Mariah Carey: Official Topic

[CELINE MARIE]

Wish Celine would do a medley like this - just once - live! To show Joe Public she has so many hit songs, not just a song about a boat!!

 

yep but her voice has not changed anything, but Celine's voice has changed a lot

[Bell]

yep but her voice has not changed anything, but Celine's voice has changed a lot

I have to disagree, everyone's voice changes in time, Mimi is no exception.

[LuisMa]

^ Yup. It does! Every part of the body changes with age. Just as our skin gets wrinkled or our hair becomes grey, our vocal chords also deteriorate with time.

[GoldenLeaf]

yep but her voice has not changed anything, but Celine's voice has changed a lot

Huh? What are you talked about? MC voice changed and deteriorated a lot during the past 16 years.

 

If you listen to her medley on AI (which was lip-synced btw) you can notice that she sounds like a chipmunk and that her voice is very constricted, squeaky and raspy.

Edited May 20, 2013 at 07:56 PM by GoldenLeaf

[Ray]

^ I'll say it once more. It wasn't lipsynched. It was recorded live three times and could have been edited better.

There may have been some lipsynching, but most of it was defenitely live. She even sounded a bit hoarse on parts.

[CELINE MARIE]

Huh? What are you talked about? MC voice changed and deteriorated a lot during the past 16 years.

 

If you listen to her medley on AI (which was lip-synced btw) you can notice that she sounds like a chipmunk and that her voice is very constricted, squeaky and raspy.

 

ohh please Mariah can give one concert per month (and maybe not) Celine (AND LAS VEGAS) daily for 5 years and long tour and again Vegas ...

the voice is an instrument, you have to take care of him

for you was playback? So sorry but we have nothing to talk

I love Celine and like Mariah but I'm not a fanatic, and I see the truth-Celine's voice is much worse now than Mariah's voice

 

(I would like to develop conversations but my English is not good enough)

[GoldenLeaf]

I love Celine and like Mariah but I'm not a fanatic, and I see the truth-Celine's voice is much worse now than Mariah's voice

This is only your subjective opinion, not the truth.

 

As for her American idol performance she was indeed lip-syncing it to pre-recorded vocals. Even her fans admitted it.

[dj4celine]

Good God. There we go again!

 

Coming back to topic, #Beautiful ought to be a hit (which it already looks like it is going to be). I'm really stanning hard for this song

[LuisMa]

I think it's going to be, Dhruvie dear. It's climbing or steady on iTunes in several countries, and its airplay is on a steady rise.

[Prima_Donna1]

She prerecorded it earlier in the day, and sang live along with it in the studio (it's been reported). Lots of singers do that on tv shows now, sadly.

That's weird I thought she was actually singing all those songs for real. Man!

[LukeD]

ohh please http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif Mariah can give one concert per month (and maybe not) Celine (AND LAS VEGAS) daily for 5 years and long tour and again Vegas ...

the voice is an instrument, you have to take care of him

for you was playback? http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/sofunny.gif So sorry but we have nothing to talk http://1.1.1.2/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/wtf.gif

I love Celine and like Mariah but I'm not a fanatic, and I see the truth-Celine's voice is much worse now than Mariah's voice

 

(I would like to develop conversations but my English is not good enough) http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

I used to be active on YouTube, read comments in blogs, I follow both Celine & Mariah but it is LITERALLY the FIRST time I see someone saying that Mariah is in a better vocal shape than Celine. In facts, Mariah is in a MUCH worse vocal condition because of 1) her nodules 2) habit of whispering which dries her vocal cords 3) absence of vocal lessons since 1998 (if I'm not mistaken) & 4) drinking alcohol. Celine has shown far more discipline than Mariah.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j8XQX5_zsc

 

Here, Celine is singing in FULL voice the whole medley (which lasts a bit more than 20 minutes), something Mariah does ONCE in every 10 perfomances since 1999. http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif

There is 0 strain, 0 nasality, 0 effort. And she's never out of breath. Her voice is in ''studio quality''... Unlike Mariah who autotuned the s*** out of ''Almost Home'', a basic pop track, to the point of making her voice almost unrecognisable.

[LukeD]

This is only your subjective opinion, not the truth.

 

As for her American idol performance she was indeed lip-syncing it to pre-recorded vocals. Even her fans admitted it.

 

... and if it wasn't lipped, it was surely dubed. Mariah has been the queen of playing-it-safe ever since her vocal prime.

