Vocal coach analysis of Mariah Carey singing Emotions LIVE on MTV Unplugged

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Mariah's range was mind-blowing at the time, especially the rare high E (E7) on the original studio recording of this track.

[@davidgheciu3040]

Or the fact that on a live version she hit an Bb7💀💀

[@whitneyhouston1122]

@@davidgheciu3040 It wasn't an Bb7.

[@uditsahu4537]

@@whitneyhouston1122she hit c7 multiple times live

[@whitneyhouston1122]

@@uditsahu4537 Yeah, Ik. But what does that have to do with the Bb7.

[@uditsahu4537]

@@whitneyhouston1122 what’s the highest whistle she did live?

[@josef21]

She is a Masterclass in singing and songwriting: universities that teaches about music - must include her in their curriculum to be studied. Tone, pitch, range etc just pure class

[@philipkudrna5643]

Also the band is „fire“, the pianist, the bass, the BGB choir! And I love her „flying hands“ with which she paints her runs into the air!

[@MrDalebenberger]

Mariah is one of those rare vocalists like Whitney Houston that come along rarely. So powerful and versatile .

[@trentt5310]

Sometimes I have to remind myself she’s human and then I’m even more mind blown cause SHE IS JUST INCREDIBLE! Thanks for the reaction and teaching about the voice and singing!

[@RelUnrelated]

I remember hearing *Vision of Love* for the first time back in 1990 and just being completely enthralled. Thanks for sharing your analysis of more wonderful voices!

[@alittlebitgone]

Yup, I was a metalhead 14 year old when VoL came out and I gladly bought my own copy, sat right between my LA Guns and Megadeth cassettes on my shelf, wore it out.

[@FermiBubbleGummyBear]

Completely agree with you and share the same thoughts about Mariah's intuitive use of her instrument. The fact that she veered from from traditional vocal training and learned how to sing with nodules always led me to believe that she has this incredible intuition with controlling her vocal cords, larynx, etc all to such a degree that she's entirely gotten 100% out of what she could possibly do. It's evidenced by her ability to control the texture/color of her voice throughout her entire range, her unparalleled ability to phonate in whistle register, and just the crazy idea that she has vibrato in whistle register and can change the breathiness of the whistle tone. It's come at a cost, obviously, but I don't hate on a woman who's stretched her talent to share her gifts and her music. She's already given so much and I'm just here to support her for being the soundtrack to my life.

[@strangerthings88]

❤

[@Danner907]

Amen

[@Lightning61]

I'm a Metal guy, but I freaked out when I first heard "Vision of Love".

[@mijalakis3]

"All hail and bow to Mariah Carey, The Queen of Divas, Protector of the vocal skills from the realm, Archiduchess of Vocal range/registers, Empress of agility, The unmatched, The Mellisma mother, The Goddess of Songwriting and producing, The one often imitated, but never duplicated, The embodiment of pure success",. My simpleton ears are not worthy of your talent but a simple sung phrase will be enough to heal me for all eternity.

[@jonashasauniqueside]

👸🏻👑👸🏻👑👸🏻

[@-scrim]

are all carey fans this cringe? 💀

[@tigress725]

Her songs kept me alive when I was at my very lowest. It’s hard not to exhalt her. In my opinion she is a Diva sent to us from the divine. I think she got diagnosed as bipolar years ago. “ Anytime you need a friend” is sublime and has rescued many people to be sure. You gotta be emotional to “get” her in my opinion.

[@Ciclopea2]

My favorite thing about Mariah which to her was both a blessing and a curse is her perfectionism, one of the greatest vocalists EVER wasn't satisfied during her prime until her live performances were either as good as the recordings or better, and yes she definitely proved herself with this concert, this MTV unplugged album was one of the series best sellers and one of her classics. I agree with you she is a Diva in the best possible way, loved your reaction 💖

[@whitneyhouston1122]

This was the best selling Mtv ever sold!

[@Ciclopea2]

@@whitneyhouston1122 the best selling MTV unplugged album is actually Eric Clapton's, but she's right up there among the top sellers, which is nothing to be mad about.

[@whitneyhouston1122]

@@Ciclopea2Oh, I thought she was the best. Anyways I'm not mad.

[@MrDLOC11]

This was THE FIRST of the many bestselling mtv unplugged e.p.'s; Unprecedented mtv viewers demand created the need for the cd release; both single & album went to #1 on Billboard.

