Dedicated, Part 1: '87 Meant to Me?

Lately it seems the 80s are all the rage. I guess this is the natural progression. For each generation, the decade just before its birth becomes a touchstone. Which is why I thought it was cool to wear big peace sign earrings in the fifth grade (still cool). Lately, we've been "treated" to this ode to the old school sounds of the 80s and early 90s by Lupe Fiasco (which is uncomfortably sonically close to its sample source material, Kanye's Family Business), and Iggy is telling us about the "rooftop like we bringin' '88 back." NB: Iggy was born in 1990. Also the video for "Fancy" pays homage to "Clueless," a celebration of all thing 90s if ever one existed.

But splitting bleached hairs over birthdays is not the point. What about those artists for whom the 80s were first formative and then highly musically influential years? Well, if you're talking about MARIAH, she is killing it, dropping tracks like "Dedicated" like it ain't no thang.

Just gonna come out and say that "Dedicated" is the best song on MIAMTEC, and that's only partly because I'm 22 oz. deep into this Bud Light Chelada. This parfait of all things old school gives lyrical nods to Eric B., Slick Rick/Doug E. Fresh, Heavy D, Wu Tang Clan, Run D.M.C.,  and HERSELF (patting herself on the back for the still insanely brilliant sample of Tom Tom Club in the "Fantasy (Remix)"). Musically, we've got samples from the same Wu-Tang song, some synth that's deliciously Grandmaster Flashish, and probably oodles of other little references.

And we've got Nas. We've got Nas! From whose rap this post title comes.

So while Iggy is just a slave to a page in Nas's rhyme book, M is the real deal as per yoozh. Enjoy...and more to come on this awesome track.


 

Love You Like a Freeze Pop?

First of all I would like to apologize for my recent silence...I'm leaving my job and so have actually had stuff to do over the last couple of weeks that has precluded me from Mariah-ing. But today, I'm making the time.

Readers, recently rumors have surfaced that all might not be well with the union of Mimi and Nick. We all know that that the tabloids love nothing more than to prey on the slightest hint of things going awry, so who knows if there is a kernel of truth here or not. As one loyal lamb told me, "This either means I'm gonna cry for days...or she's going to have another Butterfly album and that means I'll cry for years." Truth.

So today let's revisit "The Impossible" from 2009's Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, and think good thoughts. It's a sweet, smooth, mellow jam:

And now I love you like summertime, love you cherry wine

Love you like free money, like a preacher loves Sunday
Love you like a freeze pop, love you like a milkshake
Love you like a high school girl on a first date

Love you like shooting stars, love you like a muscle car
Love you like were destined
Love you like my lover and my best friend
Yeah, you did the impossible, yeah

...

And now I love you like sunsets, bubble baths on the jet

Love you like Kool Aid, Louis Millionaire shades
Love you like Sugar Daddies, love like a pimp caddy
Love like a holiday, Duncan Hines yellow cake

Love you like it's 5 am and I'm off work
Love you like Louboutin heels and a miniskirt
Love you like an Asscher-cut pink and white engagement ring
Love you like laying in the bed, bumping Jodeci

I Luh Ya Mimi

Sometimes there are Mariah songs where it seems like she's phoning it in. Don't get me wrong -- I don't skip these tracks in the car, usually I'm singing along anyway -- but these are songs that just feel like album-fillers or last minute additions, not up to spec in terms of vocal and lyrical quality.

However, these "off-days" for Mims represent a level that is still aspirational (am I like my boss, making up words?) for most everyone else in the game. The song that spurred these thoughts is "Meteorite" from Mims's latest album, Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse (MIAMTEC). "Meteorite" begins with some mumbo jumbo where Andy Warhol is deliberately misquoted.

Yeah
Andy Warhol said "in the future, everybody will be famous".
No, he said "everybody will be WORLD famous... 
for fifteen minutes."

