suburbannature Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Quote The first book to critically examine the legacy of pop superstar Mariah Carey. Carey is immediately known for two things: a stratospheric, five-octave vocal range and massive success on the charts (she has more Billboard no. 1 singles than any other solo artist). As Andrew Chan points out in this book, that fed easily into the narrative around an artist who came of age in the excess-riddled 1990s-and was married to Sony CEO Tommy Mottola. Chan, though, is digging deeper into her catalog and her biography to argue that it is actually Carey's songwriting, studio instincts, artistic evolution, and the nuances--rather than the extremes--of her voice that separate her from other successful artists of her generation. And, stepping beyond the music, Carey's story as a biracial woman, as well as her "large and loyal LGTBQ fanbase," further distinguish her from her peers. The book unfolds in a mostly chronological manner. Chan's second chapter discusses the in-between nature of Carey's work, contrasting the label's early attempts to package her as a "white" artist with less-discussed examples of her hip-hop-inflected remixes and her gospel-tinged Christmas album. By the mid 1990s, she was working with hip-hop producers such as Missy Elliott. Chan also identifies the mid 90s as important for the emergence of her penchant for humor and her contrasting self-pity-"emo Mariah and class-clown Mariah," as he puts it. Carey's personal and professional struggles in the early 2000s lend poignancy to her ballads from this period, when her voice was no longer the singular force it was a decade earlier. The decline in her voice presents a particular problem for the "nostalgia" aspect of her career, something that she has countered, to a degree (she can still sing with the best), through nonmusical ventures as well as more eccentric and experimental choices in her latest work. At the close of the book, Chan reflects on diva worship, especially as a queer listener, and the ways in which Mariah has aligned herself with her queer audience"-- Barnes and Noble link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/why-mariah-carey-matters-andrew-chan/1143062118 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheep Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Suddenly I stan books and not music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HASHTAGPOW Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Suddenly I can read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smarticle Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Suddenly I can't read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pecinta Mariah Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Suddenly im a bookworm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburbannature Posted April 23, 2023 Author Share Posted April 23, 2023 22 minutes ago, Smarticle said: Suddenly I can't read Suddenly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburbannature Posted April 23, 2023 Author Share Posted April 23, 2023 6 minutes ago, Rocket said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyDiana Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 University of TEXAS of all places xmas fad did that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_Dean Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 1 hour ago, Rocket said: lmao there's a gif for everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keter Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Hmm I wonder if Mariah will acknowledge this. Probably not with the direct reference to vocal decline. Hopefully one day she’ll feel comfortable discussing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburbannature Posted April 23, 2023 Author Share Posted April 23, 2023 9 hours ago, Keter said: Hmm I wonder if Mariah will acknowledge this. Probably not with the direct reference to vocal decline. Hopefully one day she’ll feel comfortable discussing it. She might tweet something cute if she doesn't see the full description Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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