For The Record - Mariah Carey News Blog

New Pics of Mariah in Toronto

2009-09-13T16:51:00.002-04:00

Looking beautiful with the classic curls, the 1st pic down could be straight out of 1993.

New Memoirs Album Snippets!

2009-09-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

This is the album of the year already, just from these clips. check 'em out! Only 15 days and counting...

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/Mariah-Carey-Memoirs-Of-An-Imperfect-Angel/hnum/1435140

Official Tracklist for Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel

2009-09-13T00:26:00.002-04:00

This stuff is starting now!

1. Betcha Gon' Know (the prologue) 4:00
2. Obsessed (Album Version) 4:02
3. H.A.T.E.U. 4:27
4. Candy Bling 4:03
5. Ribbon 4:21
6. Inseparable 3:33
7. Standing O 4:00
8. It's A Wrap 3:58
9. Up Out My Face 3:41
10. Up Out My Face (the reprise) 0:51
11. More Than Just Friends 3:37
12. The Impossible 4:00
13. The Impossible (the reprise) 2:25
14. Angel (the prelude) 1:04
15. Angels Cry 4:01
16. Languishing (the interlude) 2:33
17. I Want To Know What Love Is 3:26
18. Obsessed (Cahill Radio Mix) 3:20
19. Obsessed (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit) 3:12
20. Obsessed (Jump Smokers Radio Edit) 3:19
21. Obsessed (Friscia and Lamboy Radio Mix) 4:11

Catching Up

2009-09-13T00:13:00.001-04:00

These next several posts will be news and pictures that have come about over the last few weeks that I didn't get to. Just letting you know, I'm gonna stay on the grind this time, we're getting too close to album time. This album is gonna be the ALBUM OF THE YEAR, I can tell just from the clips.

Live Audio from the Concert in Las Vegas

2009-09-12T22:15:00.002-04:00

Here are videos of audio posted on youtube from Mimi's concert in Las Vegas last night. The other concert happening tonight is going on as we speak. I'm still floored by Mariah's vocals from last night, she sounds incredible (especially on Always Be My Baby). Check them out below and enjoy:

My All:

Close My Eyes:

Obsessed:

Shake It Off & Touch My Body:

Always Be My Baby:

It's Like That:

Heartbreaker:

Honey:

Subtle Invitation:

Up Out My Face:

Angels Cry:

World Premiere of I Wanna Know What Love Is on German Radio TONIGHT

2009-08-27T15:09:00.001-04:00

Well technically it's tomorrow but due to time zone differences, US citizens will be able to hear the (radio rip)song tonight. Eastern Time Zone at Midnight, Pacific at 9pm. Stay Tuned can't wait to hear it in full. Go to MariahDaily.com to hear a 10 second clip of the song RIGHT NOW!

Amazon Review of Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel

2009-08-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

Imperfections are in the eye of the beholder. You can see them as flaws, or as the very qualities that make us human -- and that make us strive to be better people in search of a perfection that we know we can never fully achieve. In the thirteen songs on her spellbinding new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Mariah Carey explores those aspects of our shared humanity with a rare depth, honesty and open-heartedness. It's one of the strongest statements in her long, distinguished career.

The subject of Memoirs is love at all its stages in our lives. Experiencing it for the first time. Losing it. Remembering its most painful moments, and also its times of greatest innocence and joy. Yearning for it. Learning from it. Growing as a result of its profound power. Finding it again and being grateful for so great a gift. And, finally, being humbled, filled with wonder and elevated by love's mysterious ways. In that sense and more, Memoirs is a full, immensely satisfying journey.

"Each song is like an intimate conversation or entry in a private diary," Carey says about the album. "A lot of the songs reflect specific, different times in my life. Others were inspired by movies, actual events that happened to me, or the stories of friends who told me about experiences that they've gone through." With just one exception, Carey wrote and produced the entire album in collaboration with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. The trio clearly shared an inspired sense of what Memoirs should be. Sinuous grooves and instantly memorable melodies flow from track to track, while the wit and intimacy of the lyrics create the feel of one friend talking to another. As well-defined as each song is, Memoirs plays with the beauty and consistency of a classic, start-to-finish album.

"My main goal was to work with people I could collaborate with without it seeming redundant or stale," Carey says. "In my opinion Tricky is one of the most underrated major producers out there right now. I really enjoyed collaborating with him. And I especially liked writing with The-Dream, basically because we both love having fun with lyrics and melodies, and we're also capable of getting more serious on deeper songs. There is a particular sense of freedom I feel when we write together -- even though I make him stay in the studio all night until he is ready to kill me! LOL!"

Memoirs' first single is the hard-hitting "Obsessed," which is accompanied by a video directed by Brett Ratner (the Rush Hour trilogy) in which Carey plays both the glamorous star and her stalker fan. Like the video, the song's lyrics combine devastating putdowns ("Last man on the Earth still couldn't get this") with humor ("See right through you like you're bathin' in Windex"). The no-nonsense "Up Out My Face" captures a similar caustic mood, dismissing a former lover with the send-off, "When I break, I break, boy." "It's a Wrap" delivers a similar message about the end of an affair: "When it's gone, it's gone." "Standing O," with its irresistible chorus, sardonically applauds a faithless ex for his signature achievement: "You played the one that loved you the most." "Betcha Gon' Know" foresees karmic revenge for a wayward lover, but, once again, the clever lyrics ("Oprah Winfrey whole segment for real, for real / 20/20 Barbara Walters for real, for real") encourage a smile amid the pain.

The ballad "H.A.T.E.U.," meanwhile, finds the singer seeing life in the wake of a breakup and longing for the moment when loss and regret transform into a cleansing anger. But the title of the song doesn't necessarily stand for what you think it might. "H.A.T.E.U. is the first song I wrote for the album," Carey says, "and it stands for Having A Typical Emotional Upset."

Always a brilliant technical singer with an extraordinary vocal range, Carey rises to new heights on that track. "I sing a recurring melody in the upper register of my voice; it's not an ad-lib, but an integral part of the song's hook," she says. "That's not something I've done before, and when listening back to it, it reminded me of how Minnie Riperton used her upper register on her hit song `Lovin' You.' I thought how ironic that her song was called `Lovin' You' and my song is called, 'H.A.T.E.U.' - and both use that upper `whistle register' as a major part of the melody. So it's sort of an homage to Minnie Riperton, a tribute to her since she has been so influential in my singing style."

On a tender note, the wistful "Candy Bling" beautifully evokes the blissful realm of young love ("Anklets, name plates that you gave to me/Sweet tarts, ring pops had that candy bling/And you were my world"), while "Inseparable" aches for a love that went wrong for reasons that seem impossible to comprehend. "More Than Just Friends" floats off into a fantasy of what a casual relationship might become ("Permanently paint me in your picture like Picasso/Love me down till I hit the top of my soprano!"). "Ribbon" and "The Impossible" swoon with happiness and thankfulness over redemptive love that has returned to make life rich again. "You did the impossible," Carey sings. "You rescued my love."

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel ends with a spectacularly powerful gospel rendition of Foreigner's gorgeous ballad, "I Want to Know What Love Is." Carey's voice soars into the heavens as a soul-stirring choir makes it clear that the search for love is the closest that any human being ever gets to the divine.

Which brings us back to the angel of the album's title. "I had written a song called 'Imperfect,'" Carey says, "but it didn't make it onto the album. The lyrics of that song address the fact that the world puts so much pressure on us -- especially on women -- to be perfect and look a certain way, and that is impossible because nobody is perfect. Only God is perfect. I know I've tried to be a good person, but I am definitely no angel!"

"But after I put this album together and decided to name it Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," she concludes, "I remembered that the Minnie Riperton album that contained 'Lovin' You' was called Perfect Angel. So I felt in so many ways that it was meant to be."

Hilarious and Creative Obsessed Cover and Video

2009-08-18T14:37:00.002-04:00

LOL! This is awesome.

Confirmed: Mariah's 'First' Single Is... (LOADS of NEWS)

2009-08-18T10:10:00.001-04:00

Confirmed: Mariah's 'First' Single Is...

Showbiz 411 colunmist Roger Friedman, an extended member of Mariah Carey's PR team, continues to serve up information about to expect from the diva's forthcoming 'Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel' album - today confirming that Foreingers cover 'I Want To Know What Love Is' will be the record's 'first official single' (rolls eyes). Check out the report below:

Foreigner's Mick Jones can start ordering caviar and Champagne again: Mariah Carey is releasing her own gospel-tinged version of his masterwork song, "I Want to Know What Love Is."

It's the first "real" single from her new album following the summer release of the witty "Obsessed," which is also included on "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel." The album and the single hit the world on Sept. 29th.

I heard the Foreigner song yesterday along with all of "Memoirs" and let me tell you: Mariah's got a hit on her hands along the lines of "Emancipation of Mimi "The hour-long CD is ballad-centric. Written and produced with The Dream and Tricky (I know, but these are their stage names), "Memoirs" boasts a lot of singles. Starting with the Foreigner song is a canny move in these uncertain times. By the time its run is over, a new generation will think "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a Mariah Carey song.

Mick Jones, who wrote it, should start picking out some nice new cars thanks to Carey. The money should come rolling in quickly.

The other songs on the album - these are the titles, although the running order is still being finalized: "Betcha," "Obsessed," "H.A.T.E.U.," "Candy Bling," "Ribbon," "Standing O's.," "Impossible," "It's a Wrap," "Inseparable," "Up Out My Face," "More than Just Friends," and "Angels Cry."

Several of these are radio ready. "Angels Cry" is an honest-to-god ballad a la "Vision of Love," and should be a gigantic success. "Standing O's" also has potential, as do "H.A.T.E.U." - which stands for "having a typical emotional upset" - and "Inseparable."

Def Jam's L.A. Reid - who previewed the CD for the first time yesterday with a clutch of staffers - is playing with the order, to get it right. But he really can't go wrong. Carey's album, is, as they used to say, "what the kids want." Plus, it's got stuff for the slightly older crowd. I loved the doo-woppy "It's a Wrap." And the Foreigner track is so powerful, it's going to be everywhere.

Good news, too: no more songs about Eminem. One was plenty.

So, by the end of September we'll have new CDs from Whitney and from Mariah. They're each top notch and different from each other enough that their fans should want them both. Maybe we'll see a return to record stores (we have but a few in Manhattan now) and diva duels on radio if programmers are smart.

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel Pushed Back...AGAIN!

2009-08-13T13:49:00.001-04:00

Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel Update

Mariah is putting the finishing touches on her newest album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, and we have shifted all of our TV and promo appearances to coincide with the new release date of September 29th. We can't wait for the fans to hear the new album !!

http://www.mariahcarey.com/news/news.php?uid=2543

Sigh...

New Review from UK Listening Party

2009-08-06T14:22:00.001-04:00

Spine-tingling, heart-stirring, and just generally awesome are the best three adjectives to describe the six songs I heard from Mariah Carey’s next album Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel - out 14 September.

Putting all conflict with Eminem (the bitter, twisted loser) aside, Mariah showed that talent speaks for itself and she has that in sack-loads. Although I suspect in Mariah’s case it is Hermes Birkin-loads. Limited edition and expensive, dahlings.

Here is what I heard:

(1) Candy Bling - a very slow number that showcases Mariah’s unique vocal range. One to put on the iPod and play when someone is pissing you off on the tube / bus as it totally chills you out.

(2) Obsessed - the first single and my favourite as it’s more of a dancey number. I am OBSESSED with this song and sing along when it’s on the radio

(3) H.A.T.E U - another slow number - very e=mc2- but then if you have a winning formula, why change it.

(4) Standing 0 - what a cool title for a song! By visualisng a standing ovation, Mariah is totally gonna get one.

(5) Impossible - slow but SEXY in homage to Nick Cannon, I think. She sings ‘U did the impossible…’ and ‘I love you Like…’

(6) I want to Know What Love is - cover of The Foreigner’s classic. Mariah makes it sound so beauitful, it makes you dwell on the lyrics differently. And it shows she wants to properly entertain people - nobody would have expected her to do this. I actually cheered in congratulations when this song ended and I wasn’t the only one.

http://www.zoegriffin.co.uk/blog/?p=2231

Can't wait to hear the album myself.

Obsessed Performance on America's Got Talent

2009-08-06T14:20:00.000-04:00

The UK Listening Party is OVER!

2009-08-05T14:03:00.003-04:00

Small details have come out so far, but from my understanding the Listening Party has taken place is already over. More details as they become available, until then here's what we have so far (Notes from Twitter):

zoegriffin - Mariah's songs are amazing and cupcakes were served at the playback. Pink cupcakes! Happy days

zoegriffin - I made lots of notes at the playback - in my new pink notebook!!! Gonna blog about the tunes soon. Relive the mariah fabulousness! Out sept

DJBigger - Watch out for Mariah Careys amazing cover of You Know What Loves is

@ArchnaSawjani - loved the pink cupcakes+drinks at mariah playback. Wasn't as sold on the music but not final product only heard 5 new tracks&one was a cover

thisisjamesy - just got back from Mariah playback. Diggin the cakes and what a brilliant Foreigner cover!

sofiaz - Just left mariah careys album launch at the langham.Shes covered i wana kno wot love is.Its quite gud

Today a listening party for Mariah's new album, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, was held in the UK and this is what DJ Bigger has to say about it:

"Just heard 6 cuts from Mariah Carey's new album the killers are Candy Bling, Impossible and a breathtaking soulful cover version of the Foreigner soft rock classic I Want To Know What Love Is which really has to be heard to be believed it really is jaw dropping. The album's title is "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel". It is out on September 14th."