I mean, why? Anyway, the song then launches into its disco-y beat and a vague discussion of fame and celebrity culture that uses the metaphor of a meteorite (which is actually a piece of space junk usually made up of metals, rocks, or both, because factz). The song is "just ok for me, dawg" to quote the great Randy Jackson. Several times while listening, I've thought, "this is really more of a song for J.Lo..."

J. Lo is a workhorse. Girlfriend has released 10 --TEN -- albums, including compilations. Did anyone know this? J.Lo has been a staple of mine since college, the type of cd you put on when you have to mop your kitchen floor or pack your books into boxes because you're moving and then you get caught up reading one of the books while you're packing it, and then two hours go by and then you fall asleep. Meanwhile, "Ain't That Funny" plays softly in the background.

Recently I heard her newest offering to the world, "I Luh Ya Papi." Having studiously avoided it for months because of the title alone, I had to admit that it's...pretty damn catchy. It's strong -- stronger than "Meteorite" -- so why I am so quick to relegate Mariah's proverbial day-old Chinese leftovers that were left on the counter all night to Ms. Lopez? And why don't I have J. Lo in heavy rotation right now?

I guess what I celebrate in J. Lo disappoints me in Mariah, simply because of the baseline from which each is working. Perhaps I need to rethink this hierarchy I seem to have devised over the years and find a new way to appreciate this space of qualitative overlap, so accurately pictured here.

In the meantime, I luh ya Mimi, and this one's for you.

Whither "Triumphant?"

August 3, 2012. Deep in the sizzling heart of East Africa, this intrepid blogger took a well-deserved break from cooking my meal of goat over an open charcoal fire and washing my few rags of clothes in the drought-stricken trickle of a river 10 miles away. Beset by mosquitoes and wild dogs, I manged to climb a banana tree and find some purchase while balancing my iPad on a cluster of unripe fruit. While the unforgiving Rwandan sun beat down, I carefully used my last few minutes of battery power to download Mims's new song, "Triumphant,"* which was intended to be the lead single off of her then as-yet-untitled 14th studio album.

[Ed. note -- actually, this intrepid blogger awoke late that day in her luxurious one-bedroom apartment in Kigali, Rwanda, made a light lunch of toast, jam, and English breakfast tea, then walked the five minutes to her air-conditioned office building where the WiFi was fast and free. After downloading the song and "working" for a couple of hours, she made the short trek home, stopping in for some beers at her favorite bar along the way.]

Video for "Triumphant," 2012

Anyway. What I DO remember clearly about that day is thinking, what the hell? Where is Mims on this track? The track opens with rapper Meek Mill, then goes into Mims's chorus; then Rick Ross raps, then Mims's chorus; then the bridge; THEN, at almost two and a half minutes into what is a just-over-four minute song, Mims starts singing. And it's not what we're used to, either; her voice is too far back in the mix, which would be ok for a singer of lesser quality, but come ON. Also, the lyrics are bland, general, definitely not her best work. And Jermaine Dupri co-produced this? Wha' happened?

In the Wikipedia entry for this song which is really amazingly long, Mims says that this was a song written while husband Nick Cannon was in the hospital for mild kidney failure, and also inspired by the death of her good friend Whitney Houston. Ok...but why does it have to be so bad? Wouldn't the ultimate gesture of resiliency be to release another "We Belong Together" in this moment?

Fast forward to May 2014 -- Mims's 14th album, Me. I am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse is finally released after many delays. And where is the much-hyped "Triumphant" that was supposed to be such a beacon of light in Mims's dark night? Nowhere to be found. All the other songs forgot to call it when they were getting together to be recorded, apparently. Now it sadly puts on its headgear for another sleepless night and weeps lonely tears...lost in non-album limbo.

Don't worry "Triumphant." You have a home on Ain't No Donuts.



*Actually it's "Triumphant (Get 'Em)" ft. Rick Ross and Meek Mill, but you know...

Down the Rabbit Hole with "Fourth of July" and "Underneath the Stars"

Like every other patriot, I took the opportunity this past Friday to celebrate the 238th birthday of the American experiment by listening to Mims's cooing slow jam from 1997's Butterfly, "Fourth of July."



