Pop-soul Mariah Carey and jazz pianist and vocalist Meredith D’Ambrosio both achieved career milestones this year. Carey, one of the most accomplished and popular singers of her generation, celebrates 35 years of recording with a new album Here for It All. D’Ambrosio, one of vocal jazz’s most singular and underappreciated figures, reaches the 45-year recording milestone on Midnight Mood. While worlds apart in terms of sales and notoriety they share a distinctive and instantly recognizable vocal style that will likely charm their established fans, especially those who have remained loyal to them over the years even as the music industry they entered has changed dramatically.

The buoyant dance-pop and dramatic ballads popular when Carey debuted ushered in a generation of video-friendly, radio ready pop stars who often released multi-platinum albums marketed like blockbuster films. In the 1990s hip-hop redefined the pop mainstream, teen pop had a resurgence, Latin pop expanded its audience, and new technologies gave consumers more choices for how they purchase (or not) and listen to music. Today success is measured more in streams and views than physical record sales. Since the path to pop success has never been less linear or felt more arbitrary Carey’s enduring iconicity as a 56-year-old singer in a notoriously youth-obsessed industry is something to behold. She has less voice to work with, but her musical instincts remain sharp.

By the time D’Ambrosio debuted in 1980 jazz was losing steam at major record labels who had largely phased out jazz and adult pop which were mostly relegated to independent labels like Concord Jazz and Pablo Records. Blues and folk music artists had already experienced reduced access to the mainstream as pop music labels were poised to cater to MTV and pursued emergent genres like punk and new wave. Nothing could have been more remote from the so-called “mainstream” pop music of 1980 than a new 39-year-old singer interpreting standards accompanying herself on piano released on an independent label. Yet D’Ambrosio persisted releasing album after album as she forged a uniquely plaintive yet soulful style emphasizing the beauty and substance of her repertoire rather than her vocal or pianist chops. After releasing three solid sets on different labels she found her home at Sunnyside Records in 1985 where she continues to record. She’s outlived a range of trends and overhyped contemporaries by sticking to her guns and focusing on her elegant, tasteful approach to jazz-based interpretation. If Carey’s albums aim to reassert her pop relevance on her own terms D’Ambrosio reiterates her distance from the pop market and a peaceful acceptance that her career is in its autumn.

Here for it All (Mariah Carey)

It's hard to believe it’s been 30 years since Mariah Carey made her most overt gesture toward a younger audience raised on hip-hop. On Daydream she traded the earnest adult contemporary stylings of songs like “Love Takes Time” and “Hero” for a funkier, bolder and more sensual image exemplified by “Fantasy,” “Always be my baby” and “Underneath the stars.” Though her record label apparently doubted her “urban” turn audiences did not. Daydream topped the charts, spawned three #1 hits, and earned her newfound respect from music critics.

She expanded on that pivot on Butterfly (1997) where she explored deeper more confessional territory related to the dissolving of her marriage to Tommy Mottola as well as a more personal look at her biracial identity (“Outside”) and growing up in a challenging home environment (“Close my Eyes”). It was hard to believe that the woman who sang “Hero” was harmonizing with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (“Breakdown”) and co-writing songs Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott (“Babydoll”) but the results were impressive and popular. She scored two more number one pop hits (“Honey,” “My All”) and refashioned her visual image from wallflower to woman about town. At 27 years old she was finally relaying a credible level of grit, self-awareness, and urbanity absent from her early image. Though her persona pivot alienated some fans (Butterfly was successful but not as commercially successful as Daydream) her identity felt more salient than ever, and she has never looked back stylistically.

Rainbow (1999) reiterated many of the changes in direction hinted at on Daydream and Butterfly. Then, the poor box office and reviews for Glitter (2001), and its uneven soundtrack, halted her momentum. For the first time in a very successful career, she seemed unsure of herself and lost her deal with Virgin Records. Her alleged comeback on Charmbracelet (2002) did not help lacking any major hit singles and received very middling to poor reviews.

Three years later she made the same pivot she'd made on Daydream on The Emancipation of Mimi where she recast herself as a seasoned but still relevant diva capable of working with contemporary producers and arrangers who melded their sound with her distinctive style as a vocalist, writer and producer. The result was one of the most surprising commercial comebacks in many years led by colossal hits of the era such as “We belong together” and “Shake it off,” among others. At this point Mariah was not just reclaiming commercial ground; she was also further asserting her ongoing relevance in a changing landscape. She won three Grammies, scored two more chart-toppers (“We Belong,” “Don’t Forget About Us”) and attracted a new generation of listeners.

Though her two follow up albums E=MC2 (2008) and Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009) only spawned a few big “hits” they are more important for extending of what had become one of the most instantly recognizable styles in contemporary popular music. Though her voice was less pristine and she did not approach her singing as athletically as before, the resulting music was earthier, funnier, more relaxed, and more personal than ever. Instead of aiming for the multi-format, all things to all people pop approach her inner eccentric grew more audible.

