Vorcalo

Mariah Carey's performance of "Without You" is the best. (It can't be embedded, so here's the link.)

It's effortless and, even when she belts it out, it's so much more subdued than Kelly Clarkson's laughable rendition, which is overblown by her vocal effects. It's impossible to tell if Kelly Clarkson has a nice voice.



This one by Air Supply is nice, especially when his voice changes at the chorus. Also, the guitar solo is a textbook example of soft rock virtuosity.



Harry Nillson's version is arguably more effortless than Mariah Carey's, with as much grit and maybe even a more foreboding build up into the first chorus, but he can't match the raw power in Carey's climax.



Badfinger, who apparently wrote the song, can absolutely claim the coolest performance. I like their clipped pronunciation of "live" when they sing "I can't live." It's a smart staccato.



Ultimately, Mariah Carey is too slick for me to really get into her music. I feel like I could be a fan though. I wish Butch Vig would produce a record for her, or maybe the Mountain Goats guy. I originally thought Steve Albini, of course, but he's too perfect, too.

Right now I'd really like to listen to a Mariah Carey album that features Mission of Burma as her backing band.