While generally pleasant, I have always found this tune to be relatively unmemorable. In fact, the only reason it ever comes to mind for me is the somewhat uncomfortably close resemblance it bears to a tune from Mims's previous 1995 album Daydream -- "Underneath the Stars." A superior song musically and vocally, and supposedly one of Mims's personal favorites (which is why it was included on the two-disc 2001 Greatest Hits compilation), "UTS" is undoubtedly the sonic predecessor of "Fourth of July."

Curious about the similarities between the two songs, I did a bit of googling and was unsurprised to learn that the songs shared a co-producer (other than Carey) -- Walter Afanasieff, a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer with whom Carey worked on her debut album through 1997's Butterfly. Incidentally, Afanasieff also co-produced one of Mims's biggest hits of all-time, "One Sweet Day." Perhaps thankfully, Jermaine Dupri pretty much took over the role of Mims's star co-producer after she rerouted her musical direction in the late 1990s, collaborating with her on 2005's "We Belong Together."

So, mystery solved. However, while I was on Butterfly's Wikipedia page (yeah yeah), I came across nothing less than a bombshell, readers: the collaborator on Butterfly's cover of Prince's "Beautiful Ones" -- one of the album's strongest tracks -- is no one less than SisQo, the man responsible for 1999's aural affront, "Thong Song." How? Why? I will be available for dialogue as we all struggle to regroup after this troubling revelation.



In closure, and with America in mind, I'd like to share this pic I found on Tumblr a few years ago:

The picture's caption reads as follows: 

Mariah Carey’s father is Afro-Venezuelan. Her grandfather’s name was Roberto Nuñez but he changed his surname to Carey in order to assimilate upon arrival to the US.

Mariah Carey would’ve been…. Mariah Nuñez. I wonder how that surname change would have altered the course of her career. 

Just some food for thought as we ponder today's vitriolic immigration debate and remember the immigrants (and of course the slaves) that built America's economy.

Goodbye Bobby Womack

Anyone with a radio remembers this verse from "We Belong Together" in 2005:

I can't sleep at night
When you are on my mind
Bobby Womack's on the radio
Singing to me
'If you think you're lonely now'
Wait a minute
This is too deep, too deep
I gotta change the station

Bobby Womack, The Poet, 1981

Soul and R&B singer Bobby Womack passed away on June 27th at age 70. As with so many other artists, Mariah provides a gateway to this amazing singer/songwriter of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and beyond. Enjoy the next phase, Bobby!

"Mariah Let Her Hair Down...:" Donatella Versace Reviews MIAMTEC

Seems like everybody wants to weigh in on MIAMTEC these days. Obviously inspired by this blog, designer and important plastic person Dontella Versace has now thrown her hat into the ring. In a Vogue exclusive, Donatella opens up about what Mims has meant to her, favorite tracks from the new album, and what it's like to be friends with Mariah...The Conclusive Caboose (< new thing I just invented).

 Mariah Carey is such an important part of my life, it feels like I've known her forever. 

Word! With ya so far, Donz.

 The first time I met her was at one of my fashion shows. Straightaway, she made me laugh, and I knew immediately that we'd be friends.

What did she saaaaaay? Need the deets! Probably something like, "Have you SEEN what Thalía is wearing??" (*Insider Tommy Mottola joke for the lambs).

A few years later, Mariah had a day off from her world tour, and she flew from Sweden to Milan, just to come see one of my shows. That season, Beyoncé was also my guest, and the two together caused a sensation. Mario Testino was there, and he said he felt like he was in heaven.

Straight namedroppin'.

 We had a party that night in the Palazzo Versace which was pure magic. Mariah let her hair down, dancing and chatting with everyone. 

Wheeeeeeeeee!

Like every Mariah fan in the world, I've been desperate for the release of her new album, Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse. She is a maverick, a woman who doesn't follow the rules, so I wasn't surprised when she released the album in her own way. With this album, Mariah seems to write her own life.

