The public sees the sexy glamour and riches, hears the unnaturally gifted vocals, perhaps reads the tabloid labels calling her difficult, a diva, yet only Mariah knows what it’s like to live in her skin and in her own head. With a painful childhood, filled with neglect, uncertainty, abusive siblings, and a mixed race heritage that made her question if she fit into any world, the Long Island little girl, encouraged by her Juilliard trained opera singing mother sought refuge in music where she quickly realized she had a God-given talent for singing. Immediately after graduating from high school, the 17-year old lit out for Manhattan, single minded in the pursuit of her dream. When a singing friend, Brenda Starr, brought Mariah and Mariah’s music demo to a glitzy party, the tape wound up in the hands of Columbia Records exec Tommy Mottola (who she subsequently married and later divorced). Blown away by the voice, he hunted her down, signed her, and a year and a half later her eponymous first album dropped. A giant hit, the debut LP topped the charts for 11 weeks, produced four #1 singles, and earned Carey two Grammys. The neglected little girl had become a household name.

            Carey’s musical style has evolved over the years from an early mix of pop and R&B ballads, later incorporating more gospel, dance, and hip-hop elements. A songwriter and producer as well as a vocalist, Mariah is generally feted for her virtuoso singing. With an impressive five-octave range, she is also capable of singing in the whistle register, which is higher than a falsetto. Known for her heavy use of melisma, the hitting of multiple notes on a single syllable, she has sometimes been criticized for over singing, for putting technical prowess ahead of emotional expression. Not all critics agree with that assessment, however, and there are plenty of artists and critics who argue that hers is one of the finest voices, if not the finest, of our times. In addition, Mariah Carey, with sales of over 200 million records, is one of the top-selling artists of all time.

            Among her most celebrated albums are 1995’s Daydream, 1997’s Butterfly, 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi, and 2018’s Caution. She has a slew of popular singles to choose from including “Vision of Love” (1990), “Emotions” (1991), “Hero” (1993), “Dream Lover” (1993), “Fantasy” (1995), “One Sweet Day” (1995), “Always Be My Baby” (1995), “Honey” (1997),”We Belong Together” (2005), and her Christmas classic, “All I want for Christmas Is You”.

            –Steve Williams (10/19/23) Greatest Recording Artists Blog Post #55