She can't even fake being interested in the trick. Come on, now. You're on the clock here.
I immediately concede that this review will be unfair to Mariah Carey, in that I've been steeping in real music. After spending the last month immersed in a real singer like KD Lang, and a just plain real human being like June Carter Cash, how could I talk myself into liking an empty corporate whore such as Mariah Carey? I admit that I'm not equal to that task.…
Article comments
276 - Hya
A bot harsh, however, not far from the truth....
Mariah does not actually sing well. Reason? She just goes up and down tha scales, a few shrills and frills here, no feeling, no tone, nointerpretaion. She plods through each song as if it was any other of her songs (I sort of see why she can be deceived, they're all more or less the same...)
Etc etc etc
277 - Frank
Mike Says
ihateoreilly, if you think Madonna has a better voice than Mariah, you've got annother thing coming to you. IMO, Madonna fans can say Madonna's an icon, Madonna has the biggest influence, Madonna's tours gross hundreds of millions, blah blah blah. But when you say Mariah, who has at least a five ocatve range, is a worse singer than Madonna, who pretty much sounds the same vocal-wise in every song she sings...I give up trying to reason with you. Some of the Mariah fans here have said some low, untrue things about Madonna, but this just goes above and beyond in terms of complete ludicrously. Mariah is freakin' known for her amazing vocals, while Madonna is known for other things. They oughta lock you up in the mental hospital for saying ish like that.
REPLY:
Voice is not only the number of octaves, singing is how you use your voice!!!! Mariah may have 5 octaves (not sure, never heard them live....) of which 3 are annoying squeaks anyway, but she does not use her voice well.
Madonna has a much smaller voice, sure, but hey, take a few songs from her discography and yopu'll see how ductile and capable of expressing different registers and of conveying different feelings her voice is. Examples, just take 'Live to Tell', 'Ray of Light' 'Hanky Panky' and 'Evita'. 4 songs you would think are sung by 4 different voices. We can't say the same about Mariah, can we?
Mariah's super hyped, even her recent success on the Hot 100 was just radio hype, her Mimi (I think the word Emancipatio is really random there) album's actually sold 6/7million worldwide, a flop it would be said if it was Madonna's, but hey, Mariah's got 'friends' in high places, so radios play her songs till half of us commit suicide... I wonder why she's no where near as successful as in the US anywhere else in the world, where Charts are not based on radio airplay but sales, and where she doesn't hang out with powerful people....
This said, I'm not a fan of either Madonna or Mariah in particular, I'm more of a rock person myself, just can't understand how people can't see through the hype about Mariah. She'd better keep her friends close, as her success depends on them, not her, anyway. Why was Chamberlet a flop? Nothing to do with the album, it's exactly the same quality as all her albums. She'd lost the support of a few people... When an artist's success depends solely on the people around her... can we actually call that person an artist?
278 - keats
Ryan says
And Mariah tour grossed $30,000,000.
She was filling out arenas in Europe and Asia.
In the US, she wasn't that popular then.
And at least, MC doesn't lipsynch during her tour unlike HOdonna.
Exactly, Madonna's tour Made her £30million (Pounds, that's twice as much in dollars) and grossed 125m only in the states (twice as much worldwide) selling out in a few minutres...
her husband's films have little to do with her, anyway, she's never been a great actress... Nor is Mariah to be sure...
279 - mapuia
hi frank if u didnt hear Mariah sings live why dont u try.Her voice is as excellent.Take a look at her tour.I believe that her voice will be 8 octaves.Compare the the no. of albums released by Mariah and Madonna.I need not say more.Besides her songs reach no. 1 in other charts if it does not reach in Billboard hot 100 singles also.Yeah Madonna is known for her porn movies more than her singing career.HAHA.Mariah never lipsynch and thats why her tour and her live performances are valued by all except by those who are Madonna' fans or other singer fans who felt jealous of Mariah extremely successfulness.HMM I FEEL SORRY FOR THEM.TAKE A LOOK AT HER TOUR,SO MANY PEOPLE.I NEED NOT SAY MORE.FIND OUT YOURSELF.IM AMAZED BY HOW WELL SHE SINGS IN LIVE BLAH BLAH.
280 - Lol
All I can say is "blah.. blahh... blah.." NEXT!