Agree except please don't say "maverick."  I should never be confused as to whether someone is referring to Mims or Sarah Palin.

Donatella then goes on to mention some of her favorite tracks:

• on "You Don't Know What to Do" ft. Wale: "I love how in this track Mariah's vocals contrast with Wale's rapping, it's like poetry." This reviewer says: have you listened to much hip-hop? You might like it!
• on "Meteorite:" "'Meteorite' is so fantastic. It is upbeat, and it is fabulous." This reviewer says: Actually it is the weakest track on the whole album. Look out for a future blog about "Meteorite" and musical pablum.
• on "One More Try:" "...I feel that Mariah really understands every word that [George Michael] has written. At times her voice is angelic, at times pleading and then, towards the end, it goes into a crescendo reaching amazing heights. I'm sure that George would be very proud of Mariah's version of his much-loved song." This reviewer says: Fair enough, plus props for not trying to change "uptown boy" to "uptown chick" or some such nonsense. Enjoy.

A Moveable Feast

Mariah Carey, "Heartbreaker (Remix)," 1999

As I'm sure anyone with a background in dance, skating, or gymnastics can tell you, there are certain songs that just cry out to be moved to. The flowing movements that are possible with skates on are the perfect companion for a (preferably '70s-inspired) fun, laidback beat. Happily, Mims' oeuvre is full of such movable music. One song that has caught my ear from MIAMTEC lately is "You Don't Know What to Do" ft. Wale, a disco-y soul extravaganza that is a confection for the ears and has me longing to tie on some roller skates even though I can only awkwardly clunk around. But I feel so free!



The vibe of this song feels similar to that of "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" from 2007's E=MC2, a party favor of an album that seemed like a congratulatory gift to herself after the massive success of Emancipation. Easy, breezy, sunny, drunk summer roller skating. Yes.



Funnily enough, there is actually a Mims video that features roller skating, although the song doesn't make me want to clunk it up like the the above two do: the "Heartbreaker (Remix)" ft. Da Brat and Missy Elliot. Watching the video again today, I (of course) appreciated it on fresh levels. First, Mims is so beautiful, and 1999 was really when she was coming into her own. Out from under the thumb of Tommy Mottola, the late '90s saw our girl frequenting clubs and sucking on lollipops. Innocent, carefree days! Second, the remix video offers its own spin on the video for the original song, featuring Mims and her evil double wrestling in goo (?). Thirdly there is an obligatory car wash scene (makes Jessica Simpson look like an amateur) that features Snoop Dogg casually surveying this spectacle from the driver's seat, a nice touch as he's not featured on the track but his song "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" is liberally sampled. Happy Friday everyone.

Love Didn't Actually Take That Much Time

I missed a momentous anniversary yesterday. A fellow lamb reminded me that it was exactly 24 years ago -- June 12, 1990 -- that Mariah Carey (the album) was unleashed upon the world. It would eventually reach the top of the charts and spawn four #1 singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," and "I Don't Wanna Cry."

Mariah Carey, "Vision of Love," 1990

What to say about this album now, nearly a quarter of a century later? There are several highlights for me.

"Vision of Love" is still one of the greatest Mims songs of all time. Any doubts that a tremendous new talent was on the scene are dispelled at about the one minute mark ("Prayed through the NIIIIIIGHTS...."). Also, the video features Mims on a swing holding a fluffy cat, lonely and abandoned in a black bodysuit.

"There's Got to Be a Way" -- is this Mims' only stab at social justice?

A broken man without a home

Desperate and so alone
A victim of society
No one really wants to see

Some of us don't even wonder
Some of us don't even care
Couldn't we just help each other
Isn't there enough to share

#SOCIALISM

"Vanishing" is a gorgeous piano ballad that is also one of the strongest of her entire oeuvre. Simply lovely performance. The above-mentioned lamb has favorably compared "Vanishing and "I Wish You Well" off of E=MC2, a topic that probably merits a future post.

