Mariah Carey: Here for It All

""I don't acknowledge time," is one of the first things Mariah Carey sings on her new album, Here for It All. Within the larger scheme of her public persona, this has come to be a refrain, a fun fact about her that is oft repeated in interviews. Her aversion to time is one of her diva affectations, like punctuating sentences with dahling or insisting on being photographed from the right, such that when she appears on Watch What Happens Live, she takes Andy Cohen's usual seat."

"Time, on the other hand, does acknowledge Mariah Carey, and that's made clear on Here for It All. Her voice, a force of nature that launched her career into the stratosphere, is often hoarse on the album. At times, her rasp flirts with an alternate key. Whereas in the past Carey's voice glided between notes as though her saliva were silicone based, here it sometimes trips."

"There are plenty of the kind of creamy, luscious vocals Carey's known for on Here for It All, particularly when she projects from her chest. Sometimes she still soars. But her vocal roughness is too frequent to be an oversight. It's unlikely that she just didn't feel like doing another take, given the perfectionism evinced throughout her career. No, this is Carey opting for realistic portraiture of where she is now as a singer, and if her voice sounds blown out"

Mariah Carey’s 16th studio album, Here for It All, is thoughtfully constructed and candid about the present condition of her voice. Carey's diva persona includes an aversion to time and theatrical affectations like punctuating sentences with dahling and insisting on specific photographic angles. Time, however, registers in her vocal instrument: the album often features hoarseness, rasping that sometimes flirts with an alternate key, and occasional trips between notes. The record also contains many creamy, luscious vocals, particularly when Carey projects from her chest, and moments where she still soars. The frequent vocal roughness appears intentional, offering a realistic portrait of her current singing.

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