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About Billy from Greece: I don't know, and neither do you.

Diana Ross (49,112) by Billy from Greece Anyone who says that Diana Ross is just an "average" singer has been clearly either not listening or very much influenced by misinformed "word of mouth". The woman is a world class interpreter of lyric, much like Barbra and Whitney, adhering to the melody of songs with meticulousness and intense connection so much that she achieves full conviction. The nature of her voice and vocal style may not be widely associated with black female singing, primarily by the mainstream/pop audiences who identify it with gospel and power belters, hence why usually gospel-influenced singers like Aretha get prioritized. Although her singing sounds "easy" it demands total control of her instrument, which she still has. In fact, as she grew older, her voice matured in her own benefit, augmenting in volume, acquiring excellent belting technique (showcased in the early 1980s in particular) and exploring huskier territories (see 1999's "Every Day Is a New Day"). More importantly, she exudes a very distinct personality in her singing, which is crystal-clear and never overbearing. There are too many examples to site here that showcase her as a vocalist (for instance, "Summertime" from 1987) but check out the expanded "To Love Again" (1981/2003) album, which is basically an excellent ballad collection. Another favorite of mine is the one below. (Sunday 11 January 2015; 15:08)

Dvd dubbing / video editing (48,899) by Billy from Greece Not only there is audio dubbing (something almost everyone does, although I truly believe Mariah did not even need it and I tend to always prefer the unedited versions) but there is also video "dubbing". That is, some small parts of the concert were retaped, maybe to look better, I don't even know. You can see that in "Hero" at Proctor's. You can follow the simulated live parts by checking the changes in her hair. It sounds funny, but I'm not kidding. (Friday 2 January 2015; 12:47)

"Don't Explain" (October 4, 2014) (48,886) by Billy from Greece A favorite song of mine, even before the divine Miss M performed it, it has now become even more intense thanks to her interpretation. Although she performed it in later shows when she was in better voice, her rendition from the infamous first "Chanteuse" show remains my favorite. There is a painfully slow lugubrious musical crawling going on in this delivery, with her voice cracking here and there, making it for the listener an almost voyeristic experience. As a writer has put it, "vocal crisis is a form of communication", "when the voice breaks down, the diva shows us how beggared and partial the terms of her triumph have been". Even then, or sometimes especially in these moment, the divine Mariah achieves transcendence. (Thursday 1 January 2015; 23:18)

Re: nikki (48,440) by Billy from Greece Great back to back posts. (Wednesday 10 December 2014; 14:36)

The whole speech (48,409) by Billy from Greece I love her references in this little tidbit. (Monday 8 December 2014; 18:43)

MC's t-shirt (48,339) by Billy from Greece Check the logo on Mariah's t-shirt from way back in 2010. Is it what I think it is? (Saturday 6 December 2014; 10:14)

Marc Shaiman (48,294) by Billy from Greece Yet more reasons to love this sweet man. (Friday 5 December 2014; 22:35)

"All I Want for Christmas" (duet video) (48,180) by Billy from Greece Remember that duet Mariah did a few years ago of "All I Want" that we all want to forget? I guess the one good thing about it is that in the video Mariah looks stunning. I mean, drop dead gorgeous. In all stills and gifs of that video, Mariah captures one of her best looks ever. I guess it should come as no surprise that it was directed by Sanaa Hamri, who in my opinion, along with Diane Martel, has brought out the best of Mariah in most (if not all) the videos they have worked together. (Wednesday 3 December 2014; 22:30)

Mary-Ann Tatum (48,096) by Billy from Greece Apart from Mariah, Mary-Ann has worked with two other legendary divas: Whitney (as I mentioned some time ago), and Diana Ross, on the latter's 1999 great "Every Day Is a New Day" cd. Hm, interesting. (Friday 28 November 2014; 18:06)

"Born Is the King" / MCIIY (48,075) by Billy from Greece I can literally sit through a whole album of "Born Is the King" interludes. The hypnotic harmonies, the deep and slow beat, the layers, just timeless R&B gorgeousness. I've started listening to "MCIIY" lately, which I loved instantly when it came out. "The First Noel" probably contains the best, most clear and "bright" vocal on the album, while all tracks up to the duet with Miss Patricia are top notch. In facts, tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 are exquisite. While I love the vocals on "One Child", I'm not fan of the children's choir. Also, there is quite a "mistake" on this song, around 3:19, which makes me wonder how could MC let it there. There is an interjected "shout" at this point that is really discontinuous with the previous singing, which puts me off somehow. Also, on the sublime "CTIITAA", the moment she raises her vocals for the "and to feel love like ours always" lyric, you can notice that it was sang somehow separately from the rest of the song. Could be because of the pregnancy and her breathing at the time, I don't know. Actually, what in my opinion slightly brings down the otherwise great "MCIIY" are such moments of bad comping, or of rather processed vocals (intro of the camp fest "Auld Lang Syne"). By the way, comping is when several vocal takes of a song are done and afterwards the best phrases/lines are chosen and put together as a whole seamless track. Finally, am I the only one who feels like the extra festive "AIWFCIY" runs a bit faster than the original? (Wednesday 26 November 2014; 8:59)

