Messageboard

About Edward from USA:

Stacey / Miss You Must is one of my favorites (36,859) by Edward from USA Hi Stacey, I just read your post about you having a slightly different version of Miss you most at Christmas time. I would die to hear it. if you don't mind sharing the mp3 with me, it would be greatly appreciated. (Thursday 29 November 2012; 15:13)

Two great performances (36,858) by Edward from USA I'm so happy to watch such great performances at the Rockefeller Center in New York. I haven't seeing Mariah sing this great in years. Her voice didn't crack at any time, or she didn't have to go to her whispery voice to mask her inability to hit a certain note, it was just great, and she seems to be having a good time with such confidence. I even went back to watch when she sang AIWFCIY in Disney in 2004, and this performance was as great. I assume her voice is in good shape, because she's recording a lot. This is the Mariah I want to see, she doesn't have to belt it all the time, just a great performance to remind us she's still here. (Thursday 29 November 2012; 14:53)

Only one true evergreen for Mimi (36,820) by Edward from USA Mariah's true and only evergreen is "AIWFCIY". One hundred years from now, when none of us is around anymore, and when four new generations of people have come and gone, people will still listen to "All I Want For Christmas Is You", unless we come to a time when Christmas is no more. At that time people probably won't care who Mariah was, and they might not even know her name, but they'll know the title of the song and the amazing voice behind it. The same goes for Whitney and her rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner". So, if we go by the definition of evergreen, each one of them only has one true evergreen, the rest will fade in time like everything else. If we were to ask most of Rihanna's and Katy Perry's fans how many songs they can name from Elvis Presley or even the Beatles, since they weren't part of their reality, I can assure anybody they wouldn't be able to name one song, but Elvis had 17 #1's and the Beatles 20 #1's respectively. I personally know Elvis Presley and the Beatles were legends, but I wasn't part of their glory days, hence my lack of knowledge about their catalog. I can name a couple of Elvis songs, and probably 3 or 4 from the Beatles, but I'm 32 years old. It's a good thing though, that the Internet will keep expanding even wider, and if somebody wanted to research about music and who was that lady behind AIWFCIY, they'll be able to google it and find out. "AIWFCIY" will always be to Christmas as Whitney's "TSSB" will always be to US patriotism. (Saturday 24 November 2012; 3:02)

Bob, be respectful to the late Whitney please. (36,791) by Edward from USA Whitney Houston may have gone through hard times with drugs and all, but she was loved for her contribution to music. We all waited for her full rehabilitation, since we knew her talent, but sadly it never happened. Nobody is perfect and only she knew what she went through and how she resorted to drugs. Bob, it's easy to judge, but if you were to take a look at yourself, you would realize that you have had your personal demons too, just like the rest of us. I don't do drugs or alcohol, but I'm not quick to judge, because every case is different. I couldn't even imagine what would be like to be ridiculed, to know you have lost a voice like that, and not being able to walk away from that type of life. As outsiders we all seem to have the solution to other people's lives, but do we? If you're fat, don't eat, if you're on drugs, go to rehab, if you're bulimic, don't throw up, if you're gay, go to church, pretty easy right? People pay tribute to Whitney the artist, her contribution to music, her legacy, not her way of life. I've seen people from beautiful and loving families go to waste due to drugs and alcohol, so nobody is exempt. Some are addicted to food, sex, shopping, etc., and the solution is not as easy as money and treatment, sometimes is goes as far as rooted unresolved issues from their childhood. (Tuesday 20 November 2012; 0:47)