[@jennifercouret]

She is my favorite female singer.

[@josephstude5638]

*laughs at the fangirling* Your enthusiasm is infectious. Thanks for the reaction and have a great weekend.

[@mezmerized4lifejay654]

The greatest vocalist to ever pick up a mic 🎤🎶 Her voice is just magic. Can you react to Mariah’s “Without You” live @ Tokyo Dome! They’re legendary performances 💯🔥

[@alexandresousa338]

Omg, this was a great reaction, I love your enthusiasm! Please please more mariah carey

[@brianmorrow5350]

One of my most favorite performances by anyone ever is the time Mariah sang "If It's Over" on Saturday Night Live in 1991........ It threatens to drag my soul from my body every time I see it! When she finished, the look on her face was priceless. She killed it and she knew it...... She is an amazing woman without a doubt!

[@bryanjensen2614]

100% accurate. People thought she couldn't sing live like she did on her albums and the unplugged performance blew all the naysayers out of the water. Watched it live and ran out and bought the album.

[@philipkudrna5643]

Thanks for this. Undoubtedly one of the great moments in music history, similar to Pavarotti‘s nessun dorma at the three tenors, Whitney‘s „I have nothing“ at the 92 Billboard Awards or David Gilmore‘s second Solo in Comfortably Numb during the Pulse Tour!

[@aspect57]

Her range is fucking crazy... and on demand too. So talented, gifted whatever. She can fucking sang.

[@jamiewagner7066]

My parents bought me this concert on cassette back in the day! So fun to hear this track again!

[@speccwolf]

Never really like her songs, but mother of God the woman can sing.

[@ilovetati91]

How can you not like that legend’s songs? One of the best, richest discographies out there

[@SlobodanLx]

She makes it look effortless. That IS the real greatness. I don't know anything about the technique, but she makes it look like as easy as abc. It is an absolute joy to listen.

[@Scott-yy]

Omg I enjoyed your commentary!! You should react to her performance of Vision Of Love at BET in 2005. Its amazing!! And 15 years after its debut! The way she changes up that song everytime is CRAZY!

[@ciarrajohnson3849]

All Mariah said was that your throat opens when the whistle happens (She never knew how to describe it). Patricia never liked it, but Mariah kept doing it👊🏿👊🏿

[@FermiBubbleGummyBear]

In an interview a while back, she also said (interestingly enough) that her whistle in Vision of Love was a different technique than the whistle in Emotions. I also believe it's the only time she's ever commented on her whistle in a more technical fashion but also that she even used a specific kind of technique, let alone a *different* technique, even if she didn't mention what that technique was. We at least know she used at least two of them! Lol It makes me wonder if she still employs the same techniques or if she's abandoned one or the other for various reasons.

[@ciarrajohnson3849]

@@FermiBubbleGummyBear That’s a neverending blessing. She can do that shit 80 different ways. She would’ve blown Minnie’s head off if she could’ve met her👊🏿👊🏿

[@FermiBubbleGummyBear]

@@ciarrajohnson3849 yeah. That's the curse of her being such an intuitive and virtuosic singer. She probably can't explain how she does something in any helpful pedagogical sense, but damn she can manipulate her vocal physiology in such extremely precise ways, we get this gift of her voice memorialized in perpetuity with her recorded music. Even when she's in poor health, she's MacGyvered her way around it and still produced not just insane vocals, but insane vocals that served the music. Regardless of what she does in the future, I'm forever grateful for her giving so much of her voice that's touched my life in countless ways.

[@neilfleming2787]

I've loved Mariah right from the start of her career and in my opinion her first songs were the best

[@112productions]

Some of the most unique and beautiful runs. But also can we appreciate the bass for a sec 7:51

[@RedyyChuu]

Whistle is a tricky one. It is indeed a lot to do with anatomy and how your vocal folds look. Mariah is a special case, her vocal cords don’t stretch and strain at all when she sings in whistle, it’s due to her nodules, so it’s like a second pair of vocal folds which she can switch on from any of her registers. That’s my take on it anyway. That would explain the airy quality to her whistle which I think sounds very pleasant and very different from people who use their vocals folds to produce whistle.

[@mustbescud]

I think she said she sometimes don't know if she'll hit the note or not or if theres any sound that will come out when she does it. Not sure where and when i heard that, or if she was joking. Or if i just dreamt it lol

[@user-nonamebutexist]

I think Mariah is very smart. She knows how to treat her 'instrument' exactly, and subconsciously.

