The first time I heard ‘Vision of Love’ I said ‘wow’. This girl’s going to be a star. It didn’t take a musical genius to figure that out. Mariah Carey has since sky-rocketed to superstardom as a singer and songwriter. She recently passed Elvis as having the most number ones of any solo artist.

Ok, here’s my first problem with Ms. Carey. Like so many Hip-Hop/R&B singers, a genre recently adopted by Mariah, they seem more concerned with vocal aerobics than a focus on melody and lyrics (do I sound old or what?). The inflections and breathy moments seem calculated, not born from any emotion grounded in the heart of the song. I’d rather listen to Jay-Z or Barbra Streisand who I believe. Whether they’ve wrote the song or are interpreting it, there’s a difference between something felt and something forced.

I believe that Mariah  lip-synched her song on American Idol Wednesday which made for a one-dimensional performance. Also, she seemed to be conducting herself as she ’sang’ which was a little distracting.  Mariah has a great voice and seemingly warm, generous personality but for someone recognized as one of the greatest singers in the world, to lip-synch, was very dissappointing.

Maybe she was sick. Maybe she was sad. Maybe she didn’t want to spoil the release of her new album with a performance that couldn’t duplicate what she did in the studio. I don’t know. What I do know is that the greatest singers in the world, sing or stay home.

Thanks for reading.

Have a great weekend.

All the Best,
John

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