Dedicated, Part 3: Deploying Whistle Register

To wrap up my examination of "Dedicated," the best track from 2014's MIAMTEC, I would like to discuss "whistle register" (defined as a separate vocal register usually beginning at a C6 and extending to a D7, for those who understand this sort of thing). Even the most casual listener of Mims will be familiar with her frequent use of this neat vocal trick. I call it a trick because even though it's kind of her trademark, I've never felt that whistle register is the aspect of her vocals that sets her apart from so many others, but rather just icing on a damn good cake.

"Emotions," a song that haunts grocery store muzak to this day, is a textbook example of Mimi's typical use of whistle register. At this point in her career, her voice was so strong and fresh that she almost didn't know what to do with it. Everything came easy. Notes that sound ever-so-strained in 2015 came vigorously bursting forth in 1991, almost to the point where it seems like she's shout-singing her way through the track just because she can. The whistle surprises at 1:06, and then astounds at 3:48 onwards, where her complete control over it becomes apparent. Impressive? For sure. Particularly evocative? Not really. Here, it's just an accent rather than an integral part of the song.

I would argue that "Bliss" from 1999's Rainbow is a different story. Friends who have listened to me prattle on for ages about MC will know that I call this track a love letter to Minnie Riperton. From the birdsong in the background (a callback to the earth-shattering "Breakdown" of 1997) to the languid 70's slow jam feel, this is a 90s update of "Loving You." Here, the entire song is built around the whistle register, creating an ethereal, time-out-of-time feel. Amazingly, she even harmonizes with herself (check 2:53 and 3:30). The control and delicacy she is capable of within that range is just incredible here. Well done, Mimi.





Fast forward 10 years to Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Despite signs of vocal strain in other registers, the 90-second "Angel (The Prelude)" is some MC whistle register at its finest. Not only are the notes spot on, but the wistfulness, the sadness, the longing she is able to communicate -- without lyrics, even -- will make you sigh heavily and look out the window and have feelings.



All of which bring us to the track at hand, "Dedicated." Two reasons that I love the whistle on this track: it's understated (yet totally vital to the whole feel of the song), and again, it manages to evoke the nostalgia, the sense of something lost, that the whole song is based upon. Here the whistle register is Proust's madeleine. Check 3:30-end.



I hope you have enjoyed this tripartite exploration of this very special track!

this is dedicated to you, this is dedicated to you



Dedicated, Part 2: Talkin' Bout Collabos

Que obvio, Nas was the best choice to guest on "Dedicated": still in the game, still garnering much respect from peers and fans, and with a musical coming-up story that parallels MC's in lots of ways and complements this song as an ode to "old school."

Mims has a long and storied (well, in my mind) history of being on point with her choice of musical partnerships. Featuring masters of rap, fellow divas, and flash-in-the-pan hip-hoppers, her collaborations are never-boring case studies in what can happen when you pair a master with quantity x. Shall we explore some highlights in no particular order?

MC and Nicki Minaj, "Up Out My Face," 2009

Yes, before that ugly season of American Idol, and when the Young Money franchise was still hungry, this happened. "Up Out My Face," a middling track from the outstanding Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, featured Nicki and her many personalities on the remix. The track, which features a slower beat that thankfully forestalls Nicki's tendency to do really weird, unpleasant things with her voice, also includes a marching band at the end, clearly making this track the "Tusk" of MOAIA. It's unfortunate that these two fell out, because I love the contrast between their voices, and Nicki's flow is nicely measured here. Alas, alack.

 

MC and Snoop Dogg, "Crybaby," 1999

 

"Heartbreaker" might have gotten all the attention off of Rainbow, and deservedly so, but tucked into the second half of that  late-90s treasure chest is this gem. Blending the languid West Coast style of Snoop with MC's murmurings about pouring more Bailey's was a winner. I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but "Crybaby" contains one of my favorite moments of MC self-referentiality:

 

Sipping Bailey's Cream by the stereo
Trying to find relief on the radio
I'm suppressing the tears but they start to flow
'Cause the next song I hear is a song I wrote

When we first got together early that September
I can't bear to listen so I might as well drift
In the kitchen pour another glass or two
And try to forget you

It's a song SHE WROTE, guys!