[@ricardouribe3510]

Mariah Is amazing......AND i love see your face when you talk about her voice..... Mariah Is the best....i love herrrrrrr

[@I1L3A0V2]

This live proved she’s GOAT! Good analysis! 🎉❤

[@davidcalhoun2003]

The blueprint of a vocalist

[@billyboy4774]

Gabriel Henrique sings this song, too. (The unplugged version) It is amazing. Check it out. Great rendition. Billy Boy

[@ciarrajohnson3849]

Happy 30th to this bomb shit and RIP to the genius on piano (The father of Emotions). He played like the track♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️👊🏿

[@TiSofocaIlSangue]

Hi! I agree 100% with you. She used her instrument in a way that no other pop singer did or does. If she can't do it anymore, well is life. She brought forward a way of singing that was not heard recently (commercially) since Riperton. Of course, other singers had it, like Deniece Williams , but I think, Think, the industry did not care fore it. So, she just said F that, even against her own. Was like Maria Callas, they opened doors for other... Love them or hate them...

[@JeffSpencer-vb6ot]

Excellent coach and video

[@ismaelm.mbaangue9147]

The Queen Legend PERIOD👑thanks for the reaction👏🏽

[@Fan-vv8wb]

The greatest vocalist of all time

[@pingunootnoot1838]

+ singer-songwriter

[@biggzg8592]

Agreed

[@fnb8171]

Studio carey not

[@milesheizer698]

is Aretha Franklin

[@steveymoon]

Errrm, no... one of the greatest pop or soul singers of all time.

[@johnarvinsarno1937]

SHE SERVED THE BEST LIVE. Please do the tokyo dome performances as well.

[@EngineNo9x]

Truly iconic performance. Her and David Cole on keys always kill me🥶🫠 And if I remember correctly, Kelly Price is one of the back up singers here

[@RickDelmonico]

The Golden Rules of Comping The melody always comes first-your job is to support. If there is any clash whatsoever, then what you are doing might not be helping. Simple is always best. Consideration of register is critical. Low-register melodies can be difficult to implement effectively and often create more problems than solutions. It’s not impossible to make this work, but that’s not where I’d recommend starting. High-voiced chords can put you in the same register as the melody, which can also create issues. Not all comping needs to be melodic. Like anything it is possible to overdo it. Sometimes the musical time in the band isn’t good, so our job would be to lock that in. This could mean playing a riff or just playing a rhythmic pattern. If the music is already too busy, comping melodically could make things worse. The best thing to do is to listen intently and ask yourself, “What can I do to make the music better?” Serve the music, always. Even though we might play something that’s theoretically correct, or might feel good, it could be stylistically wrong or simply inappropriate … or maybe what you are playing is not what the bandleader or soloist wants. Practice and experience will help with making better decisions.

[@samzag]

God knows how much I love Mariah singing voice - so much contrast, technique and confidence in executing the highest notes -especially during this unique era !! Just mind blowing

[@anthonyjalaniz3]

Mariah Carey is diva in the best possible way ever! 😍

[@fanmev1687]

Can’t wait to see more Mariah Carey contents!! 😍🥰❤️❤️❤️

[@riri2803]

You're correct. Critics were baffled of the vocal abilities she had shown in her first two albums that many don't believe she can sing them and she was just manufacturing her singing through audio technology, etc. They don't believe an unknown pop singer can sing dynamically and otherworldly as she was doing. Hence, she was labeled a 'studio singer' as she doesn't have a full live performance before that Unplugged one. And deym she made those critics cry afterwards. lol

[@blueskys2010]

The Queen of Vocal, she is the best.

[@_surayya_]

on divadom: i also think it's kind of silly to tell the best of the best what to do. i feel like a lot of the "diva" comments come from people (mostly men) who want to correct other people (mostly women) as a power move, but then they get shut down and their egos take a hit. literally not one person, now or in history, is qualified to tell THE mariah carey what to do with her voice, simply because no one can sing like her. she's the expert of all experts!!! in all honesty though, the way she revered both aretha franklin and whitney houston shows just how humble she actually is. humble doesn't mean self-hating in the same way that confidence doesn't mean arrogance. and let's be real, with a voice like that, a little arrogance would be more than warranted lol.

[@jolennon8629]

I've a feeling you're about to be adopted by the lambily

[@dm3889]

This was absolutely incredible! Your knowledge was mindblowing and you can tell you were really having a great time with this.