Will, I couldn't agree with you more (36,740) by Edward from USA There’s a huge engine behind an artist success and Mariah is not the exception here. Mariah is not being successful these days because she's not being played on the radio. Tommy made sure her music got played, just the same way he sabotaged the Glitter album by allowing JLo use that sample when he clearly knew Mariah was already using it, and using his connections to make sure her music wasn’t played. Record labels and management companies with their guidance, programming and strategies are responsible for a great part of an artist success. For TEOM there was heavy promotion and a sense of wanting to make things work. LA Read had meetings with important stations, DJ’s and Mariah to make sure she had a chance. If LA hadn’t told Mariah to go back and work with JD more, the standout tracks on TEOM wouldn’t have been there, so his guidance was important. I don’t like Tommy, but I don’t underestimate what he and Sony did for Mariah. Thanks to them, her music was available to us, and her voice was well taken care of. It's true Mariah had a great voice and talent, but it's not less true that Tommy made sure that talent was heard. Look at Obama crying with gratitude while addressing his campaign team. Like when Cindy Burger snatched the microphone off Mariah's hand when she had the breakdown and was talking senselessly, there's a lot going on behind an artist pretty face and talent. (Thursday 15 November 2012; 4:18)

Bring It On Home / JD's "Y'all know what this is" (36,695) by Edward from USA I haven't heard "Bring It On Home" yet, but if it's true that it has a Daydream feel to it, I can't wait to listen to it this evening to celebrate Obaman's Triumph while listening to her and having a cup of wine. As for JD, I've never had a problem with Mariah collaborating with JD, that wasn't the case. I do have a problem with him being all over Mariah's songs promoting himself or his label, that's all, I hate it. For me his rants kind of ruined "Thanks 4 Nothing". Mariah starts the song with "Y'all know what this is", which would be appropriate just like when other artist say "Darkchild", but that wasn't enough, he also kicks in and doesn't shut up till the end of the song. I think that by doing that he looks desperate. (Wednesday 7 November 2012; 18:09)

E=MC2 wasn't, and it won't be! What would you tell Mariah? (36,636) by Edward from USA With all respect, some fans are becoming repetitive when it comes what E=MC2 should've been but wasn't. I think the album did what it was going to do, that's it. Yes, we were disappointed, but that's mostly because we were still riding on the EOM high. I just think Mariah has to find her muse again, for some reason her heart is more into the diva attitude than the music itself. If you were a good non-bs friend of Mariah's, what 10 things would you honestly tell her about her music? Here are mine: 1. Videos are becoming cheap and repetitive. 2. We know you're Sandra Dee, we got it. 3. Drop the diva attitude, being a little modest is better. 4. We know you're a singer, writer and producer, so sing, write and produce, you don't have to regurgitate it to us, it makes you look desperate. 5. I want to hear you sing, whisper is ok as an ornament. 6. Not to overproduce doesn't mean to underproduce. 7. R&B's almost out, you won't save it, use it, don't abuse it. 8. Trust your writing abilities, you've produced some of the greatest songs out there, you don't need a writing posse. 9. Don't let JD ruin your songs by voicing "Y'all know what this is" all over them. We're your fans, not his. 10. Never be a guest on your own song again, you did it before on "If We" and it clearly didn't work. (Wednesday 31 October 2012; 17:46)

Should Mariah include Triumphant in the new album? (36,625) by Edward from USA I think she shouldn't include Triumphant in the new album. It would definitely be a reminder of the bitter taste it left in most of her fans and the general public. At this point she has recorded according to her about 100 songs, and she's still recording. I hope that the songs she and Walter worked on bring back the Mariah we've been waiting for. (Monday 29 October 2012; 14:03)

Whatever happened to concept videos? (36,607) by Edward from USA I miss Mariah with meaningful videos like "Butterfly" or "Through the Rain". I'm tired of Mariah videos lying down, caressing her boobs, I mean, her hair and face. She could do that, but a story line would be very nice. "We Belong Together" and "It's Like That" were nice videos too. (Friday 26 October 2012; 2:21)

John/I Only Wanted (36,606) by Edward from USA John, you're so on point about the lyrics on I Only Wanted. The parts of that song you quoted are the epitome of great writing. I always loved the lines: "Farewell, fairweather friend abandonment returns to taunt me again" and "Foolishly I romanticized someone was saving my life for the first time". I might be wrong, but I think Mariah wrote it all by herself. I think she has lost confidence in writing on her own. On Butterfly, most songs were written by Mariah only. You can tell the difference, because she seems to connect better when she dominates the song on the writing process. She should go back to basics. (Friday 26 October 2012; 1:51)

