So our suspicions that Mariah Carey's Idol performance wasn't exactly as we were led to believe have kind of been confirmed with the surfacing of the video below. (Yes, I know, I was too chicken to say it in the post, but believe me when I say I spoke to a friend about it!)
Supposedly taken during the recording of the medley, the video clearly shows Mariah's belting range isn't quite as pristine as the rendition that aired on Idol wanted us to believe. It sounded particularly coarse and clumsy during the My All section of the medley.
However, it's still not clear whether the aired medley was a composite of the reported three takes; or if it was actually a cut and paste job of old/pre-recorded vocals. I suppose it would be less damaging if the they were all from the night- regardless of which take they happened in- but I guess we'll need to wait until (if?) the other renditions are released before we can really judge either way.
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| [This was posted in the comments of the Mariah/Idol performance and I thought it was too cruelly apt not to use here!] |
Thoughts?
I've found Mariah's voice difficult to figure out. You'll listen to her one second and think she's a soprano, then listen again and think she's a contralto. Like she has a double tessitura. What's even weirder to me is there seems to be a gap between the two. There's a gap right there in the middle of her range where you'd expect it to be the strongest. There isn't power behind those notes. I can't figure it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's her nodules. She sings through her nodules, which is both incredible and...incredibly damaging. Her voice, at this point, is broken. The technical ability to still sing is there: she'll always have that, that never goes away, but the condition of her vocal chords is completely broken. She obviously is aware of this, and that's why she lips.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note...I don't actually hear many differences between the undubbed and the live. Maybe I need to listen again...? I should mention now that I thought her vocal condition in the televised performance was quite...bad, but hey-ho what do I know. (See, I write a song!)
I forgot to mention, you can tell this recording is different to the televised one. Not only because she sounds so drastically different in certain singing parts, but because of little details like how she introduces We Belong Together (in the televised performance, she says "Since a long if you know it... If you don't then try!") and the ad-libbing at the start of #Beautiful in the undubbed performance isn't there in the televised one.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not saying this excuses Mariah, it's very possible that the horrible performance of My All was rectified in one of the other recordings.
Nothing about Mariah's voice suggests contralto, everything points to soprano lol.
ReplyDeleteAlto is a choral term, it isn't a vocal fach.
ReplyDeleteAlso Mariah's mother has never commented on Mariah's vocal type, only Mariah has, and she has only said so because she sang in the alto choir in high school.
Well she didnt necessarily sound bad. She just wasnt as perfect as she used to be. Her technique can only do so much with her aged voice. I would honestly have preferred this air instead of the dub.
ReplyDeleteso she isnt as perfect as she used to.... but no one did
ReplyDeletein her prime no one came close to mariah's unparalleled talent
she sounded okay
atleast she didnt sound like a gargling pig like christina aguilera
Still vocally impressive, and besides, Mariah has already proven she is the best. LMAO @ the Xtina gif. That overrated, straining bitch couldn't compete with Mariah on her best day and Mariah's worst.
ReplyDeleteNo she didn't. I hadn't seen what everybody was talking about but before I clicked on this, I was fearing the worst (like Whitney Houston bad...). I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard this. Lets be honest. If you're going to cover more than 3 octaves (let alone 5), its going to be difficult, if not impossible to sound good in all of them each day, every day.
ReplyDeleteha i know right christina has never and will never amount to mariah's greatness
ReplyDeleteI have watched the aired version almost 20 times and i honestly think it was a composite of the three performances they compiled the night before and that they might have added autotune in some areas after it was recorded
ReplyDeletenonetheless mariah still sounded good in the undubbed version
also the last part in beautiful where she uses her whistle (which is where people are confused) it sounds like she did sing that live and that she was just out of sync with the layered backing track
ReplyDeleteTechnically the dubbed version was live. They had her sing the medley three times and just compiled the cleanest sounding vocals from each take into one session.
ReplyDeleteIt's still impressive. Though, her vocals are getting raspier and hoarser. I worry for her somehow. :\
ReplyDeleteI agree. After hearing this, I stand by my original opinion. ''Beautiful'' in that official, so to speak, video was live.
ReplyDeleteI also tend to agree that said video was a compilation of those three performances.
I think she still basically sounds great. Problem is she set expectations with all that silly vocal gymnastics at an early age. The other problem is...she cares too much about such expectations.
ReplyDeleteI say ''Fuck'm Mariah! Just sing your best with your present abilities. You'll still be amongst the best.''
Technically...no. Dubbed is dubbed. But I am not sure all of it was dubbed.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the parts she felt went well in the other performances she did sing live again and only the trouble bits were dubbed to the best of those earlier performances?