[@CruiseControlM3]

Fun fact: David Cole, the co-writer and co-producer of "Emotions", pushed her to use her upper register so much during the albums recording that she lost her voice lol. He showed taught her things she didn't know she was capable of doing. 'One Sweet Day' was written about him.. RIP David Cole.

[@sim19]

This made my day 😊❤️ Hope you do more Mariah Carey in the Future 😊❤️ Btw you have such a gorgeous and luminous smile !! Thanks for the reaction 🦋🦋

[@angelainksonvocalist198]

Also loved her vocal range ❤ another inspiration growing to ❤

[@cryptoking7093]

Vision of love is mind blowingly good!

[@shawngallman3254]

September 2024 anyone??

[@종현강-t5f]

unother level, top of the top, legend of legend,great one top lady singer's. amazing!

[@ricardouribe3510]

I love mariah carey...she is amazing....and i watch this video ....over and over....i love it...your reactions and how you talk about her vice..i love youuuuuuuuuu

[@steeviluscious]

Whistle Tone is actually an anatomically diverse physiological Anomaly that is only present in roughly 10% of the Population and is a tiny wisp of muscle tissue with paper thin fibers of vocal chord tissue that has just a sliver of the amount of tissue of the normal vocal chords structure, like a piece of fabric that used to be your favorite shirt but you can't wear it anymore because the material is so worn in some places that you can practically see through it and is so fragile that you are likely to tear a hole in it with your fingers just trying to put it on, and it is located at the very base of the larynx, which is the area where those muscles are normally the thickest in a typically developed individual, which is why I think that it's so odd that I can feel the high notes produced by Whistle Tone being generated at the bottom of my throat as opposed to the place where I am producing a falsetto tone, and without the structure of the throat being formed so delicately by what is essentially a form of genetic mutation, Whistle Tone is not something that can be taught, but it is also Hereditary, and I have passed this ability down to both of my girls who are equally as challenged in fine tuning this rarity of Physiological Divergence that is not something that you can practice without someone else who knows how to do it, and again with it being so limited if I had not chosen to cultivate my own skills and expand my capacity for variations of vocal expression and stretching my own range, I don't think that they would have been as motivated to challenge themselves to hone this skill for themselves and just adorable to hear coming out of the Pre-K Mini ME version of yourself...

[@ShinyShinyIsAlwaysBeingSerious]

Would love to see you react to more Mariah, I'll be honest I don't actually like probably any of the songs I've heard of her lol but I love listening to her sing anyway, it's like listening to a master musician from a genre you don't connect with. Would be great to know more about what she's doing.

[@przemekpuciennik3263]

LOOVE the reaction! More Mariah Please!❤

[@marianunez2442]

Thank you for reacting to this ❤

[@cannersocial5986]

Need all reaction for her 90's albums. Her best performance on stage and studio is sound so good. Her best prime to enjoy all generation❤

[@jaspers5354]

Hands down the best female singer ever walked this earth❤❤❤

[@allkindsamusicchick]

Front row for Linda during Mad Love Tour and one other time. Mariah...12th row...first tour. My favorite song of Mariah's... may just be..." Underneath The Stars." She has soooo many. Rondstadt? She's my original fave of all fave female singers and I have pretty much everything she's put out!!!

[@monochromedout]

Whitney and Mariah elicit almost like sports adjectives for me. Vocal monsters or beasts. It's comparable to a Derek Henry running for a touchdown with two guys hanging off of him. No song could ever deny them or get in their way.

[@masonpm]

You are a joy Bethany with your assessments!

[@vincentwhitley1119]

This was her "Fuck the Criics" concert...Her mother trained her very well but she was born woth those pipes

[@austindermody302]

Great reaction Bethany. You should check out When You Believe by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey next.

[@dystar112]

I bought this albumn and I absolutely love it still 💖💝✨️

[@jayjaysanchez1862]

That's THE JAM!! sooooooooo GREAT MC is.

[@tomtomcunha]

Great reaction ❤

[@Lefs86]

More Mariah, please!

[@NeXTAdventures82]

I LOVE YOUR NEUTRAL VOICE ANALYSIS! So informative and educational. Is it possible you can do vocal analysis of Tina Turner? ❤ One question. Can male singers produce a whistle tone? 😬

[@kristhump]

I hope that when Mariah passes from this earthly plane that she donates her vocal cords to science. Everything about her voice is so supernatural.