[Bell]

Let's put this Mariah vs. Celine discussion to an end please.

Back on topic, '#Beautiful' is on the radio stations in Bulgaria and I feel like it's gonna be played many, many times.

[LuisMa]

In the US, the song is doing great in Airplay, up 1170 spins in a one-week frame, and jumping from 21 to 17 on the Mediabase Airplay CHR chart. On iTunes, it's steady at number 13.

 

The only thing I would have liked is that she had performed it on the BBMA this week. Miguel was available, as he performed. I wonder why she wouldn't have jumped at this big chance to promote it more. Selena Gomez and J-Lo's current hits are storming up the iTunes chart due to their performances.

[CELINE MARIE]

I used to be active on YouTube, read comments in blogs, I follow both Celine & Mariah but it is LITERALLY the FIRST time I see someone saying that Mariah is in a better vocal shape than Celine. In facts, Mariah is in a MUCH worse vocal condition because of 1) her nodules 2) habit of whispering which dries her vocal cords 3) absence of vocal lessons since 1998 (if I'm not mistaken) & 4) drinking alcohol. Celine has shown far more discipline than Mariah.

 

 

 

Here, Celine is singing in FULL voice the whole medley (which lasts a bit more than 20 minutes), something Mariah does ONCE in every 10 perfomances since 1999. http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif

There is 0 strain, 0 nasality, 0 effort. And she's never out of breath. Her voice is in ''studio quality''... Unlike Mariah who autotuned the s*** out of ''Almost Home'', a basic pop track, to the point of making her voice almost unrecognisable.

 

Celine still has a great voice, but her voice has changed, is completely different than 20 years ago,it is very nasal ,and this is true whether you like it or not, I'm objective I'm not a fan of Mariah but I like her songs ,she has a great voice that is almost the same as at the beginning of her career

This is my opinion, but I respect yours

ok let's get back to Mariah

[LukeD]

Celine still has a great voice, but her voice has changed, is completely different than 20 years ago,it is very nasal ,and this is true whether you like it or not, I'm objective I'm not a fan of Mariah but I like her songs ,she has a great voice that is almost the same as at the beginning of her career

This is my opinion, but I respect yours http://1.1.1.1/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png

ok let's get back to Mariah http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

I wouldn't reply, but ''this is true, whether you like it or not'' annoyed me. You see, I'm not a person who doesn't admit Celine's flaws when they're evident. Explain to me how she is ''very nasal'', yet she nailed the medley I sent you and she's been pretty much flawless during recent (2011-2013) perfomances: Duet with Andrea Bocelli @ Central Park (during the rehearsals she overpowered him), Lullaby (Oprah W. show), Because you loved me (Emmy awards), Je n'ai pas besoin d'amour/Une chance qu'on s'a.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x4QSdZ0qlY

 

Not only the 13' of this video prove me right, but you see there are many others (even Mariah fans) who say what I'm saying, they even talk about improvement. I also suggest that you listen to ''Sans Attendre''. Celine is playing with the colours/textures of her voice like never before and seriously there is NO nasality to be found.

Edited May 21, 2013 at 07:16 PM by LukeD

[LuisMa]

Not to cut you off, Luke, dear, as I love your posts about Celine...

 

I believe both of you have strong points. I love the video you posted and her voice is flawless here. But I've also noticed some nasality in her voice in several occasions, but that could have been to an illness, a problem she might have had, some infection, tiredness, etc.

 

For me, BLYM was always a treat, but there are some versions of it that sound like WA WA WA WAAAAAA. I really don't know much about it, as you're the expert in notes and tones, etc.

 

And Mariah did have problems in some part of her career, but I feel she's stronger now vocally than she was in the early 00s.

 

Nevertheless, I adore Celine, and I adore Mariah. I don't care whether they have a bad day or two with their voices because in the end all that matters is the great music they both have put out.

[LukeD]

Not to cut you off, Luke, dear, as I love your posts about Celine... http://1.1.1.2/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/heart.gif

 

I believe both of you have strong points. I love the video you posted and her voice is flawless here. But I've also noticed some nasality in her voice in several occasions, but that could have been to an illness, a problem she might have had, some infection, tiredness, etc.