Subtle Invitation (48,024) by Billy from Greece Can we discuss once more about the masterpiece "Subtle Invitation" is? I get blown away every time I hear it, 12 years later. (Sunday 23 November 2014; 11:46)

Name-calling (48,011) by Billy from Greece Although I could not care less for Wendy Williams, calling her "drag queen" or "man-like" or things pertaining to a non-conforming gender identity is disrespectful towards people that are actually non-conforming. You're basically using it as an insult, which is a clear display of both sexism and homophobia. Please keep it in mind and find more politically correct ways to throw shade if you will. (Saturday 22 November 2014; 9:31)

Re: "Across 110th Street" (47,889) by Billy from Greece Something more regarding its inclusion in the tour: according to the Same Same article reviewing one of the Australian "Chanteuse" shows, they write this: "Across 110th Street is a movie of an African-American and Italian-American police duo that grapeoplees with important themes of power and race relations. 110th street being the boundary for Harlem. If you've been to New York, 110th Street is a long way from One World Trade Centre. It's been characterised as being part of the genre of Blaxploitation." The Womack song is an anthem about the struggle to get out of the ghetto. Maybe there is a concept behind using it to open the show, in relation to the "chanteuse" persona MC supports in the show (gowns, jazz covers, sitting on the piano). Great song in any case. (Monday 10 November 2014; 15:03)

"You Don't Know What to Do" (47,789) by Billy from Greece So, apparently "YDKWTD" was written back in 2012. Check the beginning of the interview. (Tuesday 4 November 2014; 9:26)

MC interview (47,732) by Billy from Greece (Saturday 1 November 2014; 12:27)

Re: Will Hudson (47,645) by Billy from Greece Hi Will. You and Marcus on Oprah are one of favorite Mariah moments from the "Memoirs" era, especially when you started naming/singing her songs on stage and she responded. I'd love to know how your experience on the "I Want To Know What Love Is" video shoot was (were you there with her?), or if you have ever met her again since then. But wait a minute: you were also on the Jimmy Fallon "Art of Letting Go" mini-concert thingy. You are one lucky lamb. Also, I hope you have fully recovered health-wise. (Tuesday 28 October 2014; 19:37)

Awesome and better than ever (47,585) by Billy from Greece (Friday 24 October 2014; 23:22)

Singapore (47,584) by Billy from Greece Awesome show, gorgeous vocals. (Friday 24 October 2014; 22:57)

The Rakyat Post article (47,563) by Billy from Greece "She had also posted pictures of her twin boys, Moroccan and Monroe making pizza at a restaurant in the Ritz Carlton Hotel." Can they at least bother to get some info correct? I have to admit though I kinda laughed when I read it. (Thursday 23 October 2014; 14:35)

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (47,515) by Billy from Greece Did anyone know that this particular category in the Grammys has been discontinued? According to Wikipedia, "From 2012, all solo performances in the pop category (male, female, and instrumental) were shifted to the newly formed Best Pop Solo Performance category. " Also, according to Forbes, not one artist's album has gone platinum in 2014. (Monday 20 October 2014; 15:44)

Irrelevant but... (47,477) by Billy from Greece I guess some of you are aware of who Mary Wells is. I was checking her really good "In and Out of Love" album from the early 1980s, and had forgotten that in the back cover of the albums there is quite a resemblance with MC. Check it out. (Friday 17 October 2014; 23:39)

MC cameo (47,439) by Billy from Greece (Wednesday 15 October 2014; 10:15)

That's funny (47,284) by Billy from Greece Leave Mariah alone. (Wednesday 8 October 2014; 9:54)

Re: Andrew (47,161) by Billy from Greece You say, "I want her to write relatable universal songs so that everybody can relate to them." So basically you want her to be a blank canvas with no distinct personal traits, to sing songs that are abstract enough so that people of all diverse backgrounds (racial, ethnic, religious, sexual etc) can find at least something to identify with and the buy her music. Good job. That's what all major record companies want from an artist. But if that's you want, maybe Leona Lewis' "Spirit" is the kind of music you should gravitate towards, you know, faceless bland songs carried by a good singer nonetheless. Sorry if I should aggressive, but Mariah is all about personality in her songs and that's what sets her apart from singing yet another faceless pop ballad. I'll take the brilliance and complexity of "Cry." anytime over a 'universal' song. No more "Heal the World" for me. And by the way, "Me. I Am Mariah" is full of hooks and immediate melodies. And again, not being ironic, but maybe Mariah is not the artist for you (and many other here, irrespectively of voice issues). Clearly she's doing nothing of what you wish she would do, even artistically speaking. Then, I don't get it, why spend time on her? I'm confused. (Monday 6 October 2014; 0:18)

Jazz Mariah (47,109) by Billy from Greece Jazz is just a natural for her. She is already in the third decade of her career. This is definitely the direction she should pursue more, shall I say, diligently. It fits her voice completely. By the way, she looks beautiful in the pics from the first show. (Saturday 4 October 2014; 23:14)

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