Mariah Carey Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==== Vocal influence ==== Carey's vocal style, as well as her singing ability, have significantly impacted popular and contemporary music. She has been considered one of the greatest vocalists. As music critic G. Brown from ''[[The Denver Post]]'' wrote, "For better or worse, Mariah Carey's five-octave range and melismatic style have influenced a generation of pop singers."<ref name="DKTHK"/> According to [[Stevie Wonder]], "When people talk about the great influential singers, they talk about [[Aretha Franklin|Aretha]], [[Whitney Houston|Whitney]] and Mariah. That's a testament to her talent. Her range is that amazing."<ref name="vibe">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YCgEAAAAMBAJ&q=mariah+carey+rainbow&pg=PA260-IA6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428062350/https://books.google.com/books?id=YCgEAAAAMBAJ&q=mariah+carey+rainbow&pg=PA260-IA6|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 28, 2021|title=Mariah Carey 'Rainbow'|last=Linden|first=Amy|magazine=Vibe|date=December 12, 1999|access-date=March 6, 2011}}</ref> Carey has inspired singers and songwriters all over the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2014/09/14/1368802/mariahs-influence-todays-artists|title=Mariah's Influence on Today's Artists|access-date=December 1, 2020|website=Phil Star|archive-date=April 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429123856/https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2014/09/14/1368802/mariahs-influence-todays-artists|url-status=live}}</ref> In a review of her ''[[Greatest Hits (Mariah Carey album)|Greatest Hits]]'' album, [[Devon Powers]] of ''[[PopMatters]]'' writes that "She has influenced countless female vocalists after her. At 32, she is already a [[Living legend (person)|living legend]]—even if she never sings another note."<ref name="zefCx"/> {{Listen|filename=Visionoflove.ogg|title="Vision of Love" (1990)|description="[[Vision of Love]]" is credited with revolutionizing the usage of distinguished vocal stylings, predominantly the practice of [[melisma]], and effectively influencing virtually every female R&B performer since the 1990s.<ref name=RollingStone-Nov2008>{{cite magazine|title=The 100 Greatest Singer of All Time : Rolling Stone|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 12, 2008|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/mariah-carey-19691231|access-date=August 14, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027102514/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/mariah-carey-19691231|archive-date=October 27, 2011}}</ref>}} Multiple media sources referred to Carey as the "Queen of Melisma".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/killing-me-softly-with-their-self-indulgence-20060611-ge2hyf.html|title=Killing me softly with their self-indulgenc|date=June 11, 2006|website=The Age|access-date=April 19, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723140502/https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/killing-me-softly-with-their-self-indulgence-20060611-ge2hyf.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = How Many Octaves Can Mariah Carey Sing? She's Got One Of The Widest Vocal Ranges In Music|date = April 14, 2015|url = https://www.bustle.com/articles/76348-how-many-octaves-can-mariah-carey-sing-shes-got-one-of-the-widest-vocal-ranges-in|publisher = Kristie Rohwedder|access-date = July 23, 2019|archive-date = April 17, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150417203224/https://www.bustle.com/articles/76348-how-many-octaves-can-mariah-carey-sing-shes-got-one-of-the-widest-vocal-ranges-in|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Killing me softly with their self-indulgence|date = June 11, 2006|url = https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/killing-me-softly-with-their-self-indulgence-20060611-ge2hyf.html|access-date = July 23, 2019|archive-date = July 23, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190723140502/https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/killing-me-softly-with-their-self-indulgence-20060611-ge2hyf.html|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title = The Most Memorable Super Bowl National Anthems|url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-most-memorable-super-bowl-national-anthems-10706/mariah-carey-2002-62617/|magazine = Rolling Stone|access-date = July 23, 2019|archive-date = September 26, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180926014541/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-most-memorable-super-bowl-national-anthems-10706/mariah-carey-2002-62617/|url-status = live}}</ref> According to ''Rolling Stone'', "Her mastery of melisma, the fluttering strings of notes that decorate songs like "[[Vision of Love]]", inspired the entire ''[[American Idol]]'' vocal school, for better or worse, and virtually every other female R&B singer since the Nineties."<ref name="great">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/mariah-carey-19691231|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027102514/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/mariah-carey-19691231|archive-date=October 27, 2011|title=100 Greatest Singers of All Time – Mariah Carey|access-date=October 31, 2011|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 3, 2010}}</ref> Chart historian Tom Breihan chose "Vision of Love" as one of the chapters in his book ''The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music'', stating that the song "set the stage for a whole decade of showy, pyrotechnic '90s R&B vocals. Carey created an environment where her disciples could flourish, and she did it by constructing "Vision Of Love" as a showcase for her voice".<ref>{{cite web|title = The Number Ones: Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love"|date = September 29, 2021|url = https://www.stereogum.com/2161924/the-number-ones-mariah-careys-vision-of-love/columns/the-number-ones/|publisher = Stereogum|access-date = September 29, 2021|archive-date = September 30, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210930060858/https://www.stereogum.com/2161924/the-number-ones-mariah-careys-vision-of-love/columns/the-number-ones/|url-status = live}}</ref> In 2008, Jody Rosen of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' wrote of Carey's influence in modern music, calling her the most influential vocal stylist of the last two decades, the person who made rococo melismatic singing.<ref name="slate.com">{{cite web|last=Rosen|first=Jody|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2190184/|title=Why The Haters Are Wrong About Mariah Carey|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=April 13, 2008|access-date=October 31, 2011|archive-date=August 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821020124/http://www.slate.com/id/2190184/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rosen further exemplified Carey's influence by drawing a parallel with ''American Idol'', which to her, "often played out as a clash of melisma-mad Mariah wannabes. And, today, nearly 20 years after Carey's debut, major labels continue to bet the farm on young stars such as the winner of Britain's ''[[The X Factor (British TV series)|X Factor]]'' show, [[Leona Lewis]], with her Generation Next gloss on Mariah's big voice and big hair."<ref name="slate.com"/> ''New York'' magazine's editor Roger Deckker further commented that "Whitney Houston may have introduced melisma (the vocally acrobatic style of lending a word an extra syllable or twenty) to the charts, but it was Mariah—with her jaw-dropping range—who made it into America's default sound." Deckker also added that "Every time you turn on ''American Idol'', you are watching her children."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/news/features/influentials/16905/|title=The Most Influential People in Music|work=New York|date=May 7, 2006|access-date=October 31, 2011|archive-date=November 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126154020/http://nymag.com/news/features/influentials/16905/|url-status=live}}</ref> As Professor Katherine L. Meizel said in her book, ''The Mediation of Identity Politics in American Idol'', "Carey's influence [is] in the emulation of melisma or her singing amongst the wannabes, it's also her persona, her diva, her stardom which inspires them ... a pre-fame conic look."<ref name="rAqlU"/> With her ability to do runs, scats, and incredible control using [[whistle register]], Carey is credited with popularizing this technique in mainstream music, making her name synonymous with the term.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thethings.com/mariah-carey-and-other-singers-who-can-hit-a-whistle-note/|title=Mariah Carey & 9 Other Singers Who Can Hit A Whistle Note|work=The Things|date=May 6, 2021|access-date=June 4, 2021|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604213156/https://www.thethings.com/mariah-carey-and-other-singers-who-can-hit-a-whistle-note/|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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