From what I understand, the decision of what went where was up to the producers of the show. Mariah wanted to do a throwback concert for her fans (which was a success apparently) and the stage that she used was the american idol stage. They did this because Mariah wanted to do a big show with set pieces and etc. which would have interfered with the schedule of the show- so instead of singing live on the show she had her throwback concert filmed and spliced. Everything we heard WAS live- because she did in fact sing that way for the audience however since it would be put on live television the producers had her do three takes of each song so that they could "Dub" what the audience at home saw which is why i said #beautiful looked lipped because it wasnt matched well.
ReplyDeleteJust saying technically live singing is singing at the moment. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhich was what she did while she was on stage. :)
ReplyDeleteLol obviously implied is that that singing at the moment is also what the listener hears.
ReplyDeleteJeez...who'd have thought in just two decades or so, the concept Live would have become so elusive?
Soon people will call a CD Live. ;-D
That's almost as good tbh...
ReplyDeleteHorrid. She needs to do one of the following: accept her current vocal state and lower her song accordingly or get her vocal nodules trimmed down some. I know she's worried about going out Julie Andrews style, but there's been a lot of advances since then (Adele). She is even losing the whistle. Her voice is going to be shot in another 3 years if she doesn't get them removed or trimmed. Huge lamb but it's the truth.
ReplyDeleteWasn't the reason that Andrews lost her singing voice because the operation to remove her nodule was botched? I'm pretty sure that is what she said.
ReplyDeleteI meant for the concert she was giving she was singing live. For us it was definitely dubbed. I wonder how many people caught on that Mariahs peformance was the only one that was pre recorded.
ReplyDeleteLOL. It's only fair; I rip on Christina SOOO Much! As for the catfights, you guys don't need provocation! You start them amongst yourselves, lol!
ReplyDeleteyeah, it wasn't awful or anything.
ReplyDelete"The other problem is...she cares too much about such expectations." 100% this
ReplyDeleteI tend to find, when her chest voice is raspy her whistles come easier.
ReplyDeleteindeed!
ReplyDeleteOh no, it's not bad. It's just not as good as the aired version.
ReplyDeleteYep. Totally.
ReplyDeleteSure, we do. And you LOVE to watch. :D
ReplyDeletehttp://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdlsth28bG1rrn4vv.gif
ReplyDeleteFirstly, her vocal state is actually better than it has been in the last 10 years, judging exclusively from live performances in Australia.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Adele had a different surgery than the one she would have.
Preach, Baby! Preach! Luv U.
ReplyDeletehttp://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6ktnt2b2y1qaozevo1_500.gif
ReplyDeletehttp://static.railbirds.com/gallery/2009/09/16310gunshot.gif
ReplyDeleteMariah>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Xtina.
ReplyDeletehttps://lh6.ggpht.com/--pr4sPkoT8M/UZB2-OTuv4I/AAAAAAAAKD8/4QqBrUAzNcg/w333-h236-no/p+%252817%2529.gif
Lots of videos are surfacing about other performances she did this night, apparently these were the selected songs and vocals for the Idol show.
ReplyDeleteShe also performed multiple takes and several other songs not featured in the medley on Idol. From what I've seen she also sang "Can't Let Go", "The Roof", and "Underneath The Stars".
Well people can say what they like about this but the reality of the matter is that she still manages to make most singers out there these days look like complete amateurs! Besides I thought she sounded pretty good, certainly in better vocal health than she has done in some time!
ReplyDeleteAs for the previous post regarding the mixing, yes....that was pretty sloppy sounding, almost as if they rushed out the idea before actually working out which songs fitted best together! Overall though, I'm sold! I want that new album like yesterday though :-/
It sounded coarse but I don't think it sounded clumsy at all. It sounded really powerful and emotive.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me you have a link to The Roof and Can't Let Go. I can't believe she's that confident with her voice to perform both of them!
ReplyDeleteThis is the proof that she shouldn't embark on a tour. we either get disappointed or she'll cause more stress in her voice or both. My advice: go get a surgery now and forget julie andrews.
ReplyDeleteCould it be repaired in anyway if she got the nodes removed?
ReplyDeleteMariah will never sing like she used to but that doesn't take away from all she's accomplished in the past and what an amazing voice she had and good music it's hard to live up to with her nodes and damage she works with what she's got and she still has a good unique sounding voice maybe she should just take the key down on some songs she's still a gorgeous larger than life fabulous diva
ReplyDeleteSince Mariah claims she has had nodules since an early age, if she does decide to remove them, it's possible we'll get a completely different voice than we have ever heard from her before.
ReplyDeleteOne that, by the way, might not include octave-spanning belts or magical whistles.
- Mariah singing "Underneath the stars" during the tape of Idol's infamous medley:
ReplyDeleteWhy this Mariah (I love) didn't appear on Idol? Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4ArltSq5V4
i heard Keith urban performance also was pre-recorded?
ReplyDeleteActually I thought make it happen was the worst... she went flat... But no singer is perfect and she's as perfect as you can go.
ReplyDeleteI dont like to categorize pop singers because it is very unprofessional to do so as a singer myself because range is overrated I prefer tone...