Her album Me. I Am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse (2014) received strong reviews but was perceived as a commercial downturn which was somewhat of an overstatement. Very few singers of her generation have remained signed to major record labels and those that have made peace with a very different commercial landscape. The proliferation of digital downloads, streaming and other competing technologies has changed the commercial viability of whole albums. Selling millions of albums feels very 90s. In this respect whether her albums are multi-platinum or whether she has a number one hit again is less relevant than her ability to translate who she is as an artist beyond the generic, inoffensive “girl next door” image that initially defined her public image. This is why our previous album Caution (2018) was so well reviewed. It was a 10-song, 40-minute album that gave you the essence of 21st century Mariah rather than trying to duplicate the sound and feel of the 90s or the early 2000s. The result felt distinctly, uniquely hers.

Since releasing that album she has soared as an iconic star for the social media era, become the veritable “Queen of Christmas,” and basked in late career honors like being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

On her new album Here for it All she returns to what she does best—music making. Here serves us a kind of buffet of Mariah Carey circa 2025. She is shady, funny, torchy, and inspired. Rather than presenting a single overarching theme you get a taste of many different flavors. Many of the songs on the album are mid-tempo songs such as the sleek hit “Type Dangerous” as well as the joyfully declarative “I Won't allow it” and the jubilant “Jesus I do” featuring The Clark Sisters.

For ballad lovers there’s plenty of variety including the 1970s flavored “Play this Song” featuring Anderson Paak (involved in various songs on the album), the inspirational “Nothing is Impossible” the scorching torch of “In Your Feelings,” as well as the triumphant cover of Paul McCarney and Wings’ 1973 hit “My Love” and title track which features some rhythmic surprises. Carey still possesses a strong voice with an impressive vocal range and, even if it sounds is more pinched and raspier than before, she remains a credible balladeer. She's moved away from big belting toward leaner phrasing. For example, on “Feelings” she essays a blend of hip-hop phrasing with crooning. At the end of listening to Here it’s clear she is leaning into her persona as a major pop diva yet still cognizant of her responsibility to grow as an artist and resonate with her audience. Though the cocky, self-referential opener “Mi” sounds arrogant with its references to her “diva” status and designer labels there's something very bold about Carey, now in her icon phase, restating what we already know. Notably she has survived multitude of obstacles that typically impact women in the music industry, as well as personal setbacks many of us experience, and managed to draw us in. She seems more joyful, more confident and more in tune with who she is and what she wants than ever and this album celebrates her renewed sense of confidence.

The cover art from Meredith D’Ambrosio’s 1981 album Another Time.

Midnight Mood (Meredith D’Ambrosio)

Ella Fitzgerald’s 1955-64 songbook series, Frank Sinatra’s 1950s era concept albums, and Sheila Jordan’s voice-and-bass albums stand out among their peers for the integrity and consistency of their approach. I would align vocalist and pianist Meredith D’Ambrosio, who has mostly recorded small group jazz sets with the independent label Sunnyside Records since the early 1980s, within this tradition.

For the uninitiated: D’Ambrosio launched her recording career in 1980 with an enduring approach: She selects a program featuring the best of contemporary and classic standards, including songs from American songwriters and beyond, arranges them around her voice, and delivers hushed yet soulful renditions anchored in her lyrical piano style. Possessing a great ear for melody, deliberate phrasing, and a warm vocal approach, she is remarkably affecting without flashiness. After releasing two voice-and-piano sets she expanded to small group recordings featuring distinguished soloists like saxophonist Phil Woods.

Over the course of 18 albums, she has refined her intimate approach while exploring different themes including a lullaby themed set (1994’s Sleep Warm) and a songbook of Dietz and Schwartz songs (2012’s By Myself) among others. She’s also a songwriter, often transcribing the melodies of songs and adding lyrics to expand the story, adding a more personal spin on her material. The collective feel of her albums is an exquisitely intimate body of work so cohesive it’s hard to know the year of one album to the next. Due to the natural effects of age and other life factors her recording output slowed in the 2000s and her voice sounds more weathered, so these sets are mellower, yet her approach remains steady.

This history is worth considering when enjoying her new album Midnight Mood (2025). As one would expect she selects a set of some of popular music’s most gorgeous melodies ranging from Duke Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss” to the Brazilian Antonio Carlos Jobim standard “This Happy Madness” as well as more obscure songs. D’Ambrosio sings with her usual warmth and care in a sparse hushed atmosphere supported by Paul McWilliams on piano and Frédéric Loiseau. The tempos are a tad slower and D’Ambrosio’s voice has lost some of its color which reminds me of other autumnal sets like Ella Fitzgerald’s various collaborations with guitarist Joe Pass and Carol Sloane’s We’ll Meet Again (2011). At this point in her formidable yet incognito career, the objective of listening to her more recent work is less about wowing you with vocal power or selling records, than inviting you into an intimate recital of songs she is passionate about singing. It’s art for art’s sake and in many ways an invitation to revisit her 45-year love affair with great songs.

The pop icon and the hidden gem: Reviews of Mariah Carey’s Here for it All and Meredith D’Ambrosio’s Midnight Mood

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