Today Show Performances still on for August 28

2009-08-05T09:19:00.004-04:00

According to this promo video from the Today Show, Mariah's appearance on the Today Show Concert Series on August 28th is still on.

I gather from that, that the second single will be released by or a little before that performance.

Source: WiseGuyC on FOMM

For the Nostalgia - We Belong Together (2005 MTV Movie Awards)

2009-08-05T09:10:00.002-04:00

First Nostalgia back, this is one of my favorite Mariah performances ever. The whole timeless old-timey feel with everything being in black and white and Mariah alone being in color. Stone Win. Vocals were on point, she sounded confident and there was a lot of clarity in her voice. She looked great, the red dress hit the spot, great hair. The whole thing was CLASS. Hard to believe it's been 4 years since then, but we're bringing it close so we can Relive the Splendor.

Touch My Body is OFFICIALLY a Mariah Carey Classic

2009-08-05T08:15:00.006-04:00

As of late I've been playin' the heck out of Touch My Body and as much as I loved it when it dropped last year, it's never sounded better than right now. The bounciness, the playful lyrics, the vocals, I'm head over heels in love with a song that's been out for over a year. I didn't realize it til recently but Touch My Body is a Mariah Carey Classic. I hope she knows that and performs it on Tour. It's up there with Honey, We Belong Together, and Always Be My Baby for me.

VH1 Storytellers Taping, Tribeca Show Postponed

2009-08-05T07:53:00.000-04:00

VH1 Storytellers Taping, Tribeca Show Postponed

According to the official Mariah Carey site, the VH1 Storytellers taping, previously scheduled for August 6th, has been postponed to a later date. No new date has been announced. Winners will remain on the list for the re-scheduled taping date.

The Tribeca Power 105.1 concert, originally slated for August 10th, has also been postponed to a later unknown date. Notified winners will be contacted when they have a new date for the show.

Source: MariahCarey.com | MariahDailyJournal

Memoirs Listening Party Today in the UK

2009-08-05T07:16:00.003-04:00

According to Jasmine Dotiwala on Twitter, there will a new listening party tonight in the UK.

@jasminedotiwala - This afternoon the UK media/ViPs/industry get to hear some of -the biggest selling female musician- Mariahs MOAIA! Let the heat begin!!

I'll post reviews and song details as they become available. Hopefully more songs are played than the ones played at the Hong Kong Listening Party on Monday.

Revitalizing the Blog Again

2009-08-05T07:11:00.003-04:00

As we grow closer to the release of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, I will be doing my best to keep the blog updated and giving it the much needed refreshing that I have neglected to do as of late.

IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A NEW *FOR THE RECORD MARIAH CAREY NEWS BLOG BANNER* E-MAIL ME AT FORTHERECORDNEWS@YAHOO.COM and we'll do a poll to see which one is most liked and it will be the new banner.

The one I have now is pretty plain. So check back frequently, I'll be updating the blog at least 3 or 4 times daily: In the morning, early afternoon, and Late evening definitely.

Mariah performs tonight on America's Got Talent

2009-08-05T07:07:00.004-04:00

Mariah will take the stage singing Obsessed on tonight's America's Got Talent on NBC. Tune in at 9PM Eastern. Although the performance has already been taped, we will see it in HQ tonight.

Obsessed is that STONE GROOVE SMASH HIT WONDER!

2009-06-17T08:54:00.003-04:00

Sup folks?!? Alright I have one question for you, just one....why are you....all up....in my George Foreman? LOL!!! No, let me get to my review.

Upon first listen, I knew it was a hot record. I was in a rush to get to work, so it really didn't marinate in good. I synced the rip to my mp3 player and ran to work. I listened to the song for two hours straight and I could tell it was catchy and a club-banger. Soon after that it started to hit me how hot the song was. At first, I was thrown off because it's so different for Mariah. The auto-tune and subdued vocals took a bit of getting used to, but NOT much.

The Lyrics are the best part of the song, the clever, genius and wittyness kills Candy dead in his tracks. She cut this dude up and down, left and right, and it was a long time coming. Well deserved. The "napoleon complex" and "bathing in windex" lines take the cake for me. Not to mention the spoken line that starts the song off from the movie - Mean Girls - "And I was like, why are you so Obsessed with me?" That took the song to the next level.

The melody is dark and anthemy, the bass booms and Mariah's vocals ride it all quite well. After hearing the song in high quality, it was taken to the next level where I knew this is most likely Mariah's 19th #1 hit.

Finally, my favorite part of the song at the very end, when Mariah belts, "He's all up in my George Foreman!", it's all about that line. I laughed so hard the first time I released she said that. Overall, everything comes together quite well in this new formula and I'm left satisfied. MC, Dream, and Tricky did their thing. She came hard, don't mess with MC.

I give this song a 9.5/10.

Obsessed will be played on Chicago radio Station B96 in 30 minutes!

2009-06-16T14:28:00.001-04:00

That's right! At 3pm eastern time, the world Premiere of Obsessed will come! Get ready!

B96 RADIO STREAM

OBSESSED will be available on MariahCarey.com

2009-06-16T13:47:00.003-04:00

Per Gina (on Twitter) off of MC.com.

MariahCarey

Head over to www.mariahcarey.com today at 4:00pm ET to hear Mariah's new single OBSESSED!! (Gina)3 minutes ago from web

So anyone who wants to hear the song, go to MariahCarey.com in 2 hours.

FTR MC NEWS will NOT be posting OBSESSED!

2009-06-16T10:30:00.003-04:00

Don't expect any links for OBSESSED on this blog. However if anyone would like contact me about anything, my e-mail address is Fortherecordnews@yahoo.com

OBSESSED SINGLE COVER REVEALED

2009-06-16T10:02:00.005-04:00

STONE GROOVE SMASH HIT WONDER! Quite Sexy Mimi! Bring on the song now!

Press Release: New Album Memoirs Drops August 25th

2009-06-16T09:58:00.002-04:00

Mariah Carey Puts Finishing Touches on Her New Album, MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL, for August 25th Release

"OBSESSED," FIRST NEW SINGLE PICK - GOES TO RADIO ON JUNE 16th - WRITTEN & PRODUCED BY MARIAH, THE-DREAM AND TRICKY STEWART

"The 1st single from my new album MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL is called 'Obsessed' and will be at radio next Tuesday. I'm a lil' exc ... Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it. LY"
- Mariah Carey, on Twitter

First came the emancipation, then came energy and power, and now comes MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL, the new album by international superstar Mariah Carey, scheduled to arrive on August 25th. The first new single pick from MEMOIRS is "Obsessed," which blasts out to radio today, Tuesday, June 16th. The video for "Obsessed" will be directed by Brett Ratner. "Obsessed" was written and produced by Mariah, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, who are responsible for the majority of tracks on the new album. MEMOIRS was executive-produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid.

MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL, the 12th studio album of Mariah's career, is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her RIAA platinum-selling album E=MC² (released April 15, 2008), and her worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation Of Mimi (released April 12, 2005). Both were Soundscan #1 debut albums that made chart history for Mariah in the U.S. and numerous territories around the globe.

The Emancipation Of Mimi generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles, and countless more honors during its 18-month chart stay. The album debuted at #1 on first week sales of 404,000 copies, Mariah's highest first week sales total (until E=MC²). Soundscan's biggest-selling album of 2005, Mimi featured "We Belong Together" (Grammy winner for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song) and "Don't Forget About Us," Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 career singles respectively. They tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's.

Three years later, E=MC² debuted at #1 on first week sales of 463,000 copies, which now stands as the highest first week sales total of Mariah's career. The album's success brought total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to more than 160 million worldwide, distancing her even further from the pack as the top-selling female recording artist in history.

E=MC² spun off four singles: "Touch My Body," "Bye Bye," "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time," and "I Stay In Love." Of these, "Touch My Body" made history when it became Mariah's 18th #1 Hot 100 hit, thus surpassing Elvis Presley. "Touch My Body"'s two weeks at the top also marked Mariah's 78th and 79th cumulative career weeks at #1, which tied Elvis' long-standing all-time high of 79 weeks at #1, as calculated in Billboard.com. At the same time, Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits.

Source: MariahCarey.com | MariahDailyJournal

Exclusive News!!! Mariah to shoot OBSESSED VIDEO this weekend!

2009-06-16T09:53:00.001-04:00

A source tells me, Mariah will be shooting the video for Obsessed this weekend and she is in great shape. A few more hours until we hear the single!!!

EXCLUSIVE NEWS on OBSESSED and H.A.T.E.U.

2009-06-14T21:53:00.005-04:00

Hey good folks, I have some exclusive info about the new songs from an "inside" source. Here goes:

* The OBSESSED Remix features Gucci Mane (that's not exclusive, we all knew that)

* The OBSESSED Remix was produced by Bangladesh.

* H.A.T.E. U. has a timeless sound.

* The H.A.T.E. U. remix "...has a synthy-section that emulates the Can't Let Go hook melody.."

* H.A.T.E. U. is described as:

"Obscure - original - classic high pitch whistle that rides with the chorus, poppy, but with this certain knock that at times its dark... This certain "knock" in the song is brought (even) harder in the remix."

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, make sure to credit this blog and RECORDMAN. More news later.

Lots of Snippets of News

2009-06-13T11:09:00.004-04:00

Time for another MCC news update:

* Mariah is currently in London for Prince Azim of Brunei's Birthday Party.

* Mariah let us know via Twitter that she has recorded REMIXES for both Obsessed and H.A.T.E.U. and the one for H.A.T.E.U. is resung with a POW rap within it.

* The chorus of H.A.T.E.U. starts with "I can't wait to hate you, make you pain like I do.." (via Mariah). She also says H.A.T.E.U. stands for something.

* Jasmine, Mariah's friend, tweeted that her and Mariah are in the car listening to the Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel album, which I gather as THE ALBUM IS DONE.

* According to a tweet received by a fan from Mariah, there are NO RAPPERS on the album..(yet).

I'll bring more news to you as it becomes available stay tuned.

Obsessed is an "Uptempo Fun Summer Record"!!

2009-06-10T10:20:00.006-04:00

So"Obsessed" is an uptempo fun summer record. We were gonna go w/the ballad 1st but don't worry,its coming. I tried to make something(cont)
about 15 hours ago from TwitterBerry

.. For all who love Butterfly, and even older albums,but"Obsessed" has to come out 1st, asap!! Its different for me,but clearly,its SO me!about
15 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Per Mariah on Twitter

That's right, folks. Obsessed is an uptempo record! We're within 6 days, I can't wait to hear the song and I hope this week goes fast. I'll have a new poll and a new "For the Nostalgia" up tonight after work. Have a good day!

Mariah's New Single OBSESSED hits the airwaves next Tuesday!

2009-06-09T09:49:00.004-04:00

That's right, peeps. The new single has come quickly this time. Mariah confirmed this morning on twitter that her new single 'Obsessed' will hit radio next Tuesday. According to the insiders, this song will be the smash of the summer. I'm sure it's stone groove smash hit wonder. I'll do a bigger update later as I've been working and haven't updated as frequently as I would like to.

MariahCarey - Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it. LY

about 4 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey - The 1st single from my new album "Memoirs of an imperfect angel" is called "Obsessed" and will be at radio next tuesday. I'm a lil' exc ...

about 4 hours ago from TwitterBerry

BIG NEWS BREAK

2009-05-21T01:11:00.004-04:00

*Loads of news for you, guys. I'm sure most have already heard, we got the new album title and it is: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. I think it's quite different but I love it, one of her strongest album titles yet.

*The album is supposed to drop in Late Summer (August) according to LA Reid. So with that being said, we should hear the new single in the next few weeks.

*In the LATEST news, there was a listening party this evening for IDJ artists and one of Mariah's song was played. It's apparently the new single and it's called H.A.T.E.U.

Everything sounds very different this time around, can't wait to hear the music and see the album cover for an album title like that. Be excited, everyone. This is all happening so fast.

Mariah to make EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT today on TWITTER @ 3:27pm eastern

2009-05-20T12:55:00.001-04:00

Mariah's Twitter Announcement... Coming at 3:27pm ET!

Lambs, behold! Mariah has a special message to her fans, and she's going to announce it today, May 20, on her Official Twitter Page!

The announcement will be made at 3:27pm EST (That's 12:27pm PST, 7:27pm GMT, 9:27pm CET).

Be sure to follow Mariah via twitter.com/MariahCarey and be the first to hear the exciting news!

http://www.mariahcarey.com/news/news.php?uid=2475

Mariah looking beautiful on the red carpet!

2009-05-20T11:50:00.001-04:00

Mariah in the studio with TIMBALAND!

2009-05-19T07:12:00.001-04:00

This is straight from Mariah's twitter...

MariahCarey In the studio w/Timbaland.. S.G.S.H.W.!!! : )
22 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

We're getting a stone groove smash hit wonder by way of Timbaland from Mariah! Be excited, be VERY EXCITED!

New Pics of Mariah in Cannes Today

2009-05-15T11:29:00.002-04:00

She looks great, can't wait for the performance on the 23th!

