New New Hot Hot

Did you know that Mariah released a new song today? It's true, loyal readers. The only new track to be featured on her upcoming album Number 1 to Infinity, which -- cleverly -- will feature all 18 of her number 1 hits, plus this track, this song might be the only new Mariah we hear this year.

 

"Infinity," 2015

 

Initial reviews of the song have been mixed, with many calling it a "90s breakup song," which really doesn't make any sense. To this listener's ear, which I WOULD LIKE TO THINK HAS LISTENED TO MORE MARIAH THAN THE AVERAGE PERSON, the track sounds nothing like her 90s heyday. It was produced by L.A. Reid, who also produced her 2005 comeback album The Emancipation of Mimi -- and it has the big, retro sounds of those tracks (cf. "Stay the Night"). Of note to lambs will be the reference in the chorus to "You're Mine (Eternal)" from last year's MIAMTEC:

 

Close the door, lose the key
Leave my heart on the mat for me
I was yours eternally
There’s an end to infinity
To infinity

 

So: what do you think? 

 



Dedicated, Part 2: Talkin' Bout Collabos

Que obvio, Nas was the best choice to guest on "Dedicated": still in the game, still garnering much respect from peers and fans, and with a musical coming-up story that parallels MC's in lots of ways and complements this song as an ode to "old school."

Mims has a long and storied (well, in my mind) history of being on point with her choice of musical partnerships. Featuring masters of rap, fellow divas, and flash-in-the-pan hip-hoppers, her collaborations are never-boring case studies in what can happen when you pair a master with quantity x. Shall we explore some highlights in no particular order?

MC and Nicki Minaj, "Up Out My Face," 2009

Yes, before that ugly season of American Idol, and when the Young Money franchise was still hungry, this happened. "Up Out My Face," a middling track from the outstanding Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, featured Nicki and her many personalities on the remix. The track, which features a slower beat that thankfully forestalls Nicki's tendency to do really weird, unpleasant things with her voice, also includes a marching band at the end, clearly making this track the "Tusk" of MOAIA. It's unfortunate that these two fell out, because I love the contrast between their voices, and Nicki's flow is nicely measured here. Alas, alack.

 

MC and Snoop Dogg, "Crybaby," 1999

 

"Heartbreaker" might have gotten all the attention off of Rainbow, and deservedly so, but tucked into the second half of that  late-90s treasure chest is this gem. Blending the languid West Coast style of Snoop with MC's murmurings about pouring more Bailey's was a winner. I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but "Crybaby" contains one of my favorite moments of MC self-referentiality:

 

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 try to forget you

It's a song SHE WROTE, guys!

 

One of the nicest features of this song is the way that M's vocals over Snoop's parts seem effortlessly improvised. It's true of "Dedicated" as well. It's like she's listened to the song a million times and is idly accenting it with her own contributions. You don't find unstudied elegance like this in typical Top 40 fare.

 

 

MC and Damian Marley, "Cruise Control," 2008

 

Bet you didn't know that MC teamed up with Marley spawn on E=MC2. I refer to this album as her party album because it's just so fluffy and fun (well, until that last track), and this song is no exception. Damian's contribution includes one of my favorite lines from the album:

 

Look at life just like a pessimist
You already like a wife up in my premises

 

Heh. The track is also notable for a deliciously awkward "reggae-fied" verse from MC at about 1:36. A must listen.

 

 

 

MC and Cam'ron, "Boy (I Need You)," 2002

 

Quick on the heels of Cam'ron's wildly popular single "Oh Boy" from 2002 came this single off of Charmbracelet. This is really more of a remix than an original effort, and they both know it (Cam'ron: "Sing my hook, help me sell a couple mil.") But that's ok, because it's sweetly addictive, it lasts for a correctly long time, and Camron's contribution turns into a humorous back and forth with Mims:

 

I need you
(What? Who? Uh huh, uh huh)
I wanna feel your touch
(Why wouldn't you?)
So come and get my love
(Show me where it's at, now sing)

 

Does this lose something in translation? Just listen to it, it's a delight. Sunny day, windows down.

 

 

MC and Boyz II Men, "One Sweet Day," 1995

 

This still stands as MC's most popular #1 hit, spending 16 weeks at the top of the charts. All the ingredients are there: the awesome harmonies of B2M, MC in her prime, and lyrics that evoke lost loved ones (NB: this is Mariah's first "death" song. She did it again with "Bye Bye" in 2008). While anyone alive in the 90s has this burned into their brains, the track comes alive again in this a capella version which is truly something special and led me to a whole new appreciation of this song.

 

 There are many more collabos in MC's catalogue that are spectacular that deserve their own posts, and so they shall receive. Have you ever stopped to think about who she hasn't paired up with yet, but most definitely should? Because I spend quite a lot of brain power on that:

 

Kanye

Outkast

Lil' Wayne

Drake

 

Oh and:

 







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.