"You Need Me" -- straight up Taylor Dayne.

"Prisoner" -- more Taylor Dayne with an embarrassing "rap." Definitely merits a future post.

My friend Kristi had this album on cassette before I did but I bought it with my allowance after hearing it at her house. Eleven-year-old me used to prop myself on my windowsill and serenade the front lawn with "Vanishing." At that time we had an orange cat who used to climb trees and hang out on the roof of our house. During these sessions he would often come and peer over the gutter to check from whence these dulcet tones emerged.

 

"The One With the Kids in the Background I Hated"

I was texting recently with a wonderful friend who has been doing some serious listening to MIAMTEC. We were comparing notes last night, and she shared this bit of analysis:

(Obviously this friend shares some of my most deeply held beliefs.) The song she is referring to is "Supernatural," an ode to #dembabies buried deep in the middle of MIAMTEC. I remember a time when I was wary that Mims' next studio album would see her divesting herself of her trademark, intricately produced pop/hip-hop tales of unrequited love to instead mushily wax poetic about mom stuff, but I shouldn't have doubted her. She had my back! She has restrained herself to this single ode to reproduction. Giggles and spoken word from #dembabies are interspersed with some blandly pleasant lyrics about a love as "beautiful as the sun" (yawn). It's one of those songs that, while not a favorite, I still find myself singing along to but not in a way that distracts me from my normal train of thought, like being pissed off about work. Unfortunately, the last 20 seconds are gratuitously given over to toddler dialogue, but you know what, I'm glad she's happy.



Incidentally, the "top review" on Amazon for MIAMTEC includes this misguided musing:

9. "Supernatural" featuring Dembabies is a soothing ballad that actually sounds a little jarring considering the sexy sound interpolated with cooing babies but it's a good song and reminds us what a loving mother Mariah has become. 7/10

Uhhhhhhhhh IT'S ABOUT MATERNAL LOVE. Also you're using "interpolated" incorrectly. Anyway, we all know that the only song where baby sounds are appropriate is this masterpiece, where the baby giggle becomes the subtlest of warnings.

Dreamin'...

Lately a snippet from the new song "Money ($/*...)" ft. Fabolous has become lodged in my ear:

And I dream the impossible dream
When you and I are alone

It kept repeating, calling back to some other Mims lyric...but what? With 14 studio albums plus a host of other singles and collaborations, there's a lot of material to pick through when you're on the trail of a vague memory of another line.

Mariah Carey, "I Still Believe," 1999

Finally this weekend it hit me. The song I was thinking of is one of my favorite remixes and a little-known gem: the "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination (Damizza Remix)" ft. Krayzie Bone and Da Brat. In particular, this:

Baby I had a dream
And it's more than my imagination
Because I still believe we belong together

Tucked in as the last track on the "I Still Believe" single from 1999, it's a standout deep cut that deserves better than its current relative obscurity. As I believe the best remixes do, it takes its source material as a starting point only, becoming something completely different but equally as engaging through new vocals, collaborative input, and in this case, a fantastic interpolation of -- wait for it -- "Pure Imagination" from the 1971 musical Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Krayzie Bone lends his laidback flow -- part of what made 1997's "Breakdown" the finest Mims track around -- to the mix, and then  Da Brat does whatever it is that she does (note: a full post devoted to the Da Brat is necessarily forthcoming). One of my favorite features of the track is that Mims' vocals aren't pushing at either end of her range -- it's all very comfortable within her capabilities, relaxed even, and reminds listeners of how she's such a damn good singer, plain and simple.

Dealing with Ariana Grande

A few days ago I came across this meme:

Let us set aside for the moment the unskilled Photoshop (MS Paint?) work here, and focus on the content. Mims's supposed surprise and unrest stems from the appearance of 20-year-old songstress Ariana Grande on the music scene. Grande had a hit with "The Way" ft. Mac Miller in early 2013, a catchy single built around a piano hook that always reminds me of Fat Joe's and Ashanti's "What's Luv" (a 2001 stone-cold classic). She released her debut album Yours Truly in June 2013. She is capable of producing whistle register. These are the facts.