It's just simple tact or plain common sense! (36,530) by Edward from USA Simple common sense would tell you that if you were to go to a Madonna's messageboard and placed her as your 12th best, people would jump on your throat and that's to be expected. I don’t buy the lame excuse of the computer shutting off. We fans are somewhat biased towards our favorites. You can be sure that if Whitney or Celine were my favorites, I wouldn't be posting here, that's all, or at least I would be tactful. Mariah, Whitney and Celine are the divine trinity, but I prefer Mariah over them and that's why I'm here. We all here argue, fight and disagree, but we all share love for Mariah, and that's why we keep coming back here. I assume she's our favorite. I've been coming to this messageboard for 14 years now, and apart from her list, Desiree is the first fan that has stated preferring Whitney over Mariah. She's been rather tactless when it comes to realizing that this is a Website dedicated to Mimi. I don't find anything wrong with liking other artist, I love Eva Cassidy, Whitney, and Celine myself, but this is not just a random site. Instead of encouraging Desiree to keep doing the same, we should encourage her to realize where she's posting, and to have a little consideration for us who have Mariah as number one on our lists on a site clearly devoted to her. Peace. (Thursday 18 October 2012; 3:13)

Desiree: Aplogy not accepted! (36,520) by Edward from USA We don't accept your lame apology. I don't know how by your computer shutting down on you Mariah ended up at the last place on your list. So, you've been vanquished. Lol. (Monday 15 October 2012; 3:20)

Desiree: You've got to be kidding! (36,508) by Edward from USA Desiree, you got some nerves. I don't believe in picking on anybody, but give us a break. Not only you placed Mariah at the end of your list, but you don't even acknowledge her legacy and voice. You might as well put Diane Warren there too, right? That's ridiculous. I love Whitney and Celine, but I'm first and foremost a Mariah's fan. So, I think you should take your message and take it to a Whitney Houston messageboard. I"m pretty sure they'll love you there. (Sunday 14 October 2012; 4:03)

Whitney didn't influence Mariah's music. (36,470) by Edward from USA I don't recall one instance where Mariah has stated that she was influenced by Whitney Houston. Whitney Houston was a huge phenomenon due to the quality of her music, interpretation, and her voice, and she set the bar very high while paving the way for every female singer who came after her, including Mariah Carey. She has her merit, and we all know there was only one Whitney Houston. Mariah, I think, was more influenced by Minnie Ripperton, hence the whistle register, and thank God for that. The whistle was, I think, what set her apart from Whitney Houston and gave her a place in music. Not only the texture of her voice, but her nuances, melodies, and background vocal layering. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Whitney's voice was stronger than Mariah, but Mariah voice was more versatile. Mariah played more with choruses, melodies and hooks. Whitney could take anybody's song and make it her own as if she had written it herself. I thank God for "When You Believe", but I would've liked to hear them sing a different sung. Probably a song written by Mariah would've done it. (Wednesday 10 October 2012; 6:44)

Mariah's hanging out with JD too much (36,421) by Edward from USA I'll always have Mariah's back, but it bothers me the fact that when you see her these days, she has to sound like JD all over people's records, regurgitating the same "I'm a song writer, I'm a producer, I'm a singer" statements. We know Mariah's a song writer, producer, vocalist, a true artist. Why does she have to say it every time she has the chance, specifically when talking about anything related to American Idol? She doesn't have anything to prove, her legacy is there. She sounds desperate every time she does that, it actually bothers me. Mariah's demeanor on the show and on the last few interviews has come across somewhat pretentious, pedantic. I think that Mariah had a beautiful demeanor when she was in her hey days. Now the diva attitude truly gets on my nerves. (Friday 5 October 2012; 2:02)

