Description
Mariah Carey's ascension to the top of the charts is an affirmation
of her deep affection for the roots of popular music, to wit,
gospel and R&B. She's not the first pop vocalist to find
commercial and artistic bliss in black music, but her efforts are
among the most heartfelt and convincing. And with the surehanded
support of contemporary music's most creative producers and
songwriters, Carey has developed a smooth, brassy sound signature
all her own. What makes it all happen is that luminous, vaulting
voice, one of the surest most impassioned instruments in all of
pop, capable of leaps in register most vocalists can't even
imagine, yet alone execute. Her dark ornaments and trilling upper
register cries on Dream Lover make this plain. On power pop
ballads like Hero and Anytime You Need A Friend--with their
gospelish To dream the impossible dream/The greatest love of all
cadences--Carey's over-the-top expressive range sparks these
arrangements to one emotional catharsis after another. It is
Carey's new found restraint--reining in her voice to suit the
emotional fabric of each tune--that marks her growing maturity. The
lush understatement of her singing and Walter Afanasieff's charts
on the title tune, allow the tender grace of the song's lyrics to
shine through--without superfluos vocal acrobatics. Ultimately it's
Carey's reserves of vocal power, barely constrained on Never
Forget You (with Babyface), that brings her fans back time and
again.
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