Whitney Houston
Ozzy Osbourne
Adele
Sam Cooke
Alicia Keys
Eric Church
Reba McEntire
Mariah Carey
Frank Sinatra
Adam Lambert
Aaliyah
Olivia Olson
Marsha Ambrosius

All of the above artists come from various genres of music and various decades of music as well. While their styles of of performance may differ from one to another, they have one thing in common.

They've all used melisma.

Melisma is a vocal feat that involves singing multiple notes in a single syllable. Stretching back all the way to early opera, this phenomena has been around for quite some time. Now, it is viewed as the most difficult vocal accomplishment in music, and it's not surprising people would say this, because most of the people who've attempted it have failed.

In past, melisma was not commonly used. Artists like Frank Sinatra would use it once every blue moon, choosing to stick with the then traditional syllabic style. Since then, with the emergence of artists like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, melisma has exploded accross the music industry. Unfortunately, many try to emulate these women instead of learning it on their own.

When done accurately, melisma can be beautiful, like Adam Lambert in "Strut" or Olivia Olson's performance of "I'm Just Your Problem" in the animated show Adventure Time. When done excessively and drawn out, it can sound horrendous, like Christina Aguilera's performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at the 2011 NFL Super Bowl.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with melisma, as it is an amazing vocal acrobatic, but due to its abuse by young and old Carey and Houston wannabes, the feat has been shunned by many critics. I myslef love melisma, and I am happy to see its usage in many different genres. I can only hope aspiring artists will learn to use it with moderation and, most definitely, only if their voices allow it.

I must say though, I really hate it when people refer to melisma as "flashiness."