Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
Oh Mariah. Well, Ms. Carey is not really my cup of tea, but today is my friend’s, whom we shall call Stephanie, birthday. Represent. The most important artist in her life, hands down is Mariah Carey. When people talk about how music or an artist can save their life, it is true. I know I am not here if not for music, I venture to say that Stephanie is not here if it weren’t for Mariah. So for Stephanie, we feature Mariah Carey.
When Stephanie first played Mariah for me, I was hesitant. I mean, come on. Mariah Scary? I don’t think so. Playing most of her greatest hits from back in the day, I will publicly admit that I warmed to Mariah. I ended up liking songs like Emotions, Make it Happen, Fantasy, Vision of Love and Someday. Stephanie, with great excitement, also played for me Mariah’s fourth studio release, “Merry Christmas.” Did you know that it is the biggest selling Christmas Album of all-time? It is. Her hit single from the disc, which was co-written with Walter Afanasieff, All I Want for Christmas is You, has become an annual holiday staple. What I like about the album is the near perfect mix of pop, R&B and Gospel. Plus, it’s a Christmas album. Bonus! The highlights on this record for me are O Holy Night, Joy to the World, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/ Gloria (In Excelsis Deo) and Silent Night. Of course my favorite among them all is the album closer, Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child. This is Mariah doing Gospel at her best. I love it. I put it on many a Christmas Mixes myself, including my CD this year, “25th Anniversary ‘Tis the Season.” Mariah shows why she is one of the most versatile singers ever. She goes high, low and then even higher. Of course no one has a range like Ms. Carey. It is well documented that Mariah has a five octave vocal range. People, that’s FIVE octaves. Mariah’s singing abilities are also amazing. There is only one Mariah. She has influenced countless other singers and musicians throughout her career and remains one of the greatest singers of all time. What is equally impressive is that, second only to The Beatles, she has had 18 number one singles. She is clearly capable of more. Even if I don’t fancy Mariah as much as others and especially as much as Stephanie, she has earned her acclaim, accolades and respect. Merry Christmas, Mariah and Happy Birthday Stephanie.
365, Album of the Day 2014 