I could never describe or measure the level of respect and love I have for Mariah Carey in just 300 words, but you know, I'll do my best. I've only met three people who have had a truly wonderful voice and spirit to match: my first wife Syreeta, Minnie Riperton and Mariah. Obviously she is talented and has a great voice, but when a person has the opportunity to be heard and seen, at the end of the day she will also be felt. I feel Mariah has enjoyed such success at 38 because she's a good human being; her heart is wonderful, and she has a great spirit to match. When I lost my mot her, she was one of the first people to reach out to me. She was very far away and yet found a way to reach out by phone and share a prayer with me. It's easy to be friends when the lights are bright, but how is your love when there's none of that? I know how Mariah's is.
She has the ability to be sexy, but not so much that you think it's getting too crazy. It's a sexy classiness. The whole thing with her song Touch My Body is that she keeps it acceptable and has fun with it. And Mariah didn't break all those sales records just because she's beautiful. She has perseverance and consistency. You need the two: the ability to keep going and the ability to keep doing the right thing. She once said that every time she makes a new record, she feels like she's brand-new again. It's like a child looking at a computer for the first time. By doing it and not thinking about it, the magic just comes.
When people talk about the great influential singers, they talk about Ella, Barbra, Aretha, Whitney and Mariah. That's a testament to her talent. Her range is that amazing.
I look forward to the time the two of us can do a song together, but in the meantime, I will celebrate with the rest of the world the voice of Miss Mariah Carey.