To Desiree / I completely agree (36,398) by Edward from USA I don't think Mariah is in any position to save the dying R&B genre. If she were hot like in the 90's when she could do no wrong, it would be a different situation. Memoirs had some good R&B tracks on it (BGK, IAR, TI, AC) but people were not feeling her on that. She has her fans, her lambs and the people who would buy her music when it's catchy, melodic and fun. I do think that a Jazz album should be a side project like her second Christmas album just in case it doesn't perform. Every time one of her albums doesn't perform, it's a dent in her music carrier, considering that she's in her 40's and America doesn't care much for female artists once they hit the four decade mark. I hope Mariah balances things out with this new release since it could make her or break her, just like Janet (Damita Jo, 20 Y.O., Discipline). Many people would say: Oh, it doesn't matter, she's a legend. But if Mariah doesn't have a certain level of success, we won't be hearing from her much in the future. She should go back to basics: pop, pop with R&B infusions, and make it about the voice. (Wednesday 3 October 2012; 7:46)

Remembering 1994-1996 (36,338) by Edward from USA Watching the "Dreamlover", "Without You", "Hero" and "Endless Love" videos. In those videos Mariah looked innocent but with such confidence, I would say effortless, it was about her instrument. I remember getting my walkman and listening to her for hours. At times I'd play some recordings of her I had made from the radio, and my mother would come and say: Here you are again, listening to this woman nobody understands what she's saying, lol. My mom didn't speak English, and I was learning secretly mostly by listening to her songs and reading the lyrics that came with her CD's. Word like relinquish, rhapsodize, emblazoned and thee were all introduced to my vocabulary through her lyrics. I guess what I miss most from her is the way she would sing a song effortlessly, without head turning, hand waving or recordings. It was as if she was saying: Oh, you thought this was only in the studio, look at my face and let the voice reach your soul. That's how I killed the haters back then, I used to play her live performances and look at them open mouth, then I would say: Can Whitney or Celine do that? I don't think so. "Underneath The Stars" and "Open Arms" were food to my soul, I could say those were magical moments in her career. Even though I don’t want Tommy in her career whatsoever, I thank God things happened the way they did. You have to take the good with the bad, life is not perfect. She lived it, benefitted from it, found her voice, punished him and kind of moved on. (Sunday 16 September 2012; 1:37)

Jazz album would make her seem as if she were desperate (36,321) by Edward from USA Right now most people think that Mariah is out of touch with her music. I have heard it so many times, and many people have expressed it after hearing Triumphant. The remix is way better, but I think it is still repetitive, nothing new. After this flop, with a drastic change of direction to a Jazz album, she would look desperate for anything successful. And don't buy the bs that singers just make music that they like. Singer want to keep a certain level of popularity, because they like the limelight. Singers have record deals, and they are popular because people can relate or like their music. I think one or two Jazz songs on the album would be nice, but not an entire album. She should do that when she's old and maybe considering retirement. We need a consistent album, with whispers to the minimum, but without overdoing the whistle. The whistle stuff is getting tired, I love it, but I don't want to hear it at the end of every song when it may not be called for. I think Mariah's last few albums have lacked inspiration. (Thursday 13 September 2012; 0:37)

NFL performance (36,274) by Edward from USA Since "Triumphant" has had mostly negative reviews, I thought Mariah would step it up a bit and jump from the original to at least part of the Throwback Remix, as she used to do when singing "My All", but it never happened. If she really wanted to bring attention to the single, that was her opportunity. She was on the stage with just a featured lil part and still couldn't deliver. You can clearly hear her background singers harmonizing better than you can hear her. I hope Mariah doesn't get to the point Whitney was, where people were walking out of her concerts in disappointment. The woman that sounded live as if you were listening to a cd is not there anymore. Sometimes she may sound good, but that's it. Has she become a studio artist? I'm afraid so. I'm sad because she is supposed to be the Last Diva Standing. I'll stick to the studio recordings. At this point, she should stop trying to resuscitate "Triumphant", scrape it off, and get a new fresh song ready for early January. (Thursday 6 September 2012; 14:08)