 

For me, BLYM was always a treat, but there are some versions of it that sound like WA WA WA WAAAAAA. I really don't know much about it, as you're the expert in notes and tones, etc. http://1.1.1.2/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/lol_2.gif

 

And Mariah did have problems in some part of her career, but I feel she's stronger now vocally than she was in the early 00s.

 

Nevertheless, I adore Celine, and I adore Mariah. I don't care whether they have a bad day or two with their voices because in the end all that matters is the great music they both have put out. http://1.1.1.5/bmi/www.celinedionforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

I have caught Celine being nasal during recent (2011-2013) perfomances but not to the point of denying that she in great shape. She is never nasal during a whole phrase, she might get nasal in some vowels or words, like when she sang ''what you're love means to me, open ARMS'', you get a whole sentence right and only the word ''Arms'' sounds nasal, it's really NOT much of any issue. I avoid comparisons but I would bet money that Celine sounds a lot healthier than Mariah. It was only months ago that Mariah sang ''Triumphant'' live (a basic song) and was pitchy throughout. You're right that she sounds better now. I think 2003-2006 (Charmbracelet tour & TEOM era) was a great era for Mariah. 2008-2010 was a mess (We got bad perfomances of ''Obsessed'', ''Touch my body'', ''Hero'', ''Make it happen''), so compared to that she's definitely improved now. She still can't do 1/3 of what she did during her prime though.

 

The worst versions of ''Because you loved me'' are the ones from Vegas (2004 & 2007) and Taking Chances Tour (2008), she was exhausted, nasal and thin.

[LuisMa]

I haven't listened to "Open Arms" as I still have faith that someday I'll see it in Vegas.

 

I totally agree on the 2004-2007 BLM decadence.

 

2008 was a great Mariah year for me, as I was so in love with all her singles and most of E=MC2. Live performance-wise, not so much.

 

I will say I can't wait for both of my favorite female singers to release their albums this year, but I won't compare. I'll let each of their albums captivate me as much as they can.

[Si J'etais Quelqu'un]

Mariah and Celine haven't shared a studio album release year since 2002, have they?

 

On the subject of Mariah's voice... let me first say that I love Mariah Carey and I will defend her work and artistry to any outsider, and I will follow her as long as she continues making music. I paid attention because of her voice, yes, but I stayed because I love her songs and she makes me feel things and see things in a way that no other artist does. I don't want to pick fights or be controversial or offend anyone or anything, but as long as we're discussing it...

 

I think the slow decline began in 1998. This is when her vocal performances grew more and more inconsistent, and you'd have some great ones, and then you'd have some okay ones, and it's like "what's going on?" Her higher chest notes also became "dirty" (husky, scratchy, etc). In the studio she still sounded great, but all of her songs were getting their keys lowered on stage by now, save a few (she maybe should have been doing this since the beginning, as I blame constantly pushing her voice to the limit at least partially). Around 2000 she started using canned vocals to compensate (Against All Odds is a prime example of Mariah's storied live performances in which she struggles to handle and support mid-range notes and then her voice just magically opens up at the climax, sounding clear and powerful and... just like the album).

 

Like Luis said, her voice probably bottomed out in the early part of the last decade. The Rainbow Tour vocals were a wreck; Vision Of Love was REALLY squeezed down in terms of range! The voice got thinner-sounding and even her whispers and lower notes started getting listless and unmelodic. Listen to Through The Rain by the way - REALLY listen to it. Each line feels like it was recorded separate from the others and stitched together in the studio, it doesn't feel organic at all. The Charmbracelet Tour was a major improvement, however. She was still transposing the keys of her songs, but she sounded a lot stronger and more controlled. It shows on The Emancipation of Mimi. I don't know what happened next, but the 2006 tour vocals were just... no, in my opinion.

 

What I love about Mariah's voice in the 90s was its sharp quality. I don't mean musically sharp, but that it hit notes with purpose, it felt clear and bright, and then it just dulled and dulled, bottoming out again in 2008-2009. Also her phrasing went berserk. The way she has to place/shape her mouth in order to pinch certain words out only adds to the unattractive quality of many of her actually live performances. By this time, she was also using more and more whistle runs and flourishes to compensate for what she was losing in the upper chest range (see: any performance of I Want To Know What Love Is, another example of never doing the climax live besides a few rough "hey! hey! hey! HEEEEYYEEEE!" moments).

