Still true today, and back in the day: when I was in radio I tried not to let a woman’s beauty influence whether I thought she was a good singer!
I learned my lesson the hard way! There was a beautiful girl in a long dress, solo, singing on stage, on TV, with just a microphone stand … that’s all she needed. She was stunning.
I remember it like yesterday.
I confess, my initial thought was, she can’t be good, she’s too good-looking! It’s just a matter of how many good things can a person have!
But I was wrong.
My #9 Top Influencer:
Mariah Carey’s debut album (1990) contains sophisticated jazz stylings, beautiful solo vocal riffs and, well into the video age now, beauty in energy, fashion, appearance, posture … and musicalness. Everything worked.
The visual part of music would never be the same.
It was really something to be emulated, and we saw that happen for many years.
While runners-up “Roomful of Blues” (1978) and Morrison’s “Moondance” also offer up lots of tight jazzy swinging, Mariah’s record wins easily in this genre based on the front cover photo alone.
Just don’t let it fool you.
This stuff’s really good!
###
2 Replies to ““Mariah Carey” Influencer #9”