Rumor Mill - New Song called "New Chapter"

2009-05-15T06:19:00.003-04:00

Here's the rumored info from "Jasmine", take this with a grain of salt:

Basically a ballad with a rnb groove, vocals very raw vocals, verses apparently done in whisper voice mixed with mid-range, ending has high belting ala DFAU/WBT but more raspy. Lyrics are a "dedication" to Nick and a subtle diss to her exes. According to him produced by The Dream sounds like a mix of "My Love" and "DFAU" according to him though he isn't the biggest MC fan. He has heard a snippit but he has insiders so his description is very accurate.

and
Apparent lyrics according to him of what he could remember:

"Cause this is a new chapter in my life, I know how it feels to be so cold on the outside, ______ ______ clearing up my mind, it's a new chapter in my life, so I turn the pages and read the mistakes I've done, but now I know that you're my only one, I'm so glad that I ______ ______, I'm glad that you're _______ ______ I'm so happy to be your wife, the new chapter in my life".

Plus according to him, the belting notes at the end although raspy are really high and strong, plus she hits a big whistle note too. She apparently holds a big note at the end, sorta like the one on Bye Bye but a bit longer.

Breaking Exclusive News! Mariah to Work With Timbaland on New Album

2009-05-13T09:58:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my Buddy, "the Prophet" for this exclusive news. According to him, Mariah will be working with Timbaland on the new album. Here's the story:

Thanks to my girl Jasmine I can exclusively reveal that Mariah Carey is working with Timbaland for her upcoming 12th studio album.

Not much is known about the collaboration yet, but Nick Cannon did say of it "trust me, this album is going to be fire!"

Carey has also worked with James 'Big Jim' Wright, The-Dream, and Tricky Stewart. Around 10 tracks have been finished so far, and Mariah was recently seen telling a fan on Twitter that she hopes something will be out by August.

Sounds like a stone groove smash hit wonder to me!

The Official Love Story Video (from the Anniversary) in HQ

2009-05-09T02:56:00.003-04:00

Here is the Anniversary video of Love Story of Mariah and Nick, enjoy!

Thanks to the Prophet for this video.

For the Nostalgia - Make It Happen (GMA 2005)

2009-05-05T12:48:00.002-04:00

Hey good folks, I haven't forgotten about ya, just very busy with work. Working 10 hour days now, FUN! LOL Anyway here's some stone winning FTN for yall. This was on the day "The Emancipation of Mimi" came out, one of the best days of life and the beginning of argubly the best Mariah era ever. Her vocals were incredible on this, lots of grit and soul, she still is THE VOICE. Enjoy this one, it's a stone winner and as always relive the Splendor.

Love Story Video Tribute from Nick to Mariah

2009-05-01T11:47:00.001-04:00

Here's the video that Nick surprised Mariah with at the Anniversary Party that moved her to tears. I still think this song could have been a more successful single than Bye-Bye, but leaving the past in the past, here you are. Thanks to MDJ for the video as well.

Mariah and Nick's Anniversary Party

2009-05-01T11:42:00.004-04:00

Where has the time gone? With smiles on their faces, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon celebrated one year of wedded bliss Thursday in Las Vegas at the Palms Casino Resort.

"It's a very special occasion," Cannon told the crowd at Moon Nightclub, where he was deejaying, "toast to everyone."

After a very private wedding a year ago, the couple decided to do the opposite for their anniversary, celebrating with a nightclub full of people. The couple did, however, dine in a private room at Simon beforehand.

Once inside the club, the couple were greeted with a four-foot birthday cake. And the surprises kept coming - at least for Carey. Unbeknownst to her, Cannon produced a video of the couple's last year, including video of intimate moments.

After the video was shown, Carey was seen crying.

"This is the most amazing person in the world," Cannon said into the microphone about his wife. "I dedicate my life to her daily, and together this union is gonna last forever. She is my rock."

Carey replied: "I have the best man in the whole wide world."

The gushfest continued after a balloon drop and a clubwide toast, which Cannon dedicated to his wife.

Mariah, Nick Celebrate One-Year Wedding Anniversary in Vegas (Us Weekly)
The couple - who said "I Do" in a surprise ceremony in the Bahamas last April - arrived at the Palms Casino Resort's Palms Place Thursday night for dinner with 50 pals, including L.A. Reid, Tyrese Gibson, Sanaa Lathan and Floyd Mayweather.

The venue was decorated with candle-lit tables and a sign that read, "Happy Anniversary Mariah and Nick!" Guests snacked on surf & turf, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. For dessert, they had Creme Brulee and chocolate chip cookies.

Following dinner, the group moved over to the Moon Nightclub, where Cannon surprised his wife with a video presentation of the best moments from their first year of marriage. Then, 1,000 balloons were released into the sky when the Moon roof opened as partiers toasted them.

After the couple cut into a giant pink and white five-tiered Duncan Hines Yellow cake, Cannon hit the turntables and spun tunes.

Thanks to Lynn over at MariahDailyJournal for this article.

Sounds like it was an awesome, wish I could have been there in person.

New Poll - It's Been a Year...

2009-04-29T11:02:00.002-04:00

Alrighty folks the new poll is up now and it concerns the marriage of Mariah and Nick. I remember alot of disdain when she first married Nick, alot of shock and confusion. Then lots of fans voiced their bad feelings about the whole thing. So now after a year, how do you feel? Vote in the poll.

Slowness

2009-04-28T22:25:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates, there's not really anything to report. I will however post a new poll and "For the Nostalgia" tonight. I may even start the "Mariah Inspiration Spotlight".

Poll Results - Mariah's Sexiest Video is...

2009-04-27T01:07:00.003-04:00

According to you all, Mariah's sexiest video is Honey. I think it's hot too but I think her sexiest video is Don't Forget About Us. Here's the video you chose. The next poll will be up shortly.

Mariah Carey - Honey
Uploaded by Elfique

Songs from Glitter that weren't released

2009-04-25T01:02:00.009-04:00

Flow Link

Lillie's Blues Link

For the Nostalgia - I'm That Chick (Live @ The Hills Premiere)

2009-04-23T01:55:00.002-04:00

Everyone says most of the performances from the E=MC² era crashed and burned but not all of them. This one is actually great, she looks incredible, sounds great, her confidence was high, she's moving. I remember after I saw this I was hyped for the album to do big things. The live sound to this song is great too, everything about this was right, it was a great time in a MC fan's life. TMB went #1 on iTunes and went #1 on the Hot 100 the next week for the 18th number one! This was definitely a moment. Anyway, watch and enjoy this stone groove and most of all: relive the splendor.

My Obsession with Last Kiss

2009-04-22T10:41:00.004-04:00

Now most people can't stand this song especially Mariah's fans but I'm crazy over it. Last Kiss has made every one of my favorite music of the moment playlists since April of 2008 when E=MC² came out. I mean, everything from the background vocals to the music to the lead vocals, it's all full of emotion. I think everybody should give this song a second chance (who claimed it was the worst song on the album). I can honestly say I've listened to this song about 10,000 times lol. I told Mariah on Twitter this song is the love child of Always Be My Baby and Don't Forget About Us. She sent me a personal response to that and said "that's cute, I never thought it that way." It's become one of my favorite Mariah songs ever, a true stone classic. It makes me excited for the next album.

Divas Live returns in 2009 on VH1!

2009-04-21T09:36:00.006-04:00

I'm sure you remember, the first ever Divas Live in '98 with Aretha Franklin and our girl, Mariah Carey. Well they are coming this year and VH1 wants our input on who should be on the show. Go to the link below and make sure you vote for Mariah to appear at this year's Divas Live. In case some of you aren't familar with the show, here are two clips of Mariah's appearances at the 1998 and 2000 shows.

REQUEST FOR MARIAH TO BE ON DIVAS LIVE 2009 HERE

My All @ Divas Live '98

Love Hangover/Heartbreaker @ Divas 2000

Other Artist News: Christina Milian (New Song Snippet) - Zipper

2009-04-21T01:04:00.004-04:00

Obviously with the six degrees from Mariah, Christina Milian is the ex of Mariah's husband, Nick Cannon. So only 2 degrees. Anyway, Christina has a blazin' new snippet of a song called Zipper and I wanted you guys to hear it. It just helps us anticipate Mariah's new music because this song is produced by The-Dream, who has done several songs from Mimi's new CD. So here it is, let me know if you dig it.

Breaking News on the Album!

2009-04-20T12:08:00.001-04:00

From Jasmines Dotiwala's Blog

The early part of April was hectic! The G20 leaders dinner at Downing Street was legendary - a night full of historic memories. Next, we had Mrs Mariah Carey-Cannon's birthday celebrations in Barbados. Then, it was off to Miami where she was working on tracks for her next album, which is due out in the next few months.

Straight from Miami, Mr and Mrs C's jet plane landed at Heathrow, where the paps (who were waiting for politicians at the airport), bum-rushed her and asked her about whether she was happy about Obama's trip to the UK. Oh how we laughed. What do journalists expect someone to reply to such a redundant question?

"Um yeah...it's fabulous!" Mrs C had time for just three hours sleep before she got up to play me the songs she's made so far for the new album. We listened to the new music in a manner that I have never been treated to before. It was different, slightly naughty and millions of her fans would've loved to see through my eyes at that moment. But if I revealed what we did, there would be a worldwide scandal! What happens in a London hotel room, stays in a London hotel room!

I heard a variety of tracks, and there were big ballads, catchy melodic hooks, hilarious and witty wordplay, and clever lines galore.

I had a few favourite tracks: some that talk from the heartbroken lover's point of view; some representing the proud and stubborn dumper; and of course beautiful love songs, inspired by Mr C. On one song in particular, she wears her heart on her sleeve, and it's very touching to hear her pouring her heart out so publicly. Mrs C also told me about her dog JJ's new puppy playmate, that's been named Cha Cha. I then proceeded to inform her that me and my girls used to call a certain part of the female anatomy our 'cha cha'. She laughed and said: "I might've guessed - there's always some American-British language exchange humour when it comes to us!"

Then, we decided to play an April fools joke on MC's fans (otherwise known as 'lambs'): She encouraged me to tell my Twitter following that she'd had her hair cut short and died dark brown. Within seconds, her Twitter planet of fans hit me back with: "Nice try Jas, but we know it's an April fool." They're just too quick for me! I should've said she was shopping in Top Shop with me instead! They know her too well.

After catching up on things, Mrs C slipped her curves into a long, black designer dress and went out to the car - and paparazzi - waiting outside Claridge's Hotel. She was taken to her jet, which took her to South Africa where she and Mr C attended an event for a certain Mr Mandela. Mr Mandela is so full of life at 91 years of age. What an absolute living legend.

Can you imagine the requests of the VIP guests at an event like this? A thousand bottles of every spirit, wine and champagne, loads of healthy foods, plenty of Fiji water, masseuse ladies, white flowers, candles, etc. It makes the things I've put on MTV expenses in the past look lame!

Thanks to Whitney70 from FOMM for this info

Another Slow Day

2009-04-20T11:31:00.003-04:00

Here we go again, the slowness is bleak. Welcome to all the new viewers coming on the blog, wish there was more to tell you right now. We do know that Mariah had a photoshoot last week, not sure what for but hopefully we'll find out soon. Have a great day guys. If any news drops during the day I'll post it via my cell phone, I'm heading to work now. There will be a new "For the Nostalgia" video tonight. God bless.

Do me a favor and bookmark the blog and come back again, thanks.

Looking for Awesome Mariah Covers on Youtube

2009-04-20T00:10:00.004-04:00

What goes on, guys? Alright I'm looking for really good Mariah song covers by up and coming artists and singers on youtube. I wanna shine some light on people who Mariah has inspired. So if you know of any really good ones, leave me the artist name and the link to the video in the comments box. I'm gonna do a new thing called the Mariah Inspiration Spotlight. On the offchance that Mariah ever gets on this site, she'll be able to see how much she's inspired and influenced us all over the last 20 years. Thanks in advance guys, God bless.

For the Nostalgia - Dreamlover (Tokyo - Butterfly Tour)

2009-04-20T00:01:00.004-04:00

Now somehow this is my first time seeing this performance, but I feel the nostalgia just the same. Mimi does the darn thing in it, with dancing and great vocals all the same. She also does both while looking quite good if I must say so myself. She should move around the stage more often like this. We all know she's most renowned for her INCREDIBLE DANCING Lol. Anyway this video is a stone winner and I hope you guys enjoy it and as always: relive the splendor.

Not Too Much Going On Today

2009-04-19T21:05:00.002-04:00

Hey Good Folks, not alot happening today so I'll post a "For the Nostalgia" video in a little bit, maybe a few more things. I had a great church service that's always good. If you wanna follow me on Twitter, my Twitter account is www.twitter.com/Recordman7 I'm always willing to talk to some new friends.

