't be that way as well, but Mariah seems better at concealing it. As for Celine's passion, if by that you mean more of an eagerness to impress, then sure. Also, Mariah does have the whistle register and is still somehow capable of accessing it these days, so I won't set that aside, since I was referring to range as the scope of notes she can hit and not necessarily the ease she can hit each note within it with, I'd say she technically still has the wider range, just without Celine's ease of access. What puts me off about Celine's performances is not the same as what annoys you. I've accepted her tendency to overdo things the same way I have learned to deal with Whitney's proclivities for loudness and bombast. For me, it's actually more of her tone. It's polished and unique, but can be exhausting to listen to track after track after track, especially in her standard 17-track albums at 4-5 minutes/song. You said that Mariah's voice is perfect - not too much of this or that. That's my point. Celine's tonal quality is not as interesting as Mariah's, and that, coupled with her extremely safe, very MOR brand of pop and lack of variation in vocal delivery (she does try though), often yields bland(er) results. (Saturday 18 January 2020; 18:44)

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