Madonna vs. Mariah vs. Janet

[rumours 45,521]

13 minutes ago, Muscletank said:

I think you are making the mistake of equating powerful vocals and octave range with being a good singer. There are 1000's of session singers up and down the country that will never hit the big time that can hit notes that Madonna never will be able to and carry a tune. The reason being a singer isn't just about "hitting the notes". It's also about tone, melody and most of all-emotion. I think you're doing Madonna a great disservice by dismissing her vocals on what is undoubtedly one of the best female albums of all time. The emotion that is delivered in Oh father or Promise to Try  holds much more conviction to me than Mariah being able to shatter a glass with her octave range.

 

Both of them have their place. Mariah is undoubtedly an amazing technical singer. But,  I personally never cared for the actual tone of her voice. To me, someone like Kylie  conveys more emotions than Mariah Carey and Kylie is not a "great technical singer". They all have a seat at the table and have their own strengths and weaknesses.

This is a great post! 

The reason why Ray of LIght works so well is not because Madonna is a great vocalist technically (she isn't), it is the persona that permeates her music/that album . 

Mariah is very different. When she puts out great material (I.e. The Butterfly Album), it stems from her choice to showcase real emotion in her music. My problem with a lot of her music is that she has a tendency to convey a feeling as though she is detached from what she's singing.  She is (like you said) the far better technical vocalist of the two. 

 

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

54 minutes ago, Muscletank said:

Poor Madge

i hate you 

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

58 minutes ago, juju said:

her abilities are unmatched but for a few performers, Madonna not being one of them. There's really no comparison

I kinda get what you mean if you said "vocalists" but you said performers, so Madge's dancing and creativity far outweighs Mariah's especially since Madge isn't that bad of a live singer (her vocals are at least better than the likes of Katy and Rihanna pre-LOTB). There's a reason Madonna continues to extend her run as the best female touring act of all time.

[rumours 45,521]

10 minutes ago, DeanWinchester said:

I kinda get what you mean if you said "vocalists" but you said performers, so Madge's dancing and creativity far outweighs Mariah's especially since Madge isn't that bad of a live singer (her vocals are at least better than the likes of Katy and Rihanna pre-LOTB). There's a reason Madonna continues to extend her run as the best female touring act of all time.

I suppose it all boils down to what you want in an artist. If you are someone who prioritizes vocals, Mariah is the choice. If you like dancing/performing most, Madonna or Janet is the choice.

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

1 minute ago, Rumours1977 said:

I suppose it all boils down to what you want in an artist. If you are someone who prioritizes vocals, Mariah is the choice. If you like dancing/performing most, Madonna or Janet is the choice.

Yes and no. Obviously Mariah kills the vocal department but looking at the whole package, Madonna edges out the two.

[Antonio 27,723]

Madonna > Mariah > Janet

[Muscletank 410]

Just as a bit of Trivia for you all: Mariah and Janet were never as big as the Madge in Europe. Madonna and Janet to a lesser extent  were/are Global stars whereas Mariah was very US Centric. Mariah has only one no 1 in the UK which was Without you. Madonna has 12 and Janet has actually none! her best performing single on the UK charts was that's the Way Love goes , which peaked at no 2.

[juju 18,907]

15 minutes ago, DeanWinchester said:

I kinda get what you mean if you said "vocalists" but you said performers, so Madge's dancing and creativity far outweighs Mariah's especially since Madge isn't that bad of a live singer (her vocals are at least better than the likes of Katy and Rihanna pre-LOTB). There's a reason Madonna continues to extend her run as the best female touring act of all time.

I mean... I mostly meant vocalist, because we were talking vocals  

Madonna is a great performer, she isn't as strong as she once was, but she can hold her own, no lie there.

[LordEnigma 11,313]

1 hour ago, sipthistea said:

Ok but Like a Prayer has better vocals than Mariah's whole discography 

You have not studied or know much about music if you actually believe this 

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

Just now, juju said:

I mean... I mostly meant vocalist, because we were talking vocals  

Madonna is a great performer, she isn't as strong as she once was, but she can hold her own, no lie there.

But when you say "performer" it isn't just about vocals. Dancing and theatrics enter this discussion. But if we just mean vocals in the strictest sense, then yes, Mariah wins.

[Zombie 1,218]

why there's no "none" option, in that case, Madonna

[Lady Palutena 2,994]

Mariah. I grew up with her and I connected with her music because, being Trans, I felt like an outsider and I'm also bi-racial like she is so I felt the same way she did in that regard.

I don't like to be that person who says "without so and so, so and so would be..." but Mariah pioneered the hip-hop/urban collabs in mainstream music.  Before Fantasy with O.D.B. nobody was doing collaborations in pop music, she went against the grain and featured a rapper in her music. After her, more and more people started doing it.

And I'm sorry, but nothing I've heard from Madonna has ever made me feel any type of emotion. With Mariah, I play one of her songs and I'm over here crying for someone who left me that doesn't even exist. Or when she takes you inside that place of not knowing who you really are and never fitting in. That **** makes me emotional because I relate. I've never related with Madonna on anything. 

And yeah, people are so quick to call Mariah shady but she never shaded anyone who didn't start it first. You know, like how Madonna said Mariah isn't particularly bright and she'd rather kill herself than be her? I don't blame Mariah for not liking Madonna, she seems to be the shady one; when a new girl came on the scene, she was nice at first but then after her 2nd album dropped, only because of similar chord progression, she was quick to dismiss her as being "reductive" and used the song to mock her on tour. Say what you want but Mariah would never do that. Sure, she's mocked Eminem a few times but that's only because he insinuates they had a sexual relationship. I believe Mariah when she says it never happened.

So yeah, Mimi all the way, I do like pop music more than her urban tracks but at the end of the day, she wins by a landslide.

 

P.S. I'm sorry, but I don't really know anything of Janet. The only songs I know of hers are Runaway and Nasty... 

[juju 18,907]

2 minutes ago, DeanWinchester said:

But when you say "performer" it isn't just about vocals. Dancing and theatrics enter this discussion. But if we just mean vocals in the strictest sense, then yes, Mariah wins.

Ok well, omit performer and replace with vocalist  

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

Just now, juju said:

Ok well, omit performer and replace with vocalist  

[rumours 45,521]

8 minutes ago, Muscletank said:

Just as a bit of Trivia for you all: Mariah and Janet were never as big as the Madge in Europe. Madonna and Janet to a lesser extent  were/are Global stars whereas Mariah was very US Centric. Mariah has only one no 1 in the UK which was Without you. Madonna has 12 and Janet has actually none! her best performing single on the UK charts was that's the Way Love goes , which peaked at no 2.

This is true. Madonna is easily the most popular of the three in the U.K. (Good Point!). However, if my memory serves correctly, Mariah did have over 20 top 10 singles in the U.K.  Therefore, that does indicate a significant presence (although to a lesser extent than Madonna).