2008 Woodie Awards
Einstein has nothing on this MC
Becky Bazell
Issue date: 5/6/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Though many naysayers think that comparing Miss Mariah to the musical wonderland that The Beatles' sound and legacy created is heresy, she will no doubt overcome their record with her latest effort.
"MC2" is what I like to refer to as Quality Mariah. Almost all of the songs could be released as popular singles, showcasing the range of her vocal talent as well as infusing the different influences she has encountered during her career.
Mariah and I go back like babies in pacifiers - the first CD I ever purchased was her self-titled debut in 1990. I was 7, and thought she was a musical genius. While these days I'm not so blindly devoted, there is no doubting the talent Miss Mariah exhibits.
She has morphed into something of a musical Barbie; she changes sounds like Barbie changes careers, yet always seems to come out on top. (Musically, at least - we need not mention "Glitter" and its fallout here. That comes later.)
In the beginning, there was "Classic Mariah": lots of operatic tonal runs, light pop ballads, danceable pop songs. With her MTV "Unplugged" appearance, the Soulful Mariah who had been lurking in the backgrounds of both her debut album and sophomore effort "Emotions" made herself known. Since then, we've seen more transitions than anyone could have ever expected.
Classic Mariah and Pop Mariah have merged-they are now the same sound-to produce songs like "Always Be My Baby." Ballad/Cover Song Mariah performed hits like "One Sweet Day," "My All" and "Open Arms".
There is Hip Hop Mariah, which started to show up in songs like "Fantasy" which featured O.D.B, and more current incarnations like "Migrate," a track off of "MC2" that features T. Pain. It could also be argued that Thug Mariah exists, due to musical efforts with the group Bone Thugs N Harmony and a rumored affair with Eminem.
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