saw this on SoulIISouls wikipedia page

For many years it had been rumored that in their hits “Keep on Moving” and “Back to Life” a mystery background vocalist was used but never credited on the album, with which Caron Wheeler’s own deeper but soulful vocals were mixed to achieve the raspy but slightly higher notes of the songs. The vocals were later found to be those of Mariah Carey who was at the time an unsigned singer providing backing vocals. Both Wheeler and Carey have never officially commented on the subject but Wheeler’s later solo albums never hit the same rang as on Soul II Soul’s first album. This was at that time a very common practice first brought to light by the likes of and Milli Vanilli and later with Martha Wash who had sang for both C & C Music Factory and Black Box.


funny because Mariah has said that before she was signed she she sang uncredited vocals (like her character in Glitter), there's a song by some singer floaing around that is basically Mariah called "Weakness of the body"
Also two of Mariah's friends before she made it were apparently people like Martha Wash and Melonie Daniels who basicaly were making a living during this time doing this (Balck Box, C&C)

I went back to listen to "Back to life" which has always been fav of mine, and you can hear where Caron's and Mariah's voice were cut, I always wondered why Mariah and Trevor Nelson seemed like old friends when I have seen them in interviews.


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[Edited 8/12/07 7:29am]

Interesting. I have to listen to those songs again. Both are favorties from back then.

JackieBlue said:

I went back to listen to it, it sounds like her on Back to life on some lead vocals, Keep on moving is mostly background vocals and her vocals mixed into Carons (like Ashanti on "I'm real" by Jlo, damn When you need Ashanti to "ghost" your vocals )

how the hell did a british group hook up with an american unknown? i'm not sold on this at all. soul II soul had an abundance of vocalist. just doesn't sound right.

Ashanti is on I'm Real? That's like the blind leading the blind.

Haven't seen you around in awhile but then this place has been a hot mess lately.

sosgemini said:

Mariah's Brother who was an ex versace model, studio 54 bus boy in the 80's was actually the one who got her initial connections when she started, he didnt have power in the industry as much as he knew people working in the New York music scence (Where I belive SoulIISoul recorded their album). she was studio session singer for a few years, Brenda k Star also used Mariah's voice on lead vocals on some of her recordings "Weakness of the body" if you can find it) one of her "pre fame" friends was Martha Wash who as you probably know was caught up with all that (c&c and Blackbox) and Melonie Daniels who both have since worked for Mariah and possibly how she got into it.

twink69 said:

http://www.britanniarow.com/home.php

London.

and wiki is the only place on the net that states mariah is on backing vocals. me think this is a lamb joke or zealous declaration.

sosgemini said:

possibly, Caron is an amazing vocalist, however if you listen to the radio edit (not accapella/demo version but the version they released, I have Caron's solo stuff also, and those vocals that sound like Mariah dont sound like anything she has done since, it could also be Melonie Daniels who Mariah sounds like) it sounds like her, and even if it was recorded in London, whats to say when it was mixed, they decided to bring Mariah's background vocals to front or add it, where was the album mixed? this isn't the first recording pre 1990 that has turned up with her on lead vocals uncredited and she has tlaked about "ghosting" before she made it to make money.
I believe Whitney even Luther did stuff like this, but those recordings werent as high profile.

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[Edited 8/12/07 9:02am]

twink69 said:

Arabella Rodriguez became engineer at Britannia Row Studios in 1986. This studio, owned by Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, brought her into contact with a wide range of emerging artists, who have since become household names. One such act was Soul II Soul, who initially came to mix a single. Such was the chemistry that they returned to mix their entire, now legendary, first album with Arabella.

http://aggroup.anythinggo...bb/sbb.htm

sosgemini said:

Glad to see I'm not the only one viewing this with healthy scepticism. I will have to see some seriously convincing evidence before I believe this bullshit.

P.S. Let me point out something else that will shock people who haven't given her a second thought since Back To Life. Here it is. Caron Wheeler was the best female vocalist of the 80s and 90s. The best. By a country mile. No one sounded anything like her. No one's adlibs were that melodic, and no one else had that tone and intonation. Other singers sound like they're trying to prove a point when they sing. Caron never did. She painted pictures with her voice that came straight from the heart. She was also an underrated songwriter. Check out the UK Black album. The commercial failure of that album ties in nicely with our racial discussions elsewhere, since Lisa Stansfield was doing great at the time with a rip off of the Soul II Soul sound, while Caron was simply not promoted as a solo artist. Any thoughts as to why?.

btw: that would mean mariah was 16 or 17 when she recorded the song. does that make any sense?

sosgemini said:

Hey may not be her, but it does sound like it, It could also be Melonie Daniels who Mariah sounds like who also did alot of uncredited background vocals. Also if they did add uncredited vocals maybe they did get un known session singer from New York, Mariah was doing background vocals/ghosting for dance artist Brenda K Starr around this time also.

sosgemini said:

Mariah was working as a session singer in New York for recording studios since she was 12/13.

sosgemini said:

How is it that Wikipedia is allowed to exist?

sosgemini said:

Mariah was born in 1969,,,so alot of things were fabricated.