Mariah hit up Twitter last night

2009-04-19T09:30:00.004-04:00

Hey guys, just hittin' up the blog before church. MCC was on twitter last night, I personally missed it being sleep and all lol. She didn't get on til the middle of the night. Here are the tweets:

MariahCarey Yaaay to all who guessed "underneath the stars" (Daydream album) love you guys! Ok,I'm going to sleep.. I hope: ) I enjoyed ya much..g' ...

about 4 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey One last name that tune as per your requests.."And the feeling was so heady and sublime"...ntt!!!

about 4 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey Yes to all who said "fly like a bird" from "The emancipation of Mimi" (not a single) Good job but I will do one "for the nostalgia": )

about 4 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey "In this harsh reality.. sometimes I'm so despondent that I feel the need to..." NTT(I know..to the experts that's easy too but let's g ...

about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey "But inevidibly,you'll be back again..cause you know in your heart,our love will never end.." NTT!

about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey Since I'm getting a LOT of requests for an NTT, I'll do an easy one 4 everybody and one for the experts!: )

about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey Ok.. For the new twitter friends. Once again..a NTT is a "name that tune" that we play/tweet but if u don't know my songs it'll be too ...

about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey FYI.. I love twitter bcuz I don't feel quite as bleak being the only one awake at these hours..I think its almost 5am..anyone want a ntt?

about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey I'm pretty sure my spell check is broken cos I know I MUSTVE spelled Chihuwawa wrong. No, I cannot spell..its almost as bad as I am at math!

about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

MariahCarey Goodmerrnting people! Whyyyy is it almost 5am and I'm up w/a sore tooth watching that movie abot the chihuahwawa?? How is everybody?

about 5 hours ago from TwitterBerry

And there you have, gotta go to church now. Talk to yall soon, God bless

Six Degrees of Seperation to Mariah

2009-04-19T00:51:00.003-04:00

Here's how I'm gonna deal with other news outside of Mariah, that's important enough to post and still in a way be connected Mariah. Most of the other artists I like or would update on are within 6 degrees of being directly linked with her. For example, Brandy. Brandy worked in Cinderella with Whitney Houston who dueted with Mariah. I'll only do the 6 degrees thing once for every artist outside of her. The topics of other artists will be marked under Other Artist News.

New Poll/Blog Purpose

2009-04-19T00:18:00.003-04:00

I'm adding a new poll to the blog as we speak. Get on that as in VOTE. LOL

As for the blog purpose, I mean, as far as news is concerned I will update the important and needed news concerning Mariah and the new album. However, I'm not trying to compete with MariahDailyJournal or anyone else doing MC news, it's all love with them. The purpose of this blog is to appreciate Mariah, discuss, have some news, enjoy the music, and have fun most of all.

I'd really appreciate all the feedback you guys can give. Like post comments, participate in the polls because by seeing that it keeps me motivated in doing the blog. No one wants to do a blog and it goes without notice, you know? Alright guys, few more new posts tonight then I'm heading to bed, Church in the AM. God bless.

Your Recordman²

Brand New Design!

2009-04-19T00:08:00.003-04:00

We're changin' it up a bit, hope you guys like the change. The plain blog title is just temporary until I design or have someone else design a heading type picture.

Back In Action!

2009-04-18T23:38:00.002-04:00

Hey folks, sorry for my downtime again. I had to reinspire myself to do this blog again. It's important to me though, as we embark upon another extraordinary journey to the next smash hit wonder album from our girl MCC, we gotta go for the ride together. Are yall ready? This is sure to be a STONE CLASSIC ALBUM.

Of course, I'm sure most of you have heard by now, Mariah HERSELF is on Twitter and posting as much as she can and giving us updates herself. I've personally received personal messages from her and I think that's amazing. God bless her for speaking with us. Her Twitter address is www.twitter.com/MariahCarey

ALRIGHT GOOD FOLKS let's do it big!

My Thought on the My Love Video

2009-03-11T00:39:00.003-04:00

Well let's see, I laughed at the beginning acting part, so if that was the intention, mission accomplished, I'm not sure if it took many takes but it makes me think they were laughing in other takes of it. I'm not sure if I got the concept fully going with the lyrics of the song. Mariah did look great, and the whole tennis shoe thing was definitely uhh..new. LOL Being that Mariah is a Diva O'the day, I think that was a one time thing (as far as videos are concerned).

But yeah I mean, while it wasn't a bad video, I don't know if does the song justice. Don't get why a Grammy was present either. Only other thing that had me spinning was Mariah's hair, it was...different LOL. I liked it though, very early Alicia Keys maybe. Not bad, Nick....not super amazing stellar either but all the same, I'm glad the video is out and now the song can continue to rise on the charts leading into MC's new album.

What did everyone else think?

World Premiere of the My Love Music Video

2009-03-09T12:08:00.000-04:00

Here you have it.

My Love Video to Premiere LATER TODAY on MTV

2009-03-09T00:26:00.002-04:00

That's right, you heard it here first, straight from MariahCarey.com:

Don't miss the world video premiere of The-Dream's "My Love" featuring Mariah TODAY on MTV!

Be sure to tune in to MTV all day TODAY to catch their exclusive video premiere of My Love! The video which was shot last month in Los Angeles and directed by Nick Cannon will premiere exclusively throughout the day on MTV, MTV2, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, MTVU and MTV.com.

This hot collaboration which Billboard Magazine called the "sumptuous love anthem for couples this spring" is from The-Dream's sophomore album Love vs. Money and available to download on iTunes now!

The-Dream and Mariah previously collaborated on Mariah's # 1 his single "Touch My Body" and are currently working together again on new songs for Mariah's next album.

For the Nostalgia - My All (Divas Live '98)

2009-02-17T11:00:00.003-05:00

What it is, good folks? The time has come for the nostalgia. LOL Alright this performance right here has always stood out to me. I remember when this first aired, I was captivated. It's a very emotional performance and the remix added at the end was the cherry on the top. The only thing I didn't understand was her hair LOL. This is definitely one of her best My All performances, probably my favorite one of all. Anyway, sit back, take it in, and relive the Splendor.

FTR News Break

2009-02-11T10:36:00.003-05:00

For the Record, you oughta know...

*Some updates are coming soon for the blog, I apologize for the shortage, I've been working 11 hour days, it's been taking it out of me.

*For the Nostalgia will be up some time tonight.

*New poll will be up shortly.

*I heard My Love on the radio for the first time yesterday, it sounded great.

*I've been considering adding another artist to this blog, how would you all feel about that? Let me know.

For the Record, now you know.

Video on the Set of the "My Love" Music Video

2009-02-01T15:40:00.004-05:00

Here's exclusive video footage from MariahDailyJournal of My Love, the Dream's new single featuring Mariah. As you can see Mariah looks great in her appearance, the video should be out in the near future, keep checking back. Special thanks to Lynn and the crew over at MariahDailyJournal.

Billboard: The Ballads lands at #10 with 29,000 copies sold

2009-01-28T16:11:00.001-05:00

Mariah Carey's "Ballads" is the Billboard 200's highest debut, arriving at No. 10, while another romantic effort, Frank Sinatra's "Seduction: Sinatra Sings of Love," also makes a good start . . . It's a great week for indie rock acts, as Andrew Bird, Animal Collective and Bon Iver all debut in the top 20 of the big chart . . . Kelly Clarkson makes big news with her new single "My Life Would Suck Without You" . . . And in Progress Reports, we've got updates on Coldplay, Blake Shelton and U2.

FLASH POINTS

• Love is in the air and on the Billboard 200 as Mariah Carey's "Ballads" compilation is the chart's Hot Shot Debut at No. 10 with 29,000. It's the diva's 16th charting set and 14th top 10. Released through Columbia/Legacy, the new collection boasts downtempo hits and album cuts. It's the fourth best-of set that Carey has charted, following "#1's" (No. 4 in 1998), "Greatest Hits" (No. 52 in 2001) and "The Remixes" (No. 26 in 2003). You have to figure "Ballads" will keep singing on the chart as we get closer to Valentine's Day, as it seems like a natural gift purchase.

Source: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_d....4b515ace5d25d9f

The Ballads places in the Top 10 according to HDD

2009-01-27T16:30:00.004-05:00

Unbelievable but true, according to Hits Daily Double, Mariah's latest album compilation, The Ballads will land at #10 on the Billboard 200 this week with nearly 27,000 copies sold. That's pretty impressive, if I say so myself and proves once more that Mariah is still the Queen of Sales and Hits. Here's the HDD List in final:

CHART DATE: 01/26/2009
LAST UPDATE: 01/27/2009 12:50:51
NOW IN: FINAL

LW TW artist / album label power index % change
1 1 TAYLOR SWIFT BIG MACHINE 61,897 -2%
FEARLESS
2 2 BEYONCE COLUMBIA 47,358 -7%
I AM... SASHA FIERCE
3 3 NICKELBACK ROADRUNNER 44,439 -8%
DARK HORSE
5 4 KANYE WEST ROC-A-FELLA/IDJMG 36,595 -6%
808S & HEARTBREAK
4 5 NOTORIOUS BAD BOY/ATLANTIC 33,875 -13%
SOUNDTRACK
6 6 TWILIGHT ATLANTIC 31,799 -18%
SOUNDTRACK
9 7 KEYSHIA COLE GEFFEN 30,569 -4%
A DIFFERENT ME
8 8 JAMIE FOXX J RECORDS/RMG 30,009 -8%
INTUITION
7 9 BRITNEY SPEARS JIVE/JLG 28,583 -16%
CIRCUS
-- 10 MARIAH CAREY LEGACY 26,932 --
BALLADS
11 11 NOW 29 UME 26,215 -3%
VARIOUS ARTISTS
13 12 P!NK LAFACE/JLG 23,264 +6%
FUNHOUSE
10 13 DAVID COOK 19/RCA/RMG 22,958 -24%
DAVID COOK
16 14 T.I. GRAND HUSTLE/ATLANTIC 21,013 +4%
PAPER TRAIL
12 15 AKON SRC/UNIVERSAL MOTOWN 20,658 -10%
FREEDOM
19 16 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE N.E.E.T./INTERSCOPE 20,441 +13%
SOUNDTRACK
18 17 LADY GAGA INTERSCOPE 18,332 0%
FAME
38 18 SEAL WARNER BROS. 17,919 +50%
SOUL
15 19 MAMMA MIA! DECCA 17,455 -18%
SOUNDTRACK
-- 20 FRANK SINATRA RHINO 16,898 --
SEDUCTION: SINATRA SINGS OF LOVE
20 21 RIHANNA DEF JAM/IDJMG 16,805 -1%
GOOD GIRL GONE BAD
17 22 JASON MRAZ ATLANTIC 16,653 -10%
WE SING WE DANCE WE STEAL THINGS
32 23 KID ROCK ATLANTIC 15,401 +12%
ROCK N ROLL JESUS
22 24 LIL WAYNE CASH MONEY/UNIV MOTOWN 14,909 -3%
THA CARTER III
27 25 KINGS OF LEON RCA/RMG 14,703 +2%
ONLY BY THE NIGHT
30 26 NE-YO DEF JAM/IDJMG 14,424 +2%
YEAR OF THE GENTLEMAN
28 27 ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS DGC/INTERSCOPE 14,111 -1%
WHEN THE WORLD COMES DOWN
24 28 TAYLOR SWIFT BIG MACHINE 14,081 -6%
TAYLOR SWIFT
14 29 NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MOTOWN UME 13,598 -37%
VARIOUS ARTISTS
-- 30 ANIMAL COLLECTIVE DOMINO 13,420 --
MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILLION
37 31 COLDPLAY CAPITOL 13,047 +8%
VIVA LA VIDA
43 32 KATY PERRY CAPITOL 12,987 +19%
ONE OF THE BOYS
34 33 SUGARLAND MERCURY NASHVILLE 12,862 0%
LOVE ON THE INSIDE
23 34 KILLERS ISLAND/IDJMG 12,859 -15%
DAY & AGE
36 35 ZAC BROWN BAND ATLANTIC 12,697 +3%
FOUNDATION
-- 36 ANDREW BIRD FAT POSSUM 12,634 --
NOBLE BEAST
31 37 ANTHONY HAMILTON LAFACE/JLG 12,586 -10%
POINT OF IT ALL
26 38 LUDACRIS DTP/DEF JAM/IDJ 12,450 -15%
THEATER OF THE MIND
42 39 PLIES ATLANTIC 11,896 +8%
DA REALIST
44 40 DARIUS RUCKER CAPITOL NASHVILLE 11,360 +10%
LEARN TO LIVE
40 41 AC/DC COLUMBIA 11,302 -2%
BLACK ICE
35 42 METALLICA WARNER BROS. 10,868 -13%
DEATH MAGNETIC
25 43 JOHN LEGEND COLUMBIA 10,663 -28%
EVOLVER
47 44 HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD A&M/OCTONE 10,349 +9%
SWAN SONGS
33 45 TOTAL CLUB HITS 2 THRIVE 9,876 -24%
VARIOUS ARTISTS
39 46 RASCAL FLATTS LYRIC STREET 9,609 -17%
GREATEST HITS, VOL. 1
45 47 LEONA LEWIS J RECORDS/RMG 9,520 -3%
SPIRIT
-- 48 MUSIQ SOULCHILD ATLANTIC 9,442 --
ONMYRADIO
50 49 DAVID ARCHULETA 19/JIVE/ZLG 9,289 +3%
DAVID ARCHULETA
-- 50 FLEET FOXES SUB POP 9,278 --
FLEET FOXES

The Dream talks about Mariah's New Album

2009-01-26T16:39:00.002-05:00

This is a video from a radio interview of the-Dream's. He talks about Mariah's new album, how he's rushing her to get it out and no waste no time with delay between albums. Also the possible album title, which I personally hope is not true. Watch the video for yourself:

Poll Results

2009-01-26T14:12:00.001-05:00

Here are the poll results for the poll:

If only one more single was to be released from E=MC², what would you want it to be?

4 (26%) For the Record
5 (33%) Migrate
3 (20%) Side Effects
3(20%) Thanx 4 Nothin'
0 (0%) Cruise Control

FTR News Break

2009-01-26T13:21:00.003-05:00

For the Record, you oughta know...

*The reason for the lack of updates is that I'm sick at the moment, but I'm getting back on it now.

*There will be a new For the Nostalgia very soon.

*Also a new poll will be up shortly.