 

It almost makes you wonder why she continues to record songs that she cannot do in a live setting. But she's trapped, she became famous for her incredible voice and without it she risks becoming Just Another R&B Singer. In late 2011 she did an interview in which the reporter asked her if her range was still intact and she just hit a whistle note and jokingly said "I don't know, let's find out." That's cute Mariah, but now there's such a disconnect between the highest full-bodied note she can pleasantly strike in concert and whistling ('pleasant' in this case meaning a healthy note, not one that's dry, filled with rasp, not one she has to growl or shout her way through).

 

She can do 50 takes in a studio and pick the best one, but the reason why I will never go see Mariah Carey in concert, the reason why I will never see one of my top three favorite artists ever, is because she is an unreliable live act. I know enough from YouTube videos. I don't have to go to a half-filled theater to watch her struggle to support mid-range passages and stumble over husky whisper-voiced verses, and then rely on piped-in vocals at the climax of the song, complete with 5-second whistle notes that are supposed to prove that she's "still got it." I'd also reckon that, like some other singers, Mariah has recorded recent takes of a few of her older hits so when she does have to sing them and go a bit higher in her register, she can rely on that without being totally transparent with 1991 vocals, or even 2005 vocals. I mean, how else does one explain how Mariah can sound so harsh and raspy when doing Make It Happen live and then hit the final minute perfectly and clean on We Belong Together a few minutes later?

 

 

A Quick Note On Celine: I also believe Celine gets a little assistance from pre-recorded vocals here and there. But IF SO, it seems to be for complicated passages, longer high notes, etc. The more grounded vocals can sound nasal at times, but they're in tune, she sounds like she has a handle on them, she is basically pleasant to listen to in concert and does not come off as someone who struggles through her songs.

[Macaronie]

Oh I love the new song. Maybe because I want to have Miguel's babies. And he can hold me head between his legs anytime.

[LuisMa]

Woooo Hoooooo!!!

 

Top 20 single on the Hot 100!!!!

 

Just when some people said it would not move up any higher!

 

According to Billboard:

 

The Hot 100's Airplay Gainer award goes to Mariah Carey's "#Beautiful," featuring Miguel, which climbs 24-20 in its second week. The lead single from Carey's forthcoming 13th studio album coasts 44-28 on Radio Songs (42 million, up 33%) and debuts at No. 41 on Streaming Songs (1.5 million, up 223%), although it drops 10-15 on Digital Songs (97,000, down 14%). Carey sang the song as part of a medley of her hits on last Thursday's (16) "American Idol" season finale.

[Si J'etais Quelqu'un]

Watching Good Morning America now! She just did Always Be My Baby and I reckon it was live except for maybe two notes she got some help with. The back of her dress popped though... and it's being fixed on live TV. Only Mariah.

[Si J'etais Quelqu'un]

Idk if she recorded a new climax of WBT or if she actually did it live. It sounded too clear and easy to be live, but... I'll just say it sounded considerably different from the usual pre-recorded version she does.

 

And it looks as if she's singing Beautiful live! Oh, some of the notes at the end were a bit rough Wow, I've never heard her whistle register betray her like that... otherwise, it was solid.

[LuisMa]

Thank you for your comments about her performances!

 

They have uploaded "We Belong Together"

 

[Si J'etais Quelqu'un]

I have a real positive impression of the concert in general. If the end of Beautiful had gone according to plan, I'd be like "Oh that was perfect! Exactly how I would have wanted it to go at this stage!" It's just that the whistle part is so drawn out and repetitive that, when it's not working, the effect is amplified, and I guess a lot of people on Twitter noticed it. It bugs me, but what can you do?

 

Otherwise she looked gorgeous, I thought the song choices were right (SO glad to hear ABMB), and about 90-95% of her live notes sounded great.

 

EDIT: To try and focus on the positive, I will say that the WBT performance is one of the best I've ever seen from her.

Edited May 24, 2013 at 02:07 PM by Si J'etais Quelqu'un

[LuisMa]

I haven't seen Beautiful, as the uploads available are not in-synch. I'll keep refreshing until I find the real one.

[Si J'etais Quelqu'un]

Also, this

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVu1GH2ZffE

[LuisMa]

Yes, that was hilarious.

 

Here's "Always Be My Baby"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bRX_bsUG8k

[Si J'etais Quelqu'un]

There's a real cute part in Beautiful I want to see again, right where Miguel goes "you know what you did darlin!" and Mariah ad libs a response and it's sweet spontaneous moments.