Coming out of the closet as a hater

[rootbeer1]

I just snorted out loud when Paula Abdul called Mariah Carey "unbelievably brilliant" on that embarrassing TV show that too many of us watch. That's not my opinion ... and how about yours?

[Poll #1171898]
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How about if they combine the regular American Idol with their charity fundraiser show? It would save a lot of time if Ryan Seacrest just closed off the show with the reminder, "Call these numbers to vote, and remember, each vote costs you $100."

Comments

[auntie-lukers.livejournal.com]

I don't acknowledge that she's had any "...influence on modern music." She just doesn't matter.

BTW, Paula Abdu-whatta WHO?

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

It's easy to say she doesn't matter, but evidently she was the best-selling musical artist of the 90s. One more crappy hit single and she passes the Beatles.

Doesn't that say more about the music industry than the "talent"???

[pauliebearsf.livejournal.com]

If crap can outsell quality music, doesn't that reinforce the need for an alternative way to exchange music (ie--Napster, Internet Streaming, etc..) to break the Recording Industy's monopoly on broadcasting/marketing???

I didn't realize Mariah was even close to surpassing the Beatles...

Then again, I almost choked on dinner the other night when I heard that Ryan Seacrest has made $30 million on "American Idol" (and will probably never have to work again).....

Why am I a corporate slave again?? (sigh) xoxoxoxoxooxxo

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

Evidently her Christmas album is the top-selling Christmas album ever, as well. (I think it's unlistenable.)

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

How I wish that were true! But--rightly or not--I blame her and her "saccharine melisma" (to quote rootbeer1's apt characterisation) for popularising a particular kind of obnoxiously overemotive vocal delivery in pop music. Negative influence is still influence; I can only hope and pray that it isn't a lasting one.

Hmmm...

[drew101.livejournal.com]

Tough one. I don't love her. I don't hate her (though I used to). Some of her stuff makes me want to dance. I admire that she records specific new tracks for the dance mixes of her songs, not just leaving it up to the producer/mixer/DJ to only harvest the original version, which is something pretty unheard of for remixes of mainstream artists. And I admire the huge comeback she and "her people" were able to orchestrate a few years ago after the post-Glitter meltdowns.

So, "unbelievably brilliant"? No, not particularly. "Horrible influence on modern music"? Nah. She would have to be horribly original to influence. And she's not all that original. But I have to admit, a small sliver of me enjoys a small sliver of her "oeuvre" once in awhile.

[paterson-si.livejournal.com]

She's just nothing/nobody to be specifically specific about.

[albadger.livejournal.com]

Figures the first time I ever turn on "American Idol" it's Mariah Carey night. Seriously, shouldn't karaoke be limited to songs with tunes? The music these young people listen to nowadays. In my day, we had composers!

Like, uh, Donizetti! Yeah, that'll do.

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

I sat through Don Pasquale once.

Didn't understand a word...

[albadger.livejournal.com]

That's because you weren't wearing these special glasses. Here, try them on.

[fogbear.livejournal.com]

Wow, coming from a talent like Paula Abdul, that's really saying something!

*snort*

Long ago I started calling her "Pariah" Carey. I see no reason to change that now.

[xianjessen.livejournal.com]

I'd rather listen to a tea kettle. In a tube top.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

The tub top keeps the water warm!

[markosf.livejournal.com]

I wanted to participate in your poll, but was looking for the choice: "Mariah Carey's voice makes ears bleed and nails on a chalkboard seem appealing". Her voice is painful.

[mamoosh.livejournal.com]

I love when you have toothy opinions. LOVE.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

I had to go with how terrible she is. I think she has a gifted voice. On that basis, I could have said she has talent. But part of being an artist is learning how to do something valuable with such gifts. Mariah has no aesthetic sense I recognize as such. The best I could say is that it's a very different aesthetic from mine. Enough with the songs in the key of H, or whatever note is always higher than a note should be.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

What's even sillier .. and has been since its inception .. is Paula Abdul judging talent. How can you be a judge when you have no discernible talent or ability yourself? What a joke she is!

[furmuslbulk.livejournal.com]

Love her! But had to go with choice two, since she's "believably talented" not "unbelievably brilliant." She has the voice and the production people to make it sound good. Vision of Love is AMAZING, as is most of her last album- thanks to some great producers.

[furmuslbulk.livejournal.com]

Oh does that last comment make me "un-cool?"

Oops. [Insert snarky comment here.]

[bearhedded.livejournal.com]

There isn't a, "Who is Mariah Cary?" choice......I've heard the name, but I have no idea who she is, other than some singer.

Sounds like i'm better off for it!

[kevin-v5.livejournal.com]

I could make my own comments about Ms Carey, but instead let me post something that Jerry Wexler, a man who knows a thing or two about pop and R&B, said that much better sums up my feelings on Mariah and her ilk:

Time and again I have found that flagrantly artificial attempts at melisma are either a substitute for real fire and passion or a cover-up for not knowing the melody. I have encountered this frequently in the studio and coined the term ''oversouling'' to bring the offending performer back to reality. Please, learn the song first, and then sing it from the heart.

Interestingly, he was talking specifically about people on American Idol. Full letter here (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0D61E31F932A35755C0A9659C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/M/Music)

[woofytexan.livejournal.com]

The Hideaway is a gay piano bar in Dallas. I went to see Mark Allen Smith do his drag one night and he was taking request from the audience. Someone suggested Mariah. She said "Oooo...I just perfected her voice this week. Ready?" and proceeded to hold the microphone to the speaker for 15 seconds. Feedback city! Then she said "Now...request her again bitch." The place went nuts with applause!

[kitchenbeard.livejournal.com]

Who?

[boyshapedbox.livejournal.com]

It took her needing breasts, legs, almost nudity, marketing campaigns, internet publicity, a nervous break down, and worldwide online music sales, just to get to where Elvis was without all that HOW MANY YEARS AGO?!?!?

is no one taking this into consideration?

[zacki1978.livejournal.com]

is it bad that I claim to hate her only to sing along to her #1's while vacuuming and cleaning the house?

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

Tried to write a post via my phone, weirdly it didn't accept.

Mariah Carey does not have a talent, unless talent nowadays means ability to endlessly bend notes that would make a jazz singer blush and go up and down the scales endlessly, and such vocal operatics with no soul. I sadly suspect people are hoodwinked into thinking these dancing dog tricks are talent, not so, having soul and feeling in your singing is talented. Expressing a feeling through your singing is talent.

Sadly she's a long line of usually white(r) singers leeching/parroting black talent since Elvis. Give me Aretha (who probably invented this style, but had the soul and heart to make it work) anyday, or someone like Nina Simone, or even Amy Winehouse who although derivative musically at least has a good voice and wisely leaves such theatrics to X Idol or even Beth Ditto who has a reason and soul to scream.

Not these bland Whitney-copies (ugh)

[grandiva1968.livejournal.com]

Except that Mariah is actually a teeeeeny bit black on her father's side…

Well, Afro-Venezuelan, anyway.  Not that it counts for much.

[bear-with-me.livejournal.com]

I hate Mariah, she can knock bats out of the air with that voice.

[jarlsberg71.livejournal.com]

Whistle Tones are not SINGING!!!!

An honest opinion

[graphicubsf.livejournal.com]

I probably could listen to her screaming while she's being chased by flesh eating zombies but that's about it.