281 - musicproducer
i just want to first of all say that Al i totally disagree with you! but all of this attack on Al's personal life, his looks and what not is totally unneccessary.
so what he doesn't like Mariah, his loss! he obviously doesn't know what he is missing out on! but you (mariah fans) know how talented she is and you know WHY she is the highest selling female artist of all time! this guy is delusional and doesn'y have a clue!
can i ask you a question Al??? exactly what is your area of expertese in the music industry??? do you sing, play and instrument??? write music?? any of that??? from the sound of your comments i am thinking NO you dont know anything about how music is actually made. i actually do know a lot about making music, and so does mariah! mariah writes her own lyrics, she plays the piano, composes music notes, has an 8-octave vocal range, produces or co-produces almost all of her songs! being a music producer myself i know what a difficult taks it is to do all of this!
Mariah has to do all of this while she has most of the media houinding her, while people refuse to take her seriously, and while she is making smash records!Mariah Carey is actually a very caring and beautiful person, who works hard, sometimes too hard, hence the reason for her breakdown a few years back. she collapsed from physical exhaustion, she had been working herself too hard and putting too much pressure on herself! she is a self confessed work-a-holic! where exactly is the crime in that???
she is an inspiration to people all around the world! if you do some research on Mariah and maybe learn a thing or two about what it actually means to create music, then i think you and i could have a great chat over this.
until then please keep your un-informed opinions to yourself, you make yourself look like an idiot!
Xxx
282 - mapuia
I fully support the comments written above.
283 - Bill
Many of Mariah's #1 hits shouldnt have been. Someone made a comment about her record company selling the singles at 99 cents. that is absolutely correct. in the 90's billboard based their charts primarily on sales. Hell, even if i didnt like the song 99 cents is nothing to buy a single. However, how many mariah carey songs cann you sing word for word. How many of her songs really stick withyou. Better yet, how many of Mariahs songs are "classics" do you hear them on the radio?? NO. when was the last time you hear like "dreamlover " or "emotions" or whatever the hell other songs she had out. Lets be realistic here. Madonna is honestly light years above and beyond her. "Holiday" is still played all the time "Express Yourself", Vogue, Like a Prayer, material girl, Frozen, Like a Virgin, Into the Groove. these are songs you still here all the time, right along with Hung up and all of her new stuff. Songs that came out more than 20 years ago in some cases. That is a classic she has sold what over 260 million records worldwide? umm hello. She has 35 top 10 hits (the most of anybody...ever) and 34 #1 dance hits (more than double of her closest competitor janet Jackson)
Anyone that thinks that Mariah carey is bigger (actually she is considerably bigger in size) or better than Madonna really doesnt know to much about music. yeah mariah can sing, but have you ever seen her perform....zzzzzzzzz... she sluts herself around in clothes she DEFINITELY should not be wearing with her chubby little body and cabbage patch looking face screaming her high pitched whatever the hell octave range that no dog iin the world can tolerate.
Madonna Vs. mariah... hmmmmm... is there even a question?
284 - ryan
"I try not to get too specific so that people can apply the lyrics to their own lives," she explained. "When I was growing up and listening to the radio and I would hear a song that reminded me of a certain person or a situation or whatever, I would want to be able to completely connect it to that moment. And then if I heard someone explaining it and making it into something totally different, it ruined it for me. So I kind of like to keep it open for people's imaginations."
Mariah Carey talking about "Don't Forget about us"
285 - ryan
I tols yall
That's just her style of writting and that's why she connectes with people
286 - frank
I don't quite understand the enormity of Mariah Carey's success. I think it can be attributed to the fact that she was married to the head of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola. In the U.S especially, her success is ridiculous. But it seems the majority of her success is U.S based. 230-million records down the line, she needs people to be constantly reminded that she is the best-selling female artist ever. The best-selling female artist in history is actually Madonna, with over 275-million records sold. Although Madonna is not as vocally gifted as Mariah, she is infinetely more gifted as an artist and performer. I would'nt call Mariah an icon, she just got lucky.
287 - Sammy
Well while you go on page after page bashing a persons success who youve never met, you display a seemingly lacking vocabulary, perhaps you should look up the term "WHORE". I think that this review is harsh, but imagining the face of the person behind it, it becomes only mildly offensive. Clearly Mariah Carey's material is not crap, if it were I highly doubt it would sell as well as it does. I would like to hear the kinda music you can write up, since you obviously believe you are so much better than her. If you listened to her music you would notice that it has real messages beyond "buy my music" as you put it, she writes all her material which says alot in comparison to most artists out there. I do not see you and your shitty reviews putting you in the guinness book of world records, on top of the music charts, or making you worth over 300 million dollars. So pretty much you should step off your pedestal.
288 - uao
As someone who lost a family member to leukemia (it is indeed a slow, painful death; I wish Sammy could have visited so he could see what he's wishing on another human) I take offense to the last comment.
For some reason, pop music fans never seem to get the idea of a music review.
