Return of the divas
Two of pop music's biggest voices are attempting to reignite their careers this fall. Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, who have each sold millions of albums and set the standard for female vocalists in the 1980s and '90s, are releasing new albums within a month of each other. These divas are resurfacing, however, in a music industry more geared toward beats and instrumental hooks than dynamic singing.
Vocal-driven pop music is "not the most popular genre of music right now," says producer Harvey Mason Jr., who has worked with artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to Britney Spears. He also co-produced several songs on Ms. Houston's coming album. He says the goal was to capture vocal takes that would remind listeners of Ms. Houston's range, and to create tracks that sounded fresh but not trendy.
Anticipation for the new albums is high among the singers' fans, especially those of Ms. Houston. After six years since her last album and personal turmoil that included a divorce from singer Bobby Brown, she is angling for a comeback. But it will be a challenge for either diva to score beyond their core audience.
Their music arrives at a time when the Day-Glo synthesizers and brittle drum machines of the Reagan era have returned, often superseding the abilities of the singers who use them. Chugging dance rhythms - part Devo, part Euro disco - have spread across genres, driven by hits from newer artists such as Lady Gaga, a top-selling performer known for provocative interviews and outré fashions.
Mr. Mason says that young singers are recording fewer ballads, which can serve as showcases for vocal flair. And in recent years labels have called on him to rev up his beats to please radio programmers. The tempo of music by female pop singers has increased in the aggregate over the last decade, according to the online music service Pandora. Last year the median hovered around 135 beats per minute, up from about 115 beats per minute in 2000. Ms. Houston's hit ballad from 1992, "I Will Always Love You", clocked in at about 68 bpm.
"The traditional vocalist has been pushed aside or left out by what we call Top 40 radio," says Clive Davis, chief creative officer, Sony Music Entertainment, who has worked with Ms. Houston since signing her to her first record deal in 1983. He led the three-year process of creating her new album, "I Look to You", due out August 31.
The teams behind Ms. Carey and Ms. Houston argue that prevailing trends have only built demand for their sound. "Great doesn't get old," says Antonio "L.A." Reid, chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group, who oversaw Ms. Carey's album, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," scheduled for release September 29. Representatives said Ms. Carey, 39 years old, and Ms. Houston, 46, weren't available for comment.
The new music was produced primarily to flaunt their vocal chops. Ms. Carey is about to release a single, a version of a power ballad from 1984, "I Want to Know What Love Is", by the rock band Foreigner. But the veteran divas are making some moves to cater to new audiences. One song chosen to introduce Ms. Houston's album is "Million Dollar Bill", a disco-flavored track co-written by Alicia Keys.
Ms. Carey has kept the sex appeal high while promoting her album, which will contain a "mini-magazine" of glamour shots of the singer and real ads placed by companies such as Elizabeth Arden. But she'll soon appear in a less-flattering light on the big screen. Ms. Carey donned a prosthetic nose for her role as a dowdy social worker in the somber indie film "Precious", due out in November.
Music-industry veterans praise a handful of powerful voices among the current generation of female singers, including Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé Knowles. And next month, VH1 plans to relaunch its "Divas" series of specials, which had been mothballed in 2004. The new iteration will emphasize the work ethic of featured stars, including the young Disney-sponsored performer Miley Cyrus, among others.
In terms of raw vocal talent, though, some industry veterans say there are few young successors to Ms. Houston and Ms. Carey. "How can I put this tactfully?" says Stephen Hill, president of music programming and specials at BET Networks, "The range between the high and low notes has shrunk greatly." (The Wall Street Journal)
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