List of songs I would love for Mariah to cover (36,247) by Edward from USA 1. Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler) 2. Fields of Gold (Eva Cassidy) 3. Goodbye (Air Supply) 4. Memory Lane (Minnie Riperton) 5. Back to Life (Soul to Soul) (Saturday 1 September 2012; 15:09)

My Mariah dream duets! (36,246) by Edward from USA Ever since I heard the Cranberries for the time, I felt in love with Dolores O'Riordan’s voice. Her nuances are weirdly unique and beautiful. Even though I know it’s never going to happen, I would’ve loved to hear Mariah and Dolores singing in the same track. Delores has a quality to her voice combined with soul that I had never heard before. Her voice is not about power, but about the notes, and the way she blends sacred music with alternative. Mariah, when she wants, she also uses her voice make to melodies that sound weird, but beautiful at the same time. Underneath The Stars (I was drifting, drifting), or on the song Music Box from 3:12 to 3:16. Those are the things I missed more from Mariah. I would’ve also loved to hear Mariah sing with Sinéad O'Connor, or the late and soulful Eva Cassidy. (Saturday 1 September 2012; 14:45)

Geezy, I agree with you about Mariah writing her own lyrics (36,049) by Edward from USA Mariah has produced some really good tracks co-writing with others, but most of her greatest hits she wrote them herself, with maybe the help of only one extra person, but not a whole bunch of other people. She had such chemistry with Walter because he could channel her ideas and melodies through his piano. Even though Walter was there for the music, Mariah wrote most of the lyrics herself. The album Butterfly is a true testament to that. During the late 90's it was good she was team-writing more, but then she came to a point where all tracks in Mariah's latest five albums have been co-written by more than two other people. Most people praised "Languishing" because it sounded like a Mariah track and I believe they said that because it was a track where Mariah sounded more emotional and sincere, like “Looking In”. I still wish she keeps on writing with other people, but I would also like her to trust her writing abilities on some tracks on her own, because in my opinion she conveys more emotion when she does that. (Saturday 18 August 2012; 19:57)

How do you fix Triumphant general reception? (36,033) by Edward from USA It is sad that after all these years most people are not embracing Triumphant. It was a major mistake to have released the Meek Mills and Rick Ross version first, since that's the first impression people got. The remixes for me are great, but a little dated. It's like listening to the fantastic remixes for Heartbreaker, those were fantastic but sounded fresh. At this point and with American Idol on its way, if the single doesn't pick up, I think she should scrape it off and start fresh. Obsessed had a Rap version, but it was well balanced since Mariah dominated the song as she has always done on all her rap collaborations, of course those that are considered to be her tracks. We have a few remixes for Triumphant, but unlike the Heartbreaker remixes, they kind of sound the same. I still love them though, but it really hurts me that people are not feeling them. She should pull a Leona Lewis and scrape the song off the album, and keep on recording. (Friday 17 August 2012; 4:05)

RibbonB (35,994) by Edward from USA According to Mariah herself, she joked about having recorded like 120 songs since she was pregnant. So, even though 120 songs might've been a joke to imply she's recorded lots of songs already, 7 doesn't sound like a lot to me. And I don't think Mariah would have a single with re-sung vocals and production with only 7 songs for the album. (Saturday 11 August 2012; 21:11)

Album on 2013? (35,992) by Edward from USA Even though I understand that a product should be released when it's ready, what I don't understand is the gap between the release of Triumphant and the actual album. We're talking about 8 months here. According to Mimi, since she was pregnant, she's recorded lots of songs to be considered for this album. For me, this huge gap would only make sense if two singles are released before the album comes out, and these two singles become massive hits. If not, people might get tired of waiting. It has happened to Leona Lewis, she has pushed Glassheart that was scheduled to be released by the end of 2011 and it's been a year and she hasn't released it yet. By now, according to what I've read and hear, most people are not interested in the album anymore. If I were her, I would even change the name of the album all together. (Saturday 11 August 2012; 19:17)

MORE MESSAGES