Mariah Carey’s “Butterfly” single cover

Many vocalists claim to be great but we rarely get the chance to hear them sing without the assistance of studio technology or special microphones to augment what would otherwise be considered average talent. Mariah Carey, on the other hand, is not among those pretenders as these raw vocals from her Butterfly album recording sessions prove.

Released in 1997, Butterfly is still widely regarded as Carey’s best work and the signature set of her expansive catalogue. The standout song on the record is the emotional title track and in this rare studio audio, we get the chance to hear the diva perform it completely a cappella. That’s right, it’s pure, unfiltered Carey without auto-tune, reverb, melodyne or layering.

Perhaps, what is most interesting about Carey’s voice in the “Butterfly” recording was the condition of her vocal cords. If you listen closely to her breathy verses, it’s obvious that she was suffering from a severe case of nodules that affected the tone and the production of the notes. However, nothing could stop Carey from climbing to the dramatic climax of the tune, which featured incredibly fast runs with awesome pitch control.

Now that Carey has finally mastered her breathy tones, it would be great to hear her tackle “Butterfly” again. Obviously, the stamina required to tackle the belted sections might knock her unconscious today, but the song is definitely a gem that needs to be reintroduced to younger fans during her concerts. Honestly, I’d happily pick this over “Obsessed” and “Touch My Body”.

Listen to the raw vocals of Carey’s “Butterfly” and try to name three singers who could cover this song in 2013:

Shake me, Great Spirit!