 

One of the nicest features of this song is the way that M's vocals over Snoop's parts seem effortlessly improvised. It's true of "Dedicated" as well. It's like she's listened to the song a million times and is idly accenting it with her own contributions. You don't find unstudied elegance like this in typical Top 40 fare.

 

 

MC and Damian Marley, "Cruise Control," 2008

 

Bet you didn't know that MC teamed up with Marley spawn on E=MC2. I refer to this album as her party album because it's just so fluffy and fun (well, until that last track), and this song is no exception. Damian's contribution includes one of my favorite lines from the album:

 

Look at life just like a pessimist
You already like a wife up in my premises

 

Heh. The track is also notable for a deliciously awkward "reggae-fied" verse from MC at about 1:36. A must listen.

 

 

 

MC and Cam'ron, "Boy (I Need You)," 2002

 

Quick on the heels of Cam'ron's wildly popular single "Oh Boy" from 2002 came this single off of Charmbracelet. This is really more of a remix than an original effort, and they both know it (Cam'ron: "Sing my hook, help me sell a couple mil.") But that's ok, because it's sweetly addictive, it lasts for a correctly long time, and Camron's contribution turns into a humorous back and forth with Mims:

 

I need you
(What? Who? Uh huh, uh huh)
I wanna feel your touch
(Why wouldn't you?)
So come and get my love
(Show me where it's at, now sing)

 

Does this lose something in translation? Just listen to it, it's a delight. Sunny day, windows down.

 

 

MC and Boyz II Men, "One Sweet Day," 1995

 

This still stands as MC's most popular #1 hit, spending 16 weeks at the top of the charts. All the ingredients are there: the awesome harmonies of B2M, MC in her prime, and lyrics that evoke lost loved ones (NB: this is Mariah's first "death" song. She did it again with "Bye Bye" in 2008). While anyone alive in the 90s has this burned into their brains, the track comes alive again in this a capella version which is truly something special and led me to a whole new appreciation of this song.

 

 There are many more collabos in MC's catalogue that are spectacular that deserve their own posts, and so they shall receive. Have you ever stopped to think about who she hasn't paired up with yet, but most definitely should? Because I spend quite a lot of brain power on that:

 

Kanye

Outkast

Lil' Wayne

Drake

 

Oh and:

 







Dedicated, Part 1: '87 Meant to Me?

Lately it seems the 80s are all the rage. I guess this is the natural progression. For each generation, the decade just before its birth becomes a touchstone. Which is why I thought it was cool to wear big peace sign earrings in the fifth grade (still cool). Lately, we've been "treated" to this ode to the old school sounds of the 80s and early 90s by Lupe Fiasco (which is uncomfortably sonically close to its sample source material, Kanye's Family Business), and Iggy is telling us about the "rooftop like we bringin' '88 back." NB: Iggy was born in 1990. Also the video for "Fancy" pays homage to "Clueless," a celebration of all thing 90s if ever one existed.

But splitting bleached hairs over birthdays is not the point. What about those artists for whom the 80s were first formative and then highly musically influential years? Well, if you're talking about MARIAH, she is killing it, dropping tracks like "Dedicated" like it ain't no thang.

Just gonna come out and say that "Dedicated" is the best song on MIAMTEC, and that's only partly because I'm 22 oz. deep into this Bud Light Chelada. This parfait of all things old school gives lyrical nods to Eric B., Slick Rick/Doug E. Fresh, Heavy D, Wu Tang Clan, Run D.M.C.,  and HERSELF (patting herself on the back for the still insanely brilliant sample of Tom Tom Club in the "Fantasy (Remix)"). Musically, we've got samples from the same Wu-Tang song, some synth that's deliciously Grandmaster Flashish, and probably oodles of other little references.

And we've got Nas. We've got Nas! From whose rap this post title comes.

So while Iggy is just a slave to a page in Nas's rhyme book, M is the real deal as per yoozh. Enjoy...and more to come on this awesome track.