*I wanna get your opinions on the best Mariah videos of all times and then do a countdown, so that will be a large poll where you can choose more than one that will last for two weeks, then we'll countdown the top 10 most fan loved MC videos of all time.

*A little news should be up soon too.

For the Record, now you know.

HITS Predicts 20k for The Ballads

2009-01-23T06:32:00.000-05:00

Country ingenue Taylor Swift will once more top the HITS Album Sales chart next week, with sales landing in the 60-65k range, which will still top the previous low of 59k set by the Dreamgirls soundtrack in 2007. It will mark the sixth straight week she's been #1 on our holiday-interrupted tally.

The only two releases of note this week are Mariah Carey's The Ballads, a best-of on Sony Legacy and Frank Sinatra's Seduction: Sinatra Sings of Love on WMG's Rhino label, each looking at about 20k, which would place them solidly in the Top 20, based on last week's results.

Source: MariahDailyJournal

Hero Performance from the Neighborhood Ball Tonight

2009-01-20T23:11:00.005-05:00

Mariah really gave a great performance. One of the best of this era, she looked stunning and was more comfortable on stage than I've seen her since the beginning of this era. She continued to retread her past hairstyles, tonight it was reminiscent of the Forever video and the Daydream Tour. Check out the performance for yourself.

Inauguration Day Tribute

2009-01-20T10:18:00.005-05:00

This is such a huge day in American History. A day for change, a day for hope, a day to believe that all things are possible. You can feel it in the air, the heart of America is beating in unison this day. Thank God for this opportunity, and I have to believe, had we not gone down the way we did, we wouldn't have had the chance to experience this great day. It feels so good to be an American. I am so proud. God bless you all, God bless and keep Barack Obama. It won't be easy but with our prayers and God's help, change will come.

Here are some patriotic performances from our lady, Mariah in honor and tribute to the United States and to our 44th President, Barack Obama.

Star Spangled Banner

America the Beautiful

Star Spangled Banner

For the Nostalgia - Vision of Love (The View '98)

2009-01-19T16:35:00.002-05:00

We are back to the NOSTALGIA! Welcome back folks. To start things off again we're gonna go back to the beginning with a beginning song performed in 1998 on the View. None other than Vision of Love. This was a soulful performance with a different twist at the end, check it out for yourself and as always, relive the SPLENDOR.

FTR News Break

2009-01-17T03:56:00.002-05:00

For the Record, you oughta know.....

*There's a new poll up (Final E=MC² Single if there was one), VOTE!

* Mariah will be performing HERO Tuesday Night @ Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration.

*There will be a FOR THE NOSTALGIA up much sooner than later.

* I have lots of new ideas for the blog, so come around as much as possible to remain updated.

That is all for now, this has been a FTR News Break....

For the Record, now you know.....

"The Ballads" in stores NOW in the US

2009-01-17T02:59:00.003-05:00

Apparently, the Ballads CD was shipped out early. I just purchased my copy tonight and am listening as we speak. So everyone make sure to go out and pick it up. Support our lady, if you can. I know times are hard.

Mariah Already Working On New Album

2009-01-16T01:16:00.002-05:00

The-Dream just dropped his new single "My Love," which features Mariah Carey, but that's not all the two have been up to lately.

The-Dream stopped by L.A.'s Power 106 with Big Boy In The Morning, and talked about his new album and the fact that he hadn't gone to sleep yet because he was up all night with Mariah working on new material for her.

According to The-Dream, Mariah is already working on a new album and he's been producing some hot new tracks for her.

As you may already know, The-Dream is responsible for producing Mariah's huge hit "Touch My Body" off her current album E=MC².

Source: MariahDailyJournal

The Return of the Best MC Blog on the net!

2009-01-16T01:04:00.003-05:00

We're back and better than ever! Welcome back to the Mariahland lol. Naw, I had to take time off to grieve, you know. Then I started a new job that consumed my whole life for a while and now I'm better and ready to bring the blog back.

The blog will be a year old in a week or so. I wanna thank those that still came in spite of my absence and got this blog over 12,000 views. THANK YOU, I love, appreciate, and enjoy ya. Now let's make it better and do big things in 2009. God bless everyone.

Sign the Side Effects Single Petition

2008-07-16T11:15:00.002-04:00

A Petition has been created in the name of Side Effects becoming a single, please sign it if you want this song to be released as a single as well.

Click there to sign it ---> http://www.petitiononline.com/SideMC08/petition.html

Lyric of the Week (Week of June 1)

2008-06-07T14:41:00.002-04:00

The lyric of the week comes from the Butterfly jewel, Breakdown. Second Verse.

So what do you do when

Somebody you're so devoted to

Suddenly just stops loving you

And it seems they haven't got a clue

Of the pain that rejection is putting you through

Do you cling to your pride

And sing, "I will survive"

Do you lash out and say

"How you leave this way?"

Do you hold in vain as they just slip away

Mariah & T.I. to collaborate on IBLYLT

2008-06-07T14:39:00.002-04:00

MariahDailyJournal is able to confirm that the rapper T.I. will be featured in a remix to "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time," Mariah's third single off her new album, E=MC². A very reliable source tells us that T.I. has joined Mariah in Hawaii to film the video to the song.Further details about the collaboration will be provided as soon as they become available. No set release date has been determined at this time.

Thanks to MariahDailyJournal for this news break.

I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time to be the 3rd Single

2008-06-07T14:29:00.004-04:00

Mariah held a press conference for her new album, E=MC² at The Peninsula Tokyo on Monday, June 2nd. The event, which included a photo call and interviews, was attended by media representatives from all parts of Asia.According to the Chinese fans, who got to attend the press conference through the Universal Hong Kong's "Touch My Mimi" contest, Mariah apparently announced that "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" will be the 3rd single and that its music video will be filmed in Hawaii this week.

Source: MariahCN.com MariahDailyJournal

Poll Results

2008-05-27T22:41:00.002-04:00

The song that most of you think should be the new single is For the Record. I prefer Migrate myself to follow the lackluster Bye Bye. We'll see what happens.

Migrate
5 (29%)

Cruise Control
1 (5%)

Side Effects
1 (5%)

I'm That Chick
2 (11%)

Love Story
0 (0%)
I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time
1 (5%)

Last Kiss
0 (0%)
Thanx 4 Nothin'
0 (0%)
O.O.C.
0 (0%)
For The Record
7 (41%)

Votes so far: 17

Lyric of the Week (Week of May 25)

2008-05-27T22:29:00.004-04:00

This week's lyric of the Week comes from the Daydream album from the song, When I Saw You. This is one of my favorite MC lyrics of all time. From the 2nd verse of the song:

Only once in a lifetime
Love rushes in
Changing you with a tide
And dawn's ribbon of light
Bursts through the dark
Wakening you inside

New Weekly Special - Lyric of the Week

2008-05-27T22:22:00.003-04:00

Since Mariah is such an incredible songwriter, I think it's only appropriate that I start a new thing for each week called Lyric of the Week. Where I will post an original Mariah lyric once every week. It can be anywhere from one line to an entire verse. I will be posting this week's shortly.

Billboard Charts for This Week

2008-05-25T01:08:00.002-04:00

Below, find Mariah's chart positions in Billboard magazine issue dated May 31, 2008.

E=MC²
Billboard 200 Albums: #6 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: #2 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Comprehensive Albums: #6 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Top Internet Albums: #11 (Last Week #13)
Billboard Digital Albums: #15 (Last Week #10)
Sales this week: 58,574 (-33%)
Total sales: 887,150

"Touch My Body"
Billboard Hot 100: #9 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #6 (Last Week #6)
Billboard Pop 100: #17 (Last Week #15)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #20 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #5 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #5 (Last Week #2)
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #9 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #20 (Last Week #17)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #9 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks (Album): #22 (Last Week #16)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #16 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Hot Dance Airplay: #17 (Last Week: #12)
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play: #10 (Last Week: #8)
Billboard Global Dance Tracks: #11 (Last Week: #14)
Billboard Hot Singles Sales: #5 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Hot RingMasters: #6 (Last Week #5)

"Bye Bye"
Billboard Hot 100: #19 (Last Week #27)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #18 (Last Week #29)
Billboard Pop 100: #26 (Last Week #31)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #24 (Last Week #26)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #34 (Last Week #36)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #34 (Last Week #36)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #22 (Last Week #26)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #37 (Last Week #34)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #38 (Last Week #36)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #11 (Last Week #14)
Billboard Hot RingMasters: #36 (Last Week #33)

Source: MariahDailyJournal | Billboard

For the Nostalgia - If It's Over (Grammy Awards '92)

2008-05-25T00:58:00.002-04:00

Back into the swing of things, a return to the Nostalgia. First performance back is an amazing one of a classic song from MC's Emotions LP called If It's Over. She killed this one folks, I love this song, I wish she would do it now. Enjoy this 16 year old magic, and relive the splendor.

Blog Update

2008-05-09T02:35:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody, it's been a while since I've updated. I have to apologize to all the good folks for all the lack of updates. I never really recovered from the death in the family I had back in early March. I'm still healing. But I'm gonna try and update everyday from now on. So much has happened. Mariah got married, Bye Bye video, and more. I'm getting back on my game, the "For the Nostalgias" will return. Everything will get back to normal, thanks for those that are still coming around. A new layout will be coming soon too. God bless guys.

For the Record, now you know.

The Official "For the Record" E=MC² Album Review

2008-04-20T01:10:00.004-04:00

Although the album is entitled E-MC², it is indeed a Sweet Soul Odyessey. Upon first listen, I couldn't really hear the album as an individual because right before I listened to it, I listened to The Emancipation of Mimi. So after a few days of listening, I can properly review and speak on it as it is. A few things before the initial review, this album truly moves you in more than one way. That's the thing about it, it's full of feeling and emotion. I definitely see the theme of this album as raw emotion and it defines and seperates itself from any other album of Ms. Carey's before it. Sure, you have hot catchy songs and bangin' beats, but it's the heart and soul behind them that takes it to that next level. The feeling that exudes like liquid from the seams of the album. Vocals while impressive, take a backseat to emotion here. On to the review.

Migrate - From the very beginning, you hear the trademark sound of the returning Soul Diva driving you into the party and grandeur that is E=MC². The song smolders with a steamy feel mingled with strong bass that clearly feels like It's Like That to the second power. Confident lyrics that don't even address the busters that be but rather telling them to migrate the other way, while she migrates from place to place. T-Pain, the man of the hour, graces the track and surprisingly doesn't bother me at all. His everpresent vocoder fits in well as even Mariah uses it and swings it on home. Blazin' hot track that would burn up the charts as a single. 5/5

Touch My Body - The sexy, playful first single that pushed Mariah to number one and past Elvis with the most number one records ever from a solo artist. From the getgo, I really liked the song, but wasn't in love with it as I felt it was among the weaker of her first singles from an album. Time, however, proved otherwise. I'm overly addicted to the song now and don't even see it among the lesser of the album tracks as some others have noted. The song is so ridiculously catchy that it casts a spell on you and forces you to want more. The verses are slick and uncoyingishly sensual and we even get a youtube reference. What other singer would even think to do that? 5/5

Cruise Control - Everythings felt so good prior to this, one would wonder could it get any better? My answer is an emphatic YES. Summer personifies itself in Carey's first acappella vocals at song's start. You just know its gonna be good. A bouncing beat thats not too much of a stranger, putting you in mind of the song that should have been "TEOM's" 2nd number one single, Shake It Off. That's about the only similarity though. Extremely clever lyrics about her attraction to this man who more than one woman find irresistible, as she eludes to his "six baby mamas". Also enlaid with genius analogies of the songs' title and the struggle to stay focused with her sweet delight constantly distracting her. The song's producer, Jermaine Dupri, sporadically appears but its not too bad on this one. And I can quite honestly say, the 2nd verse of this is probably the most enjoyable thing on the album for me, all I'll say is just listen. Damien Marley adds his touch to the song that ends without much vocal gynastics but they're not needed, so we move on along. Man, this feels good. 5/5

I Stay in Love - The first ballad on the album, flows in so beautifully and vigorous feeling appears from the first note of the verse. I haven't experienced anything on this deep a level and I find myself emotional with this song. She sings with a raw tenderness in a lower register, much to my delight. It's pure emotion all the way through, the song just pulls on your heart strings, in fact, it nearly breaks them. Heart piercing lyrics, that will push a hopeless romantic into desparity, make it that much better. Towards the end, Carey belts with passionate conviction and soul that hasn't been heard for years, but it ends all too soon. Could have easily been on one of the albums from the mid to late 1990's. I love this song wholeheartedly, only flaw would be the fading of the huge vocals too soon. 5/5

Side Effects - Not even sure how to begin this one, cause this song is "it". It's one of the 3 main events of the album. It's a real heavy track and in my opinion, has the strongest lyrics on the whole record. Also, having extreme depth that meets that strength. Mariah tackles the issue of her relationship and marriage to former Record Exec, Tommy Mottola. Each lyric uncovers a deeply affected woman who is still dealing with so much, because of all she endured including the smothering of who she was. She refers to "violent times" and "the private hell we built". And if the lyrical content wasn't strong enough already, the Scott Scorch produced track is just as strong, with it's dark, anthem-like mood definitely making a bright place in MC's already blindingly impressive catalog of music. It's the albums most RAW track.The sound is like a plethora of Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, and Soul. The vocals are perfect, not overdone, they're soulful and of a legendary sound. Young Jeezy appears at the beginning and near the bridge with an appropriate flow that takes nothing away from the song. This quite simply put is a standout. I don't about anyone else but if I focus on the lyrics too much, I find myself getting teary-eyed, it's very moving to hear. It would be a perfect single in my opinion because it would turn heads and at the same time, be a HUGE radio hit. I'm sure many people can relate to this track, it's just so heavy and hot at the same time. Quite easily joining the elite "Close My Eyes" and "Petals" as one of her best and most personal songs ever. My second favorite track. 5/5