What I realized when I listened to her latest single, "Problem" ft. Iggy Azalea, is that Grande's voice, while impressive, is limited -- from what I'm hearing it lacks flexibility, warmth, and expressiveness. She doesn't -- or can't? -- play around with her voice to produce different moods. I have a friend at the gym who always says, when we are required to run, that she has one speed -- doesn't matter if it's a sprint, a warm-up, a mile, whatever. One speed. This is how I feel about Ariana Grande's voice, and this is why it is utterly ridiculous to insinuate that Grande will ever match Mims in vocal and musical quality, the end, forever.

That being said, I do love "The Way." Like, a lot. The video is amusing. At the end, there is an incredibly awkward kiss between Grande and Miller that seems completely apropos of nothing. I read an interview with her where she said that "the director felt like there should be a kiss." You are a person, Ariana Grande. YOU HAVE AGENCY AS A PERSON.

Thank You, Tumblr

File under: unnecessary.

First Listens and "Money ($/*...)"

Listening for the first time to the new album of a beloved artist is such a fraught experience. It's a greedy, grabby, grasp-y kind of listening -- one is trying to inhale the music, it seems, and instantly familiarize oneself with it. There is a good deal of fear. Will this be ridiculous? Will this sound like the _____ I know and love? Probably the greatest first listen of my life was The Strokes' second album, Room on Fire. When a group's first album is as perfect and iconic as Is This It, there is much at stake in album #2, and Room on Fire delivered in a big way.

I had some good driving time over the weekend to finish up with that inhaling-phase of MIAMTEC and move on to more familiar and comfortable listening. The song that seems to have jelled most quickly for me is "Money ($/*...) ft. Fabolous." It's an easy and breezy listen; the vocals aren't demanding, and Mims has room to play around vocally, finding a phrase or a bit of melody and then exploring it. Fabolous, to whom I last paid attention in 2001 when he released "Can't Deny It," is a good foil for the warmth of Mims's vocals here, laying down some rhymes in an effective but thoroughly unobtrusive way.

The song's horn hook comes from a 1970 recording by Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Band of Aba entitled "Alabeke." The cut is representative of a genre called West African Highlife which originated in Ghana and eventually made its way to Nigeria, where Satch is from (Aba is a Nigerian town).This is all new knowledge to me, so check here for more info on Highlife and here for details on Dan Satch in particular. Take a listen to the original and jazz up your morning -- you will not be disappointed.


Then check out the Mims track -- love how by the end she's just singing the horn part.

"You're Irking Me, I Am Irked..."

Things that the NBC special "Mariah Carey: At Home In Concert" taught us:

• Matt Lauer has listened to MIAMTEC in its entirety
• "Chanteuse" is a word "of French origin," so we can never really know what it's meaning is
• When playing with children, full evening dress is recommended
• The video for "You're Mine (Eternal)" is really bad. Which is crazy, because this is a woman who knows how to make a video. Exhibit A:

And B:

And for good measure, C:

All of those should enable us to forget about this:

Sheeeee-it: The Bonus Tracks of MIAMTEC

After the The Emancipation of Mimi was released upon the world in 2005, there was much rejoicing. The first three tracks of the album all received great radio play, and "We Belong Together" became a modern-day classic and Mims's 16th #1 on US charts. Seemingly unable to stop the flow of chart-friendly creativity at this point, she gifted listeners with "Don't Forget About Us" as a single shortly thereafter, and it, too, reached #1. To capitalize upon this new hit and continue riding the wave of TEOM, the "Platinum" edition of TEOM was released seven months later with bonus tracks "Don't Forget About Us" and some other goodies, including personal favorite "Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do) ft. Jermaine Dupri," which contains this memorable contribution from JD:

