Mariah Carey - Prisoner (1990)

Forget the name of the artist for a second and just let this bass track wash over you. No one is more surprised than I, but this track is from 1990, which was a different era entirely. I am unsure whether this is FM bass or not. it sounds like it, but it is also pretty late in the cycle of synths for it to be a DX-7. Whether it is FM or not, it is clearly FM-like, so let's just assume it is for the sake of sharing a hell of a track.

I discovered over the last few years that a lot of the artists I grew up hating and being annoyed with in the late 90s and early 2000s actually had some good tunes if you go far enough back. I don't know what the deal was, but I suspect that the instruments themselves had a large part in why the songs were more enjoyable to me during a certain era.

Think about it like this, with more advancements in the synths, and the production methods there were essentially shortcuts that could be created and utilized by all artists. Where as you used to have to rig up a daisy chain of synths and gear to achieve a sound, now you can metaphorically just push a button. Now, I am not going to sit here and say that this is *not* the greatest thing that has ever happened for musicians. I benefit from this single button future state daily. However, I have also spent a large part of my adult life embroiled in learning about the limitations of the past, and trying to put myself in the mind of the composers who had to work within them.

I don't just like the sounds (which are immensely nostalgic) I think the limitations actually affected what they would write. I feel like melodies were heavily emphasized during this period. Mostly to fill out the voided empty space of using the newly created digital sounds that had no physical sound of their own. Digital gear can be pushed further with effects like reverb, but I know from personal experience how much this voided space is easy to fill with more notes instead! That's kind of like, my thing.

Of course, this didn't stop a lot of artists from writing the slowest ballads ever during this time. The very next track on this very album is an example of that. But what I am finding, even for artists I have historically been annoyed with, is that on nearly every album there will be one or two tracks where a studio musician is hired who is deranged for more notes! And those tracks stand out so quickly, and typically become my favourite songs by the artist.

This track is the single instant classic off this album for me, and one that nearly blew me away! After a little research, I found out the programmer of the bass and co arranger of the track was named "Rich Tancredi". I suspect a further investigation on other albums he guested on will result in more fruit to bare.

Welcome to the rabbit hole of my life.