ReplyDeleteVoice classification is only determined for an operatic role because pop is more intimate vocally and you can do things vocally your not allowed in opera.
In opera your not allowed to have whisper tones or hit notes with growls and a forced larynx because it can cause nodes and is damaging for voice. Mariah does this a lot, But in no way am i saying she's bad. she is the best pop vocalist there is. INMO next to Whitney.
Most of Mariah's high notes would not be technically correct and considered in the world of opera, if she sang opera right now her range is limited to contralto.
You can do many techniques to reach the notes and Mariah def does, but her natural tone singing is def mid to low range, she just developed the ability to reach in higher tones by placement and forced head voice and she can belt with a mixed head. But that is not her natural fact.
Hence why I think she got nodes, all the signs of nodes are singing above your vocal range and straining...
Yes it's because whistle is more easily accessible when the vocal folds are swollen or hoarse.
ReplyDeleteEven with small imperfections, she still sounds amazing. Like you have people like Selena Gomez who cant even keep her voice steady for some small, straight through song that doesnt have amy riffs or runs. Aretha Franklin still sounds great live to this day, but she definitely isnt as great as she USED to be, but that should not be the topic of dicussion. Mariah is still singing a LOT better than new artist today who are at their prime. I wish people would stop! Mariah is who she is for her the notes she can hit, but also her signature tone and the style of her riffs and runs. Yea you can say that Ariana Grande has a somewhat similar tone and an essence of Mariah, but she could not reach Mariah. Her voice and showmanship lacks the personality, the sassiness, the attitude, the composition considering Mariah sits and sings out all her instrument sounds for the producer to put together when she "produces". This lady is one talented person...All of that as a package is what makes Mariah great. I wish people would stop looking for the flaw.s I would take her flawed performances over Beyonce's flawless performances any day because at least Mariah is in there feeling the songs and digging deep than just so focused on being perfect. Grammy awards 2006....NO ONE WILL EVER TOP THE EMOTIONS, ENERGY, AND NOTES IN THAT PERFORMANCE BY MARIAH! And that is why she is a legend. I don't think Beyonce will be a legend, really. Like her "signature" song that she sings day in and day out no matter what is Crazy In Love...um?? Mariah has Hero, Emotions, Make It Happen, My All, We Belong Together, Can't Take That Away From Me, and the list goes on....of songs that will always be repeatable playable, singable, for all years to come. Hero is a national patriotic song! All I Want For Christmas is among the traditional christmas songs like Santa Clause is coming to town and she even had a whole Christmas album chart higher than an artists regular album. IDC how many awards Beyonce, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, etc will win, because Mariah was cheated out of a lot of awards during her time. But her legacy will over last any little award. Especially when they're giving out awards for best social media artist...shit, Psy and Rebecca Black could win something like that,
ReplyDeleteThat's the main issue. I mean, I know the high notes are impressive and "bragging rights," but they weren't what drew me to her voice. Neither was that "whisper" register she does that's in her head and extremely airy (heard it for the first time on the album version of Make It Happen). Supposedly she hasn't gotten rid of the nodules because they help her produce those crazy high notes. The thing is, though, America fell in love with her through the radio, and Tommy would edit out so many of those...even today, my station always cuts "Beautiful" out as they go to the outro. Sometimes, it CAN be effective, but now it's just like bragging rights.
ReplyDeleteWhat drew me to her was, point blank, the richness and tone...and I'll be honest, the power that went with it. So yes, because she can still mask that kind of stuff by drenching it in reverb and having producers compress the crap out of it until all of the rasp is gone in the studio, I still LOVE it on her albums, but I miss the purity, the richness, etc.
While it does seem like her range has expanded in the higher range in the past few years ("Love Takes Time" in Australia), her voice, even with all of the improvements, gets THINNER with every single album. It was very clear on MCIIY, but it was still thinner...Triumphant and Beautiful thinner than that (although I ADORE her technique on "Beautiful" -- she TAKES HER TIME WITH IT like she used to as opposed to speed singing)...but I miss that fullness. It's her voice, though, not ours.
It's just weird that she doesn't see that. "We Belong Together" is such a beautiful song, but I maintain to this day it did as well as it did because of her vocal. The melody is very basic, the production is quite bland...the entire thing is her voice -- that's what makes it huge...and there was no nonsense on that song...just her singing it without all of the frills.
That is not true, Mariah carry's mom who is an opera singer and mariah herself said she is Alto... She is an alto with 5 octaves... All of her high notes are places in the head or usually belts it or mixes, her natural tone is of an Alto.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is when you try to categorize pop singers u will fail 95 percent of the time, because Pop is more intimate and stylized, Voice category was strictly made for opera with the opera voice... You can't categorize singers who have not trained and/or using opera voices.
The only "bad part" is "My all". Divas Devotee ALWAYS likes to start a catfight. Chirstina Aguilera didn't even reach Mariah's level yet. She keeps on trying, but No, no. no...
ReplyDelete