I personaly don't find this so far fitched. I've always heard/read about Mariah's uncredited session & "ghost writing" work for other artists in the late 80's without further mention on the artists she did all that work for. She too hinted about it in other interviews,,,but she never revealed on their identities,,,obviously she was under contract of secrecy. Most "ghost artists" are.

Harlepolis said:

oh no, it's easy to believe that she did ghost work early off i just don't find it believable that she did it for SoulIISoul. They had no connection to the states prior to their debut and the way jazzy b made it sound he assembled a collective, link-minded group of folks from the London club scene. How in the world would Carey get caught up in that mix? Additionally, they credit their backing vocalist. Why not Carey? cha know?

sosgemini said:

Moreover, wouldn't it have benefited Mariah Carey's marketing of her debut album if that was true? Carey's debut album came out roughly one year after Soul II Soul burned up the charts with "Keep Up Movin'" and "Back to Life."
[Edited 8/12/07 9:34am]

It could be Melonie Daniels, her Mariah can sound alike, wouldnt suprise me if it was Melonie Daniels, she has done alot of vocals for other artists, esp dance artists

Najee said:

C&C music factor did it and never credited Martha Wash(if this story about Mariah is ture, it would be similar story to c&c case because their lead singer could sing but they got Martha to sing what she couldnt) until she sued in the 90's after Milli Vinnil(which was a landmark case for the industry) and since then you have to list all the vocalists (co lead vocalists), Martha has since been listed on those records, maybe Mariah and Sony didnt want her involved in this, since they were just launching her in 1990

twink69 said:

The problem is that Mariah Carey was an unsigned artist at the time of the recordings, according to what you posted -- meaning she wasn't contractually obligated in any manner. She could say in interviews or PR releases in 1990 that she sang on "Keep On Movin'" and "Back to Life" as an example of credibility if it was true.

Keep in mind we're talking about an artist who for her first five years spent every interview with any black audience media saying "I have a black father," in an effort to establish credibility. I have a hard time thinking Carey wouldn't have said similar things regarding singing on two of the biggest songs of the previous year.
[Edited 8/12/07 10:00am]

sosgemini said:[quote]

Harlepolis said:

SoulIISoul prior to these records were not high profile/well known producers, is it far fetched that after Caron recorded the album they sourced some unknown vocals from the New York dance music scence (she was already doing this as was Melonie Daniel's who it could be) I doubt they had dealings with her directly or she had any creative input apart from vocals but someone or studio she was working for and if its true I'm sure its not a fact Jazzie B would like to empahsise. especially if that unknown vocalist ended up on the radio herself a year later.

Here is club track/demo by Brenda K Starr "Weakness of the body", mixed with Mariah's vocals from late 80's you can hear its her, also uncredited.
http://www.youtube.com/wa...hy5J8T9-_Q

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[Edited 8/12/07 11:13am]

Wikipedia is the source...

Man, if I read on Wikipedia that my mother loved me (which I know to be true), I'd still have it checked out...

twink69 said:

I'm still not quite seeing it. Mariah Carey singing background on Soul II Soul's songs doesn't compromise anything about her rise in the music industry. If anything, saying she sang on Soul II Soul's songs would have given her even more credibility.

It's not exactly news that Carey sang on Brenda K. Starr's songs. Both singers were friends and it was at a party (to which she was invited by Starr) that allowed her to give Tommy Mottola her demo tape.

Calligraphy said:

I agree. We're talking about a Web site that allows its readers to EDIT information. Someone can put in the wrong or misleading information on some of those citings. Until I hear Caron Wheeler, Jazzie B. or Mariah Carey say something about it, then it sounds like an unfounded rumor.

Najee said:

In 1990 and how people were acting because of the whole Milli Vinnili thing (Jlo does it now and no one cares) and probably due to whatever contract those vocals if they were hers were obtained/recorded
Sony I wouldnt be suprised may not have wanted her associated with an urban/dance act like SoulIISoul anyway if it was her, "Vision of Love" been enginered as her #1 debut was probably more imporatnt to them. Sony was notorious for glossing over her history to fit their marketing.

twink69 said:

I know this is your speculation, but I put it in boldface because Mariah Carey ALWAYS has been marketed to the soul music audience -- the same audience that bought Soul II Soul's music. Whenever Carey has had an uptempo song released, it's mostly remixed with a style that appeals to the soul/music scene. Again, I'm not quite following the logic here.