“I didn't know what to expect,” says Mariah Carey, recalling the taping of her Unplugged special for MTV last March. “I wasn't originally planning on recording an album, which made the whole experience much easier for me. If I'd thought about it, I would have been too nervous, because I tend to overdo things and critique myself too much.” Of course, she did get a record out of the show, and not just another hit to swell her bank account. Although it contains no new material and runs under 30 minutes, Carey's Unplugged CD now stands at the hight point of the diva's career, proving that behind all that slick pop music is a woman who can just plain sing. Anyone familiar only with the studio versions of “Vision of Love” or “Can't Let Go” would never doubt her technical abilities, of course, but hearing Carey cut loose in a less rigid acoustic setting, free to vent her gospel tendencies, is a very pleasant revelation. For herself as well.
“Unplugged definitely made me change my outlook. It made me realize I don't have to be so meticulous, I can be looser,” notes Carey, Carey protects her privacy with the zeal of a Secret Service agent assigned to the presi-dent: You can practically hear alarm bells go off in the woman's head when the conversation strays from her career. But ask about music and the enthusiasm is obvious, especially when discussing her first love, the studio. Unplugged. “If this were my first album, I would have gotten slick session singers or done all the backing vocals myself. It's hard for me not to sing backup — I feel like I'm tying my hands when I don't.”
Carey protects her privacy with the zeal of a Secret Service agent assigned to the president: You can practically hear alarm bells go off in the woman's head when the conversation strays from her career. But ask about music and the enthusiasm is obvious, especially when discussing her first love, the studio.“I've been working in studios since I was 13, doing backup vocals for other people, making demos with people who wanted me to do pop songs that I knew would never go anywhere. That's when I decided to be a songwriter, because I didn't want to become a puppet. I met Ben Margulies when I was 16 and we clicked. By the time I got my record deal, I already had most of the songs ready for my first album, which gave me a little bit of leverage.”
No kidding. Although Carey's self-titled 1990 debut was recorded when she was still a teenager and features production from heavy cats like Narada Michael Walden, she was nobody's pawn. Besides co-writing the majority of the songs with Margulies (now an estranged ex-partner, a subject she won't address), Carey produced one track all by her lonesome and receives arranging credit on others. She brushes aside suggestions that it's unusual for her to produce: “You don't need amazing ability to be a producer. It's just a question of knowing how you want the record to sound.”
She extended her reach on 1991's Emotions, co-writing and co-producing the entire affair. All this time in the studio has left Carey with few occasions to perform before an audience, something she intends to make up for someday, though she's not sure when. “One of the reasons I was looking forward to Unplugged was that I don't do many live shows. I wish I had played more small dates before I got a record contract, because it would have helped me as a performer. Even now, every show I do is a learning experience, and that's not the way it should be. I mean, when I appeared on Arsenio Hall it was one of the first times I performed live ever! My feet were shaking. I was incredibly scared!”
Asked if she feels the urge to prove something by singing live, Carey answers, “I want to do it for myself, and for the fans who have supported me. I think it's something I should experience in my life.” Her subdued tone suggests that she actually regards the prospect as more of an obligation than a welcome opportunity. “Other people talk about how great it is to be onstage, and it's rare I get a taste of that.”
For now, Unplugged is also bearing fruit for Trey Lorenz, the stylish young singer who contributed the second vocal to Carey's tender cover of the Jackson 5's “I'll Be There.” Building on a sudden rise from obscurity to prominence in the wake of this hit remake, Lorenz recently released his own solo debut, with Carey and Afanasieff producing the majority of the tracks.
While the album was rushed out to capitalize on recent events, she says it was a long time coming. “Trey's been singing backup for me since the first album, and I brought him to the label almost a year before Unplugged. The show helped to get things moving faster for him, though, because we didn't want to let the great response he received go to waste.” Acknowledging that Lorenz's album sometimes echoes the plush sounds of her own studio work, Carey notes, “I was conscious of not repeating some of the same things I've done for myself, but Trey likes the same kind of vocal arrangements, so…”
If the Lorenz project sounds like the beginning of a second career, that's perfectly all right with her. “Right now I have to finish my own album, and then there are other things on the back burner I'd like to get to. I want to produce some contemporary gospel singers. There are some incredible vocalists around and it amazes me that they don't have records out. For example, the women who were with me on Unplugged are very intimidating, they're so good. They want to sing gospel and I think they should. It's not necessary for them to become pop or R&B stars. Anyway, gospel singers don't always get the same respect when they cross over, and I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone I produced. I want to stay true to the music.”
Has she tried gospel music herself? “Not on record. Someday, maybe.” Carey's smile freezes briefly, as if she's been asked to walk across an unsafe bridge. “That's one field where you don't mess around. The best singers in the world are in gospel music, in my opinion.” She names Vanessa Bell Armstrong, the Clark Sisters and the Edwin Hawkins Singers as favorites. “You know those gospel compilations you see advertised on late-night TV? I call in for those, 'cause you get lots of great songs on them. I play gospel music when I go to sleep at night, because it gives me good vibes.”
Given Carey's reluctance to discuss personal matters — she admits resenting the scrutiny of gossip columnists — you might think she's ambivalent about stardom, but the singer shrugs off any reservations. “I do want to preserve my privacy, but the circus aspect of all of this isn't really so bad. It's still a new thing for me, very weird and incredible. Anyway, I can go out in a hat and sunglasses and blend in really well when I want to. I went to Disney World the other day and didn't get bothered at all.
“Four years ago I didn't even have a record contract and the focus of my whole life was getting a deal. I thought I might have to wait 10 years. It's all happened so fast. I know this sounds corny, but I love what I'm doing so much that I would probably put up with anything just to be able to keep doing it.”
