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.

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.