"Listen I got stacks like
The international house of pancakes
Your man great, got more Rovers then a Land makes
I make hits and I don't care about your damn hates
Can't stop doing it , I just do it for the fans' sake"

Here was an example of bonus tracks par excellence. Unfortunately, MIAMTEC is a departure from this winning model. Problem #1: a "regular" and "deluxe edition" were pushed out on the same day. What's the strategy there? Is anyone really not going to spring an extra buck or two to get three more songs? And not that I'm a proponent of such machinations, but why not wait a few months to release the deluxe edition and make us all buy it again? It's like how they keep releasing editions of Twin Peaks; first you have to have the pilot episode included, then you have to have Fire Walk With Me. I know you can all relate to this.

Anyway, the three bonus tracks that appear on MIAMTEC are solid: the aforementioned "Betcha Gon' Know" with R. Kelly; "It's a Wrap" with Mary J. Blige (who of course has a great track of her own by the same name); and "The Art of Letting Go." Why the latter was relegated to a bonus track I have no idea. Seems like you could easily sub it out for one of the weaker tracks like "Meteorite" and strengthen the core of the album.

"It's a Wrap" with Mary J. Blige is a pure delight. While Mims unfortunately didn't contribute any new vocals, MJB takes over the song with authority, telling Mims -- as "a friend and a fan" -- that she needs to drop that man. It's a tribute to the quality of the source material that MJB on the second verse lends a different but equally good spin to the song. Only problem now is, there are TWO tracks on MIAMTEC that begin with the sound of a champagne bottle being opened and poured. Sheeeee-it...

Guys, Someone Roofied R. Kelly

Who didn't love the opening track of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, "Betcha Gon' Know?" With a mesmerizing beat and minute-by-minute recap of Mims catching her lover in the act of cheating and then raining down upon him with a world of hurt ("Oprah Winfrey whole segment, for real, for real"), it was clearly her unique take on the utterly fantastic cultural phenomenon that is R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet series (manifesto?).

So it made sense that Kells would be invited to collaborate with Mims on a remix, probably originally intended for the rumored MOAIA remix album that, disappointingly, never materialized in toto. Appearing as a bonus track on MIAMTEC, the track makes little sense towards the end of the album, but who cares? It's Kells. It's done quite nicely, with Kells playing the role of the cheating lover who now has a chance to tell his side of the story. And lo, what a tale he has to relate! Guys, someone roofied R. Kelly!

"Before we both get loud

Imma break it down

And let you know what happened for real

I was over her house

Me and her on the couch

And the whole plan was just to chill

And then it got hot

After taking some shots

The time must have slipped away

Because all I know

I woke hungover

And girl it was the very next day

With the sun in my face

I woke up in a rage

Screamed, "What have you done to me?"

And I'm telling you babe

I know it sounds crazy

She must have put something in my drink"

This from the man who once sang:

"Now the moral of the story is cuff your bitch

'cause hey I'm black, handsome, I sing plus I'm rich and (I'm a flirt)"

Different Ways to Talk about Me

One of the things that has struck me on my first listen of "Me...I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse" is the many musical and vocal callbacks to other Mariah material. While this might be inevitable for an artist whose oeuvre spans almost a quarter century, Mariah makes a special art of self-reference. This is a theme I'd like to keep exploring in the future, and especially as I eventually discuss MIAMTEC at length, but I just wanted to leave here one of my favorite Mariah-as-Mariah moments. And this was in 1999!! Not even a decade into her career.

"Sipping Bailey's Cream by the stereo 
Trying to find relief on the radio 
I'm suppressing the tears but they start to flow 
'Cause the next song I hear is a song I wrote 
When we first got together, early that September 
I can't bear to listen, so I might as well drift 
In the kitchen, pour another glass or two 
And I try to forget you "

~ Crybaby ft. Snoop Dogg, Rainbow, 1999

#Hello...

Welcome to my new blog about Mariah Carey. May those dedicated fans find respite here, and those with skepticism in their hearts be won over by...The Elusive Chanteuse...