I'm That Chick - The entrance of the album's most bouncy track quite lightens the mood. Mimi coos the sexy oh-so-sweetly and continues to express her self-confidence. She refers to the late Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. as she sings of herself being as delicious as ice cream and as addictive as the best of the blaze: I'm like that uptown haze/ them real thugs blaze/ we'll touch the sky/ cause I'm that chick you like. Real easy going and laid back track that'll suit driving down the street during the summer very well. We like you Mariah, we like you alot. Keep this good stuff coming, Lady M, cause I'm high as a kite off this album so far. 5/5

Love Story - Back to the ballad we go. This piece starts with Sade, Mariah's dancer Raychel's daughter singing "ay bay bay, it won't end, won't end, won't end". Something I've never found irritating but still felt a bit awkward to it at first. The music coasts in nicely and then comes JD, who in personal opinion screws up the beginning of the song. Especially with an uncalled and out of place, "Y'ALL KNOW WHAT THIS IS". However, Mariah overshadows the foolishness with the beautiful lyrics and vocals of the first verse. Still with appearances from Jermash, as she affectionately calls him but they become less and less bothersome and out of place as the songs proceeds. The melody is really nice and the chorus is impressive, both vocally and lyrically speaking as we even get a reference to "that Casablanca movie". Nice. Song marches on with it's beat and clap beat and ends nicely with Mimi singing in two registers with herself, a common thing for the album. Overall, really good song, JD prevents the "5" on this one. Although I must say I fall a little harder for this song everytime I hear it. 4/5

I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time - On this track, we go from the 2000's to the 1970's by way of Mariah Carey's musical time machine. This probably being your most feel good track. It puts you in mind of TEOM's "Your Girl" but toned down quite a bit with more tempo. Carey's voice is in an especially good place on this one as you get the tender raw vocals returning on the verses. Good belting at the end with the touch of Mariah (amazing layering) added, it ends on a real nice note. The great flow of songs continues as a great song once said, "It still feels, feel good", a new splendor has been born and we'll be reliving it for years to come. 5/5

Last Kiss - For me, this is "Always Be My Baby" meets "Don't Forget About Us". With an amazing melody like both songs, it has the sweet feel of ABMB and the raw feel of DFAU. It continues the not mentioned by me until now, trend of popular slang words being used in the lyrical content as we get "trill" and "somethin' somethin'" in the chorus, which is fine with me, not so much with others. Lyrically, overall very nice, melodically and vocally great too, especially at the end. We get MC's amazing BGV's and more of that raw lower register that has made me feel each song that it appears in so much more. One of my favorite tracks, despite JD's adlibs, which actually add to this song in a good way for me now. I love this song to def...so so def baby. 5/5

Thanx 4 Nothin' - This one here is the pinnacle of the JD ballads for me. Even if he rambles more on this track as well. What the heck is with that? What producer talks all through the tracks they produce? I guess it's just their closeness, Mariah's and Jermaine's that is. Now, back to this amazing piece of art. The lyrics are so completely relatible that anyone could feel it, even if it's only dedicated to "all the ladies out there, that's tired of gettin' played". It also fits well with friends who turned out to be fake and deceitful, at least, the chorus does. In fact, this one got me a bit touched in that stead, cause it's like folk just come in your life and play you and your friendship to the left and it hurts. My shoutout in this song would be, "all yall, thanx 4 nothin'...! The guitar instrumental is quite refreshing and different from the other ballads on the album. Great lyrics and more raw/low vocals that exude madd emotion and to top that off, she does the double register thing again, which is pure magic to me. Excellent vocal performance. My one flaw would be that it's too short and that the ending should have been acappella with a chorus going on without the music at the end and just the beat. When she sings the last "thanx 4 nothin'" that echoes, we should get one more chorus without the music, that woulda been hot. In my top 5 favorites of the album easily. 5/5

O.O.C. - Another time machine appearance? Yep, this time..to the 1990's. That's how this song feels to me and that's a really good thing. Nice vocals throughout and a bouncing that carries on til the end. Mariah sings the deliciously repetitive "it's forever and ever" line over and over, I enjoy that part alot. Lyricially, we get a multilingual Mariah for the first time ever on record, she sings in 3 different languages in the 2nd verse. This is another track that feels really good, but I find myself itching to skip to the next song for reasons that you will soon find out. Swiss did his thing on this record though I don't quite get the bollywood feel that others have attested to. Another song that grows in favor with each listen. 4/5

For the Record - Highlight Alert, Highlight Alert, Highlight Alert!!! Another song that I'm not quite sure where to start because of it's glory and amazingness. This is the song that played during the "M" perfume commercial that graced us last year. Needless to say, many people wanted to hear the whole song just from hearing it in the commercial and wondered if it would appear on the new album. Well, the answer is Yes. Yes, Yes, YES! This is the most magical and hypnotizing track on the album. It dazzles from the beginning with entrancing coos that be Mariah's background vocals. The lyrics dive into a relationship that is clearly still breathing despite whatever may have happened to cause a breakup. We get beautiful vocals all the way through full of emotion and stellar lyrics to boot. A bridge that is the ultimate MC love reminiscion (rem-min-nis-shun - yeah its my word and its not a real one but this song gets it's own word so deal with it!), she refers to "My All", "Always Be My Baby" and "We Belong Together" among others. Then you have the stringed instrumental...I mean, man...can it get any better? I'd love for it be performed live with an orchestra. Her voice is in such a amazing place on this, from the sweet and soft to the soaring highs, it's all just so good. As she says on the cut, "...you love yourself some me"...yes ma'am Mariah, I do. My favorite track on the album and one of my favorites in the history of Mariah Carey. Standout, Main Event, Stone Groove Smash Hit Wonder! lol 5/5

Bye Bye - The Album's Tearjerker, because even if some of the other emotional songs don't get to you, this one most likely will. With anthemic quality, on this song Mariah returns to the topic of death for the third time in career. It's extremely personal for her as it pertains to her late father who passed away about 6 years ago. I find the lyrics very relatible and moving as I lost someone very dear to me quite recently. A lyric that hits me hard: I thought you were so strong, you'd make it through whatever, it's so hard to accept the fact, you're gone forever. In fact, it's putting me in tears right now as I listen. This is another song where she emotes so well, you can feel every word, the sadness is almost too much to bear at times. It's the second single and I think it will be a huge record because of its relatibilty, catchiness, and raw emotion. The only problem this record poses to me is Stargate's recycled beat on it. As if creating a new original beat would further global warning. Meh heh heh. Thankfully, the magic that is Mariah's voice keeps the track yet amazing. Strong vocals at the end, overall, really moving and a standout in it's own right. 5/5

I Wish You Well - We reach the end of this incredible journey of emotion and enjoyment and no better song could there have been to end with. My other STANDOUT, MAIN EVENT track. This in my opinion is the first time, Mariah has really taken us to church on a song, since "Jesus, What A Wonderful Child" from Merry Christmas and even more so. Yet again, another deeply personally song that Mariah sends out to two unknown people as Mariah sings: This goes out to YOU and YOU, and you know who you are. She sings of the hurt that she's endured and felt and no longer will accept, along with other personal heart-words. With God and His Word, she shows a strength that could only come from above in the lyrics of the song. Using several bible verses in the song, some which she identifies the chapter and verses and others than she doesn't. But much more she didn't just say or sing the verses, but rather sung in the Spirit (of God) that makes those scriptures reality. So much more than reading and rehearsing them off, a life-giving power from God is present in and with her in this song and I'm sure it touches those that don't even know what it is. But she wishes those people, and I'm sure other enemies, well "in Jesus name", telling them she'll keep them in prayer til the end and declares "the Lord is my Salvation". Very raw on a spiritual level, she is really kind of preaching at the end, it's amazing. It's just a piano and vocals, very much in the form of "Vanishing". I can honestly say, this song is the vocal standout of the album, hitting notes that barely sound human at some points and other notes that feel like her most touching to date. Her pastor makes an appearance on the track as well. Mariah gets her Jesus on in this song and ends the album on the highest level possible and I was very blessed by it. 5/5

I can now honestly say this is one of Mariah's best efforts ever. Not because of her vocals, though they are incredible. It's the feeling, the raw energy that bleeds from almost every song. Unlike Mariah records of the past, I wasn't blown away by the first listen, but once this marinated into my system, man. It might take divine intervention to break my addictive to this masterpiece. It's a record full of high's, each song compliments the completeness of the album. Almost every song could be a hit single and quite honestly, I see Miss Carey sailing pass 20 #1 songs by way of E=MC². Musically speaking, Mariah proves herself to an Einstein-like genius with perfect ingredients, the most important being emotion and relavity. Emancipation, truly equals Mariah Carey to the second power. Well done Mariah, thank you.

List of Favorites from best to less best (cause they're all great)

1. For the Record
2. Side Effects
3. I Wish You Well
4. Thanx 4 Nothin'
5. Last Kiss
6. I Stay in Love
7. Cruise Control
8. Touch My Body
9. Bye Bye
10. I'm That Chick
11. Migrate
12. I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time
13. Love Story
14. O.O.C.

This is Recordman...
For the Record, now you know...

E=MC² Album Reviews Part 2

2008-04-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

More Album Reviews

Entertainment Weekly
by Margeaux Watson
April 18, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC² (Island Def Jam)
A-

Winning Formula. Mariah Carey's E=MC² adds up to an aural success, offering a smart mix of dance and drama.

Daydream. Butterfly. Rainbow. Glitter. No, those aren't the names of Barbie's pet ponies, they're the ridiculously saccharine titles of Mariah Carey's albums from 1995 to 2001. So when she called her 10th studio CD The Emancipation of Mimi three years ago, it was clear that she intended to drop the cutesy shtick, let down her weave, and start getting real. It was a clever move.

Emancipation was the lucky strike that updated Carey's sound with bass-heavy flavor and reversed the downward spiral of her sales. Now, with E=MC²--another bold title--she's out to prove that her comeback was no fluke.

Of course, it's doubtful that Carey is a secret admirer of Einstein's theory of relativity, but one thing's for sure: The golden-throated diva has discovered a formula that works. Not unlike Emancipation, E=MC² finds Carey stacking the deck with the hottest producers and guest artist in urban music (Jermaine Dupri, StarGate, T-Pain, Damian Marley, Young Jeezy). The result is a largely enjoyable mix of flirtatious club jams, midtempo love songs, and emotional ballads anchored by hip-hop beats that handsomely showcase the singer's powerful vocal chops.

Ever the party girl, Carey opens the album with the sleek and seductive "Migrate," where she imagines getting buzzed on pinot grigio during a night out with the ladies. Other dancefloor anthems include "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" and "O.O.C.," which, for all of their pop polish, never lose their soulful spirit. But it's not all about velvet ropes and playful come-ons; notably, Carey suffers from a major love hangover on "Side Effects," a synthy cautionary tale about an abusive relationship. "Wakin' up scared some nights still dreaming 'bout the violent times," she sings with outspoken intensity.

And yet Carey remains a romantic at heart. With the ballads "Love Story" and "Last Kiss," she reunites with Dupri to recapture the passionate splendor of 2005's "We Belong Together." It's unfortunate, then, that E=MC² closes with its only missteps, the somber elegy "Bye Bye"--an odd choice for the follow-up single to the cheeky hit "Touch My Body"--and the preachy gospel hymn "I Wish You Well" (this CD's version of Emancipation's "Fly Like a Bird"). Still, for an artist whose career was all but dead four years ago, Carey is wise to play it safe by building on the finest elements of her last CD. Were it not for the final two tracks, she could've gotten away with calling this album Treasure.

People Magazine
by Chuck Arnold
April 21, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²

Pop goddess Mariah Carey scaled Oympian heights with her last album 2005's Grammy-winning, 6-million-selling The Emancipation of Mimi. Certainly, E=MC² doesn't equal its predecessor. Still, this is a satisfying follow-up, heavy on hip-hop-flavored midtempo jams (like the irressistible No. 1 hit "Touch My Body") and beat-driven ballads (best is the pretty, piano-laced "I Stay In Love"). The disc occasionally strays from that formula on cuts like the churchy closer "I Wish You Well."

But the highlight is "Side Effects," the CD's darkest and most personal track, which seems to allude to Carey's failed marriage to music exec Tommy Mottola: "Sleeping with the enemy/Aware that he was smothering every last part of me." Vaguely menacing, it shows that even pop goddesses have their demons.

Us Magazine
by Ian Drew
April 21, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²

With more No. 1 singles than any artist in history, Mariah Carey is a hitmaking machine. And no wonder: Her 11th studio album sticks to her signature blend of smooth R&B and hip-hop hooks. The playful "Touch My Body" has already topped the charts, and the soul-drenched "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" will likely follow.

Overall, this material may not be quite as memorable as prior efforts (the diva wastes her high notes on filler such as "Bye Bye") - but there's no arguing that Mimi is back.

Miami Herald
by Michael Hamersly
April 11, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²

After bizarre meltdowns and questionable career choices early in this decade, Mariah Carey came back with a bang in 2005 with her album The Emancipation of Mimi, which gave us the hits Shake It Off, Don't Forget About Us and We Belong Together. Now, the songbird proves her comeback was no fluke with E=MC².