It works like this: someone listens to a record and explains why they like it or dislike it.
The reader is invited to offer a rebuttal or correction.
Nobody needs to wish death on anyone.
I've never seen an R.E.M., U2, Grateful Dead, Smashing Pumpkins, Johnny Cash, or NIN fan wish death on a BC reviewer for a negative review.
I've seen plenty of Mariah Carey, Elton John, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Three Dog Night, and Britney Spears fans wish death on reviewers, though.
What's behind that? Immaturity? Lack of critical brain cells? A fascist lockstep with the zeitgeist? Activist internet fan-club members?
I was with you, Sammy, on your first comment. Then you went and ruined it with your second.
289 - solo
all of u shutup cuz ur just jealous i love mariah carey and she is amazing you all r just jealous i love her so much ive learned to sing like her my highest octave is a 4 and thats rare 4 a 12 year old
290 - lilg
i hate her.
291 - Alice Keymer
You are all a bunch of stupid t***s. You carry on putting money in Mariah's pocket and she'll keep putting out crap albums, while you carry on with your pathetic penniless lives.
292 - Celine Dion
What a wonderful review!!!! THANK YOU for telling the truth about that whore! THANKZZZ again, man! That fat crow should be burried deep underneath the earth surface ASAP.
293 - mariah carey
hey, you're being unfair to me! i make softcore porno for the kids, dude. the kids! they can't openly buy/watch hardcore porn, and if it weren't for me (and all the other slut/whores in the entertainment industry) the kids wouldn't have any porn at all.
please, won't you think of the children???
294 - Ekkostar
I enjoy Mariah's music, but just as good clean fun. I don't consider it real art and I barely consider myself a "lamb".
I'm not as gullible and foolish as most of her fanbase who think that every other pop/hip-hop/rap/R&B artist is after her and thinks they can determine what exactly is wrong with her voice and why she can't preform the "dog whistle" note at live events (Look at the "Friends of Mariah Message Board" to see what I'm talking about).
Mariah Carey is ear candy. You don't have to think hard in order to enjoy it unless you choose to.
295 - mariah carey
hey i real like your songs i real love we belong together that is my favorit song ever i listen to it every day you are very alsome well i have to g0 for now good bye
from your friend
Gema
296 - Joe Harmon
Considering the fact that Mariah Carey is one of the most successful female artists of all time,in which she has sold over 100 million c.d.'s, and has had sold out tours all over the world just makes you look stupid for bashing her music.Me being a music educator,i can honestly say that she has talent, and her own style.What you have labeled as a whoreish cry is actually a melissma, which has roots dating back to the renaissance era. so before you bash anyone, get your facts straight and look for the good in people instead of the bad.
297 - Christe
what a horrible way to express your feelings about Mariah Carey!!!!!!! There is a nice way to say everything, but i guess you missed that in grade school.
298 - larissa harris
y'all just hatein on her because she got the looks nd y'all got the books
299 - princess
ur jst fukin jelous coz shes pretty and far betta than u. Dnt fukin dis mimi u gay bastard...ROK ON MC
300 - mariah
Ok, Lambs: this is gonna hurt. Here's an article that discusses Mariah's, um, "hits" From Fox News:
We're rooting for Mariah Carey since her hospitalization for exhaustion last week. It can't help that this weird episode came on the heels of her single "Loverboy" pretty much tanking. You have to feel for Mariah -- her whole image has been built on the myth of an unbroken string of chart hits.
But were they hits? For example, Billboard ranked "Loverboy" at number 2 this week, up from number 60. But according to Radio & Records, which actually measures the airplay for records, "Loverboy" is not in the top 30 on its pop chart, ranks dead last at number 30 on the rhythmic chart, and is number 19 on the Urban chart.
So why is it number 2 on Billboard? If it's not being played, why did it sell so many copies last week?
Mariah, like a lot of other pop stars, owes the success of her singles not to her fans but to a few distributors who control the record business. Primary among them is Trans World Entertainment of Albany, the company that owns Coconuts Music & Movies, FYE (For Your Entertainment), Camelot, Planet Music, Record Town, Saturday Matinee, Spec's Music, Strawberries, The Wall, and Waxie Maxie's. Trans World has been deep discounting Mariah's singles for years, selling them for a quarter of the price of other records.
Trans World's business with Carey goes both ways. They recently made a big donation to Carey's Camp Mariah, which is part of the Fresh Air Fund. Mariah accepted the check from the Albany-based music retailer at her in-store signing at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island. (Carey is one of the few celebrities who actually donates a lot of money to charity and is consistently generous with her earnings.)
