Excellent choice, Mike. Despite her undoubted ability at manipulating vocal cords, Mariah has to be the out-and-out thickest singer I’ve ever seen. She doesn’t understand a single word that she sings off the autocue. That Xmas earache is not the best example, though; consider Without You.
Full of pathos, both of the song’s writers committed suicide and the original Badfinger version has an honesty, if no decent production:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Ty8R8tlo4
Harry Nilsson understood the song completely and made it a classic (I vaguely remember the original 1972 promo and it wasn’t this ghastly, “Cadbury’s Flake” video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKwApaN1k6g&feature=related
then along comes Mariah (OK, tons of others have duffed the song up). She co-produces this nightmare and, worse still, has a HUGE, Europe-wide, #1 hit with it. Watch the “live” (not) vid and her “I listened to this song as a little girl; it made me cry” intro before she goes all stage-school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOR_jq9M53c&feature=related
Count yourself lucky, Mariah. Harry had a fatal heart attack just before your release; I suppose you sent him an advance copy.
Whoops. Mariah-rant over. Back to Strictly Duff Xmas-songs 😳