Carey has toned down her five-octave range a bit, but purists need not worry -- her voice has lost none of its power.

The album starts off poorly, with the monotone Migrate offering wannabe hip-hop lines such as "From the car into the club we migrate/From the bar to VIP we migrate/From the party to the afterparty migrate/Afterparty to hotel -- migrate" and a stunted, hesitant rap by T-Pain. But the first single, the slinky slow jam Touch My Body, unleashes Mariah's inner vamp. It's a shameless sex anthem, with talk of Mariah wrapping her legs around a guy's waist and begging for him to "give me what I deserve," but somehow, her angelic voice makes it all sound almost innocent.

On Cruise Control, Mariah teams up with new-school reggae royalty Damian Marley, who contributes a short but rhythmic rap. The song is more than a bit silly -- it spells out C-R-U-I-S-E control, for some reason, and Mariah tries to pull off a Jamaican accent ("He's the flyest ting") -- but it's pleasing and flows nicely. I'm That Chick cops the slick, cool funk of Forget Me Nots -- its cleverly minimalist bassline somehow uses exactly one note, but perfectly anchors the groove. The appealing ballad Last Kiss serves up Mariah's trademark hopeful romance: "This feeling is too good to miss/Ain't no kiss ever gonna be our last kiss," while Love Story aims for the anthemic heft of We Belong Together and doesn't miss by much.

But the album's high point finds Mariah softly and sweetly lamenting the loss of any kind of loved one on the truly touching Bye Bye: "This is for my peoples who just lost somebody/Your best friend, your baby, your man or your lady/Put your hand way up high/We will never say bye."

Thankfully, it looks like we won't be saying "bye" to Mariah for a long time.

Pod Picks: Touch My Body, Last Kiss, Bye Bye.

Source: MariahDailyJournal

E=MC² Album Reviews Part 1

2008-04-14T22:01:00.001-04:00

Boston Globe
by Sarah Rodman
April 14, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²

Continuing a winning formula
Mariah Carey is probably going to annoy a few people with her new album, "E=MC2," which is out tomorrow. Ex-husband Tommy Mottola, Janet Jackson, and diehard Beatles fans will probably be crossing the best-selling female artist of all time off their Christmas card lists.

For everyone who thought 2005's "The Emancipation of Mimi," Carey's uneven "comeback" album after "Glitter," was the bee's knees, they'll love what amounts to its sequel. (I'm no Einstein, but the title could work with that theory.)

Record mogul Mottola is the clear, though never named, villain of one song. Miss Jackson has to listen to her boo, producer Jermaine Dupri, succeed more readily with her rival's album than her own recent release. And given its designer snap and bounce, "E=MC2" will no doubt ascend the charts at light speed, shooting off singles like meteors. When that happens the New York native will break the Beatles' record for the most No. 1 songs ever on the Billboard singles chart. (The Fab Four have 20; Carey is at 18.)

As sequels go, "E=MC2" is better than most, boasting a higher, and more consistent, quotient of slinky, dance-floor charm and stronger ballads than "Mimi." It retains the basic outline of the original: party, love, hurt, pray. Some familiar characters like Dupri return for continuity's sake and fresh cast members include top-shelf collaborators like Scott Storch and Nate "Danjahandz" Hills.

In the party category, we get "I'm That Chick" and "Migrate." The former, the album's best track, takes some of the melody and the feathery vocal approach of Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall." "Migrate," a frivolous, funky, self-referential jam, charts the flight patterns of your modern, fabulously talented urban diva - from the car to the club to the bar to the VIP lounge to the after-party to the hotel - with computer-processed vocals from the unshakable T-Pain.

Carey opens her heart and her boudoir in different ways. The limp "Touch My Body," the album's first single and current hit, simultaneously offers sensual delights and threatens bodily harm if evidence of the "secret rendezvous" makes its way onto YouTube. But on a feverish "Cruise Control," Carey is driven to distraction by a gruff Damien Marley, her own playful stab at Jamaican patois.

The singer gets her cry on with the connect-the-dots break-up track "I Stay in Love," but she cuts closer to the bone with "Side Effects," another look at her fractious marriage to Mottola. Although the union ended in 1998, Carey is still suffering, including dreams of the "violent times" and "sleeping with the enemy." Interestingly, her vocal approach here is almost emo, as she hits her rock-solid middle register and refuses to be held captive by the demons of her past. (Except, of course, she's still singing about them.)

She concludes as she did on "Mimi" with an inspirational number. In this case, it's "I Wish You Well," a rousing piano waltz that extends forgiveness to those who have wronged her in the past and is pretty much interchangeable with its predecessors.

Throughout the 14 tracks Carey generally flattens whatever melodies peek out with her signature agitated little vocal fillips. This is terrific for fluttering, hand-gesture accompaniment but keeps the tunes from being truly infectious.

"E=MC2" feels like the subtly prettier identical twin of "Emancipation of Mimi," as if for Carey freedom's just another word for doing the same thing again.

Boston Herald
by Lauren Carter
April 14, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²
Rating: B+

Mimi is a long way from her "Vision of Love" roots. That's not necessarily a bad thing. An artist must evolve to stay current with the young and the fickle, and Carey successfully does it on her 11th studio album, a combination of club-ready tracks, breathy appeals, amusing Mariahisms and her signature vocal acrobatics.

The evolution of Mariah (and The Emancipation of Mariah Carey to the Second Power) means that the 38-year-old superstar is neither a one-dimensional pop celebrity nor soulful confessionist. Mariah 2K8 creates a mood rather than overwhelming with sheer power; she gets personal without revealing too much.

As on her previous "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah relies on pop flavor with an urban slant. T-Pain, Young Jeezy and Damien Marley are onboard, and beats come courtesy of Jermaine Dupri, Danja, Tricky Stewart, Bryan-Michael Cox, Scott Storch, DJ Toomp and Swizz Beatz. Though fans seem to eat up her midtempo ballads, too many of them feel like a variation on the same song. The hip-hop-inspired tracks prove the strongest, offering more sass than pure soul.

Download: "Side Effects."

Mass Live
by Kevin O'Hare
April 13, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²

Carey gets the Formula Right on 'E=MC2'
When "The Emancipation of Mimi" topped the charts and turned into the biggest-selling album of 2005, it marked a stunning comeback from Mariah Carey, who'd gone through the kind of career meltdown that seemed certain to leave her a has-been way before her prime-time had passed.

She overcame the odds, rocketed back to the top of the pops and staged a hugely successful tour.

So now Carey returns with her follow-up to "Emancipation," and it's got a lot of the same charm as the last disc and frankly, a whole lot more structure than when Carey used to seem to just spin hits out like a machine earlier in her career.

Her multi-octave voice has always been rather freaky, with that out-of-this-world top octave which sounded as if it was designed to distract dogs more than actually add substantively to her music. It still shows up from time to time, even this deep into her career, kicking in the thick rhythm of the album opening club collaboration with T-Pain on "Migrate," and coloring the background of the otherwise straight soul ballad "I Wish You Well," that closes the album.

What's refreshing on "E=MC2" however is that Carey has gotten to the point where she uses her pipes to strengthen the songs instead of relying on relatively mediocre material as nothing more than a showcase for her voice. There's a sense here that she realizes that she doesn't have to leave jaws-dropping with every musical phrase and instead she's simply bringing out the best in the songs.

The diva has also gotten away from all the layers of production that used to muddy up everything she recorded. She's working with some big names - of course - including Antonio "LA" Reid, with whom she shares the executive producer role, and also collaborates with guest producers including C. "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, Will I Am, Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp, Stargate, and several others.

She also sings alongside the aforementioned T-Pain, but also with Damien Marley, who's quite prominent in the island-flavored "Cruise Control," and the raspy Young Jeezy, who pairs with Carey on "Side Effects."

The singer's at her best though on some of the more straight-ahead material, including the lusty lead single "Touch My Body," which recently became Carey's 18th No. 1 single, a mark that helped her surpass Elvis Presley in that category. She also shines on the piano-based ballad "I Stay in Love," the breezy and infectious light dance track "I'm That Chick," and the destined for hits-ville "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time."

Occasionally predictable, she falls into a couple of traps like during overly-sentimental cuts like "Last Kiss," and "Bye Bye," the latter the type of song that will have fans swaying with their cellphones held high at her concerts. But those sidesteps aside, this is a genuinely sturdy set, and whether one is a fan or not, it's still tough not to marvel at how Carey is still overcoming the odds and building on a frankly remarkable career.

Source: MariahDailyJournal

Billboard Chart Info for the week of April 19, 2008

2008-04-10T16:54:00.001-04:00

Billboard Update
Below, find the chart positions for "Touch My Body" in Billboard magazine issue dated April 19, 2008.

"Touch My Body"
Billboard Hot 100: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #2 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Pop 100: #4 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #9 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #2 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #2 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #4 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #4 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play: #7 (Last Week: #16)
Billboard Hot Dance Airplay: #7 (Last Week: #6)
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #8 (Last Week #7)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #3 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #10 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Hot Videoclip Tracks: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot RingMasters: #3 (Last Week #3)

• BDS Airplay: 119,000,000 (Last Week 115,540,000, +3.5 million)
• Digital Downloads: 168,154 (Last Week 285,544, -41%)

Source: Billboard | MariahDailyJournal

Mariah Talks About E=MC²: Track by Track

2008-04-09T16:49:00.001-04:00

Intro
This album is so much about fun and freedom and just the continuation of me feeling emancipated. It's sort of like Emancipation equals Mariah Carey times two. Like, this is me, a 100% of me, having fun and just being real. People ask me all the time: 'how do you stay relevant? how do you stay current? how do you make music people continue to respond to?' You just keep being real, keep being you, stay true to who you were from the beginning.

Download Video: Mariah Talks About E=MC², Track By Track

Touch My Body
This is so amazing, to just feel like how fast "Touch My Body" is exploding all around the world. I'm just so thankful because it's a song that I love so much and a song that really, you know, does express my personality. If you hear that song, you watch that video, you get a little bit of a glimpse into who I am as a person. I feel so close to that song, most of my really close friends - that's their favorite song, 'cause it's fun and it's cute, and it's not like, taking itself too seriously, you know what I mean? It's just like, you know, the 'touch my body' part is the sexy part and it is what it is but I love the humor in the song.
When Brett Ratner said that he was gonna do this video with me, there was a writers' strike and he had some time and he was really feeling the record, the idea of Jack McBrayer came up and I was like "that's amazing 'cause he is hilarious", so the concept of the video is basically like he comes over as "CompuNerd" to help me fix my computer and then he goes into fantasy land and I'm right there with him. I love adding the element of humor because why take this so seriously? They're videos!

Last Kiss
"Last Kiss" is a very special song to me. When I hear that song, and I hear my first, the first "feel so empty inside, since our last kiss goodbye", it's like, I feel like an eight year old kid, like this is me as a little girl, singing. I was playing it at a party for a friend of mine who happened to have Quincy Jones as one of her guests there and we were all listening to the songs and then Quincy asked me to rewind that song and play it over again and I said "Well, he is Quincy Jones! 'Thriller' and 'Off The Wall'! And if he's asking me to play a song over, I should pretty much take that as a humongous compliment and I did, and it makes me really happy 'cause that's my favorite song.

I'm That Chick
When I did "That Chick" with Stargate, I was so excited to be in the room with Stargate because L.A. Reid had said he really wanted me to get in a room with them and I am a fan of their work and they were such cool guys, such really talented, truly good people. It's sort of that song you want to listen to as a girl, you know, you wanna look at yourself in the mirror and go [sings] "I'm that chick you like". It's like preparation for a night out of feeling fly.

Bye Bye
Sometimes when I'm writing a song like "Bye Bye", it does come from such a raw place that I'm like, I'm actually crying while writing it, or thinking about it. But sometimes I will hear it and go 'I feel like this is gonna touch a lot of people.' And that's why it's important, that no matter what's ever happened to me throughout my career, that I stay the course and continue to write and try and reach people who need it, because I know that I'm one of those people. When someone does that and they write something that touches me, I'm like indebted to them forever.

I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time
"Lovin' U Long Time" was one of the last songs I wrote for this album. I sat down to write it and thought 'let me just make this a care-free record.' It's kind of a party record to me, just like not caring too much about anything else that's going on but you living in the moment.

Cruise Control
"Cruise Control" was the second trip I took to Atlanta to work with Jermaine. What it really means is, it goes [sings] "Might need to go slow, I don't know, Why ease up on the break, Every time I see his face". Basically, you need to slow down, because everytime you're around this guy, you're going a little too fast, 'cause he's the wrong type of guy for you to be with, but you know that, but you don't know how to handle that. So it was cool to kinda co-write that with JD and with Cri$tyle, because you know, it's coming from a woman's point of view and also coming from JD's point of view of making the track really hot.

For The Record
"For The Record" - the song, is one of my favorite songs on this album, it's one of those songs that the people who really are fans of mine, who really know my music really well, tend to gravitate towards because it's not only is it kind of a real-life story, but I've used a lot of my own songs in the bridge to tell the story. Towards the outro I say "For the record, You'll always be a part of me, No matter what you do" - that's "Always Be My Baby" and we kinda go through, you know, "Can't nobody say / I didn't give my all to you", the real fans who listen and then hear: "I told you underneath the stars", they'll know that's for them. I'm really happy that people are feeling the song.