[@Drake844221]

You really need to react to something by Jonathan Young. As much as his older work (primarily hard rock and heavy metal covers of other songs, ranging from Disney to Anime and beyond) is... really well executed (his Hellfire in particular), I would love his newer original work to get some good attention. I'm personally very fond of his song "Land of the Living," which (I checked) has him singing in the recording booth in the music video.

[@brandonleans]

2 min in and I love you reaction. You definitely have to do A LOT MORE mariah reactions there are sook many haha. Also you got a new subscriber ❤

[@Chewbroccolii]

For some background on this performance - "speculation grew that Carey was a "studio worm" and that she was incapable of producing the perfect pitch and 5-octave vocal range for which she was known. In hopes of ending any speculation of her being a manufactured artist, Carey booked an appearance on MTV Unplugged. The show presented artists "unplugged" or in a stripped setting and devoid of studio equipment." It was a big FU to anyone that said she was just a recording voice. And boy did she show them. This would have shut everyone up.

[@mv9787]

I remember watching this from MTV back then

[@morr3no]

Beautiful song + beautiful Analyst

[@stevenmiller6341]

In the movie Who framed Roger Rabbit Judge Doom did highs when he becomes a cartoon at the end of the movie But he was doing by talking

[@lev8550]

היי איזה נחמדה את משדרת .. כייף לראות אותך שאת מתרגשת כמוני ממאריה קארי ❤

[@mikefisher4834]

What’s crazy is when you hear Mariah Carey talk you’d never think she could sing To be honest she sounds like she’s gettin’ a cold when she talks💯💀😂

[@taylorbaldwin185]

Have you heard Hurt by Christina Aguilera?! You should definitely listen to it!

[@somespecies]

More Mariah pleaseee! How about a reaction to her Best Live Vocals by PopCrush. Though it's not the best compilation out there, it still shows what MC can do with her voice :)

[@WCworkhorse]

She might be a diva but there only a handful of people in the world that can do that.

[@CyprusHot]

About time you did Mariah ! Yay

[@imblackeyesboy]

Good old days,Good old songs

[@angieh612]

Loved your analysis! Do you think Mariah is actually consciously thinking about implementing all these different techniques as she’s singing, considering she never had formal training, or is it just so natural for her that she doesn’t really have to think about it? I’ve never heard her mention anything about what’s going through her head as she is performing. Thoughts?

[@lev8550]

מאריה כלכך מיוחדת יש לה כלכך הרבה גוונים בקול שזה נדיר ומדהים . שבנוסף היא מגיל קטן סובלת מכאבים במיתרי הקול שלה ואף על פי כן יוצא לה קול מושלם ביותר ❤

[@JCourts2k23]

Id love to see you watch her performance from Tokyo of “Wishout you”, would love to see you break it down!!

[@juanhp1996]

Más reacciones a Mariah Carey ❤

[@stephaniescanlan5743]

I just discovered your channel and love it. I would love to see you analyze Patsy Cline and kd Lang . Thank you.

[@eltonsouzasantos4875]

The Best 👑

[@종현강-t5f]

머라이 캐리 가수님, 훌륭하십니다, 한국 공연 하러 오세요 한국팬들이 기다리고 있을 거예요 mariah carley simger님!great you.Korea going to concert.please. Korea fanship is a endless love you. forget me not Korea's a fandom. God bless you. bye.

[@fuzze321]

this makes me want to hear some Jessie J at The Singer competition, consider reacting to some of those!

[@kellking]

'' Emotions' ' Gabriel Henrique, Reaction

[@dalealsager6694]

Very nice sound!

[@r3drift]

More Mariah in the future, mom

[@pamb8449]

I can’t believe you haven’t done Barbara Streisand on this list! Please do her! 🙂

[@strangerthings88]

Loved your analysis could you do her version of Vision of Love from GMA 1990? Just her and piano

[@Qlint22]

🦋 The Songbird Supreme 🎙

[@TiSofocaIlSangue]

Hi, yes she was deemed as a "studio..."

[@gibbopg]

I think this song showcases Mariah's full vocal ability. Of course, she tends to overdo what she can do ... just because she can. Sometimes, less really is more!

[@Raven__xoco]

She’s not overdoing anything. It’s called soul. RnB and Soul music encompasses a full range of singing. It’s called dynamic, soulful and beautiful music.

[@ilovetati91]

Mariah was very skilled in not overdoing it actually. Incredible musicality