In October 1999, when Carey's "Heartbreaker" was released commercially and zoomed up the charts, this column spoke with Vinnie Berbeglia, the buyer for Trans World Entertainment, who conceded that this was a regular part of their marketing. They account for more than 1000 record stores. At the time a survey of Trans World stores showed that they were selling "Heartbreaker" for 49 cents, as well as other Columbia Records acts like Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez.
The average price of a single not deep discounted is $1.99.
As Joni Mitchell once observed, this is all about "stoking the star making machinery." With a single at the top of the charts as kind of a loss leader for sales, it's also a teaser for a new album. And a self-fulfilling prophecy is created. Now that it's a hit, phony or not, the record has to be played by radio stations -- even if they previously rejected it or no one wanted to hear it.
301 - Joel
wow that is really harsh but one thing I gotta say let the lady live her life as long as she is not hurting anyone.
302 - Paul
Ofcourse Mariah is a corporate entity. There is a formula to music by its very nature. She is certainly not the corporate entity on the scale of Madonna or J Lo who have no disernable musical talent and have been sucsessful as a result of buisness savy. She has an exceptional singing voice and I think that it fairly clear. Technically so even if you do not like it personally.
Being a 'corporate entity' or being popular to the masses is no mean feat. Your implied assertion that the masses are stupid and your not is bizarre. Its like the mentality of a scitzophrenic who thinks their the only saine one.
I find KD Lang a much more offensive artist. Her completely pretentious, meladramic, nosense. THe occasional cresendo because she really feals her pain. Even if Mariah is failing at least she is trying to be relevent.
If Mariah is a coroprate entity she's Pepsi. Globally popular, largely due do excellent promotion, and really quite good (although too much and you vomit). If you like tap water go ahead, its cheap transparent and we only need it make us thankful for things that don't taste like it.
303 - Al Barger
Paul, not to put too fine a point on it, but are you out of your tree, man? Do NOT disrespect KD Lang. How in hell does a MARIAH CAREY fan come up saying that KD is "pretensious" or "meladramic" (melodramatic?).
I'm all pro-capitalist, and I don't mind someone harnessing the power of a corporation to sell some product- if the product is something worthwhile to start with. Thus, I will somewhat defend Madonna. It's been most of 20 years since she wrote a real song, but The Immaculate Collection is pretty good. In her prime, she did conjure up some outstanding pop songs.
I'd just as quick listen to a new Mariah album as a new Madonna album at this point, but you really can't deny the quality of "Papa Don't Preach" or "Like a Prayer," silly MTV shenanigans aside.
304 - elle
I think this is an unfair and extremely biased review. So what you don't like Mariah Carey. I don't like KD Lang, but you don't see me dissing KD Lang. You need to have respect for artists, particularly one as talented as Mariah (who actually writes and produces most of her own songs). Perhaps if we were all a little less narrow minded, we would be able to see past the slightly slutty outfits and appreciate Mariah for the amazing singer that she is.
ps she is not a whore at all
305 - matt
in response to #204..
johnny cash's lyrics are set at as a bloody narrative! you would have to be a pretty darn awful lyricist to NOT be able to "paint a vivid picture" when you are so blatantly narrating to mindless guitar-strumming (no offense to cash: he was a legend).
indeed, painting a picture WITHOUT step-by-step instruction is (one of) the art/s of lyric-writing.
even if one doesn't like mariah's voice, one should at least acknowledge she is a bloody good lyricist. "my all" from "butterfly" would have to be one of the most melodically, HARMONICALLY and lyrically perfect songs i've ever heard. if it weren't for the fact it were in the style of a "spanish" ballad it could almost be said to be ABBA-esque in its perfection (now i'm not really an ABBA fan but it has been said on more than one occasion that the music they wrote was almost perfect in melody and harmony.. i think this derives from the predictability and simplicity of the music.. everything sounds "right").
a FYI, loverboy (glitter) was the only single to be jacked-down in price to 49c or whatever it was. no others. niente. nada. zilch.
that's it for now until i get worked up again.
306 - Chris.
Saying Mariah Carey is crap doesn't make it true.
307 - timo
your critique lacks any substance. you give no concrete opinions about WHY the 3 songs u mentioned sucked u jst said they did.. first of all we belong together has an AMAZING melody.. all the critics said so, even those hu bashed her for not having enough melody before. n plus it spent 14 weeks on no 1 so im guessing ppl disagree with you n there are GREAT songs on that album : circles, mine again, stay the night, fly like a bird, n many others... her vocals on that album were th best since rainbow in my opinion.. this is an AWFUL review.. plain AWFUL!!!