Love Story
I love Jermaine Dupri as a person and I love him as a fan, I'm a fan of his work. One of the funny things about Jermaine is when I say something to him, he just runs with it. I said on the beginning of "Love Story" - I really want this beat to be hard, like do not make this too soft. I wanna stay true to what I love most which is Urban music and R&B music, and I feel it's the same thing that JD loves, and so basically, Jermaine did his ad-libs on the beginning of "Love Story" before we mixed it, and he said "MC said 'JD you gotta make it knock!'" right? and then he waits a few beats and goes "You hear that?" So basically, what I asked him was 'make it really hard', like it's almost like a rap record, but it's a ballad, and I think that's where our success comes from because we understand each other on that level and because we grew up on the same type of music.

Side Effects
"Side Effects" is a song that I wrote because it was necessary for me to write it. You know what? I've been through too much at this point. I want happiness and I want pure and real love, but the side effects of what other relationships have put me through caused me to kind of be on the defense a lot of the time and if somebody isn't like mature enough or caring and loving and open-hearted enough to understand how to deal with that, then it's tough. But this is a song for people who need that. It's also about, anyone who's been in an abusive relationship and I just wrote it 'cause I wanted to let those people feel a little bit stronger.

O.O.C.
"O.O.C." is a song that, well, we went in with Swizz Beats and I actually wrote that song with my friend Da Brat. And it's so amazing to write with someone who is also a rapper because she comes with a different set of, with a different perspective. And then we can put our minds together and come up with something really unique and cool and I think we both kinda understand each other in terms of where we come from as writers and so "O.O.C." seems to be like a favorite of a lot of people and that surprised me, because that night when we left the studio, I was like 'I don't know, how Swizz feels about it, I don't know, whatever' but I really like it.

Thanx 4 Nothin'
"Thanx 4 Nothin'" was the first ballad I wrote for this album, this song is gonna resonate with people who are really going through like a bleak moment in their relationship, where it's like 'Yeah... fantastic. Thanks for nothing.' Like, you know what that is. I'm being really sarcastic. It's a sarcastic moment in the land of "Mariah Carey songs". People listen to the song when Jermaine says in the beginning "this is for all the women who are sick and tired of being played." He knows it. [laughs] That's what it is.

I Wish You Well
"I Wish You Well" is in the tradition of songs like, I would say, "Outside", "I Am Free", these are album cuts from different albums that unless people are really fans, they won't know, but mainly I would say "Vanishing" from my first album because it's just piano and vocal and background vocals. Basically it's about coming to a place within yourself where you, no matter what somebody does to you, you can forgive them, and even if you're a little bit bitter about it, you say your peace and you let it go

Source: MariahDailyJournal

Blender Reviews E=MC²

2008-04-04T14:10:00.001-04:00

First Listen: Mariah Carey's Shocking New Album

Posted 4/3/2008 3:56:00 PM by Ryan Dombal

A couple days ago, we were fortunate enough to hear Mariah's fizzy new album in its entirety. The record officially hits stores and websites April 15 but, to tide fans over, here's a quick run-down of the songs that stood out most. (Note: We're going to go out on a limb and predict this album will be a hit.)

"Migrate" [ft. T-Pain]
Producer: DanjaHandz
Song Type: Future funk
Silliest Lyric: "Don't wait for me to buy drinks or you gonna dehydrate" (T-Pain)
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: T-Pain turns Mariah into a pleasant sideshow here.

"Cruise Control" [ft. Damian Marley]
Producer: Jermaine Dupri
Song Type: Plastic reggae
Silliest Lyric: "He bring the drama, six baby mamas/ But uh oh, I can't resist him"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Laughable ragga accent + countless driving metaphors = perfect song to blast out of the sunroof this summer.

"Side Effects"
Producer: Scott Storch
Song Type: Midtempo rap-rock
Silliest Lyric: "Shining like a chandelier that decorated every room inside the private hell we built"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Ex-husband/tormentor Tommy Mottola will not enjoy listening to this kiss off.

"I'm That Chick" [ft. Young Jeezy]
Producer: StarGate
Song Type: Off the Wall rip-off
Silliest Lyric: "I'm like that oooweee you're fiendin' to blaze up"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Mariah as full-out disco diva!

"Love Story"
Producer: Jermaine Dupri
Song Type: "We Belong Together"-type semi-ballad
Silliest Lyric: "They on the phone like, 'Ay bay bay let's meet up today'"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: This will be a smash.

"I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time"
Producer: DJ Toomp
Song Type: Kanye West-style soul-sample R&B
Silliest Lyric: See title
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Vietnamese whores will love this song.

O.O.C."
Producer: Swizz Beatz
Song Type: Hip-hop / R&B hybrid
Silliest Lyric: "So sorry, whatever happened to empathy/ I know y'all motherf***ers feel like we"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: O.O.C. = out of control = that new slang.

"Bye Bye"
Producer: StarGate
Song Type: Sap-fest ballad
Silliest Lyric: "Mamas, daddys, sisters, brothers, friends and cousins/ This is for my people who lost their grandmothers"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: This one goes out to anyone who's lost anyone! Universal sh**, y'all!

"I Wish You Well"
Producer: James Poyser
Song Type: Gospel screamer
Silliest Lyric: "But who remains still standing then/ Not you not I see Philippians 4:9" (seriously)
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: The Mariah Carey equivalent of a trip to Sunday School.

Billboard Chart Info for April 12, 2008

2008-04-04T13:57:00.000-04:00

"Touch My Body"

Billboard Hot 100: #1 (Last Week #15)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #3 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Pop 100: #1 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #9 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #3 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #3 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #1 (New Entry)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #1 (New Entry)
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play: #16 (Last Week: #31)
Billboard Hot Dance Airplay: #6 (Last Week: #11)
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #7 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #3 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #9 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot Videoclip Tracks: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot RingMasters: #3 (Last Week #4)

Rolling Stone Reviews E=MC²

2008-04-04T13:56:00.001-04:00

Mariah Carey
E=MC²
RS Rating: 3 Stars

Mariah Carey embraces her extremes: She's either grinding out R&B-hop or singing syrupy ballads, talking dirty or cuddling with a Hello Kitty. Her tenth studio album is no different: It starts in a club and ends in a church. Carey tries on reggae with Damian Marley's scorching "Cruise Control" cameo, conjures a text-message title for Swizz Beatz's flute-loopy "O.O.C." ("out of control") and dials cool Seventies soul with "I'm That Chick" (where she compares herself to ice cream, Tupac and a blunt). She sounds the freshest when she fires up her Tommy Mottola resentment on the bumpy, Young Jeezy-assisted "Side Effects" and lives the high life on Danja's hard-hitting head-nodder, "Migrate," which dabs her vocal with Auto-Tune. But nearly every song confines Carey to four-note verses, offering little room for her glorious range, and the six ballads are drenched in yearbook-quote lyrics that never quite work themselves into the froth of The Emancipation of Mimi. Yet 2008's Mimi is also about redemption, and she brings it on the closer, "I Wish You Well," proving all she needs is a piano and a few Bible verses to save somebody - most likely herself. Caryn Ganz

Source: Rolling Stone

MTV Previews E=MC²: Album Focused On Fun, But Mimi Is At Her Best When She's Keeping It Real

2008-04-03T19:25:00.001-04:00

MTV News checks out the diva's latest LP before it hits stores April 15.

Mariah Carey's last album, the multiplatinum Emancipation of Mimi, brought her back from a career slump of bad movies, dud albums, marital collapse and emotional meltdowns. It proved she still had the goods. So what is there left to prove with her new record, E=MC²? Answer: Nothing.

Which may be why Jermaine Dupri, the man behind so many of the Emancipation hits, plays a more muted role this time out, providing the occasional "uh-huh," "yeah" and "nope," among other things, on four of the album's 14 tracks. Has he worn out his welcome like the on-again, off-again lover Mariah sings about in the bulk of his tracks?

JD was a delight on Emancipation, acting less like a producer and more like a friend, bolstering Mariah's confidence and giving her someone to riff with ("It's Like That," "Get Your Number" and "Shake It Off"), ultimately helping her get to the point where she could do the breakout track "We Belong Together." But JD and Mariah don't belong together anymore. Now that Mariah's finally free, her producers need to help her spread her wings - otherwise, all we get is redux.

JD comes closest to showing that he still can do something new on "Thanx for Nothin'," which, like the Scott Storch track "Side Effects," finally reveals a side of Mariah we don't see that often - her true self. The Mariah we usually see and hear is a glossy one. Psychologists might say her effect is "off" - meaning her gestures and facial expressions don't match her mood. There's a reason for that, as she explains on "Side Effects," which is the emotional abuse she says she suffered during her marriage to music mogul Tommy Mottola. Mariah, who is usually quite guarded, has alluded to the subject in songs like "Petals," but never has she gone into such detail as she does on "Side Effects," in which she refers to the marriage as a "private hell that we built." Even though it's been 11 years since they split up, she sings in a lower register that she's still "wakin' up scared some nights ... dreaming about the violent times." Her emotional scars left her "a little protective ... a little defensive ... a little depressed," which makes her "fake a smile" as she "deal[s] with the side effects."

While "Side Effects" features Young Jeezy, it sounds like a rock power ballad, as if Mariah had been listening to a lot of Bonnie Tyler and Pat Benatar and decided that to capture her emotions, the music needed to share her pain. This turns out to be a good thing, because when she's not focused on vocal gymnastics, Mariah can really sing - as in, letting us really feel what she feels. Nowhere else on the album does Mariah get quite so emotionally naked, and it makes you wonder: What would Mariah have sounded like if she ventured out of her comfort zones of pop and R&B? (Not withstanding her ill-advised Def Leppard cover, of course.)

While "Side Effects" is about her ex-husband, her second single, "Bye Bye," appears to be about her late father, Alfred Roy, who died of cancer in 2002. Mariah reminisces about the too-little time she shared with her mostly absent father and regrets how as a child, she didn't understand why he failed to show up sometimes to see her after he and her mother divorced when she was 3. But mostly Mariah regrets that he "never got a chance to see how good I've done/ And you never got to see me back at #1." This confessional moment doesn't last long, since she extends this song about death to be for anybody "who just lost somebody."

But for most of E=MC², Mariah doesn't want to feel any pain - she wants to party the night away. So on the club-thumping "Migrate," she hops from "my car into the club ... from the bar to VIP ... from the party to the afterparty ... afterparty to hotel" with T-Pain, who urges her to "bounce, bounce, bounce." Like most MC albums, every guest star seems required to check her name at the door, and this is no exception. "Migrate," which was co-produced by Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, has Mariah in full diva mode as she leaves a club once they start "playing my jam."

Just in case there was a question of which jam that might be, she name-checks them herself in "For the Record," a play on words in which she incorporates past song titles into a verse after she asks her lover, "Give me one reason one we can't just press rewind?"

"I'm That Chick" ups the ego ante, but as she demonstrates with some silly lyrics ("la da da ooowee") and a funky disco beat (benefiting from an "Off the Wall" melody sample), she's not taking any of it seriously. At least we hope she's not serious when she compares herself to Tupac and Biggie, then ice cream and the lottery, as she softly taunts, "You're fiending to blaze up and taste me." As if this weren't already destined for the '80s time-warp roller-disco crowd, she serves up the joyful romp "I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time," which borrows from the chorus of DeBarge's "Stay With Me" (as well as a phrase uttered by a Vietnamese hooker in "Full Metal Jacket" and then sampled by 2 Live Crew and other hip-hop acts). At least on the reggae-inflected "Cruise Control" (featuring Damian Marley), she exhibits a sense of humor, singing in a Jamaican patois during the second verse: "When tha door open, de gals on de block they be hopin' to rob tha clock." She's not joking, or as she puts it, "Tink I'm joking?"

But for all the jokes, silliness and absurdities, Mariah is at her best when she keeps it simple, as she does in the closing track, "I Wish You Well," a piano ballad with gospel overtones (even including Bible verses from the books Proverbs, John, Philippians and Psalms). The song is a turning-of-the-cheek to anyone who mistreated her or doubted her. Older and wiser, she realizes on E=MC², which hits stores April 15, that she needed them all along to make her who she is now, and thanks them for it. Because if she can be square with them, she's truly set free - squared.

--By Jennifer Vineyard

Source: MTV News MariahDailyJournal

Preview Clips From E=MC²!

2008-04-03T19:23:00.000-04:00

Amazon is offering an exclusive preview of short clips from all the tracks on Mariah's new album E=MC²

Click here to preview the tracks. Song lengths below:

1. Migrate - 4:18
2. Touch My Body - 3:25
3. Cruise Control - 3:33
4. I Stay In Love - 3:32
5. Side Effects - 4:22
6. I'm That Chick - 3:31
7. Love Story - 3:56
8. I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time - 3:01
9. Last Kiss - 3:36
10. Thanx 4 Nothin' - 3:05
11. O.O.C. - 3:26
12. For The Record - 3:26
13. Bye Bye - 4:27
14. I Wish You Well - 4:35

Total album time: 52:13

• Comcast subscribers may also hear exclusive previews of "Love Story", "Migrate", "Bye Bye" as well as an inside look on Mariah's recording session for the album at Comcast.net.

Source: MariahDailyJournal

Awesome Touch My Body Male Response

2008-04-02T15:33:00.003-04:00

Check out this male response to Touch My Body this guy named Lyricium did, in honor of Touch My Body going number one. It's good, the guy is really talented to have rewritten the song like this. His myspace is www.myspace.com/LyriciumSong he's gonna be big one day, so keep an eye on him.