Here is the third installment of the Mariah Special:
"Heartbreaker" (1999) - The song was perfect for summer; it was a fun groove of a song with an expensive video. The song debuted Mariah's latest vocal style; breathy verses before a full-voiced climax. It was a nice song, but like her last #1, it wasn't a memorable song for her. It was, however, for Jay-Z, whose rap in the song helped carry it a bit. Rating 7/10
"Thank God I Found You" (2000) - Despite the employment of 98 Degrees and Joe as vocal collaborators, the song was very uninspiring. The original received very little airplay and the remix was released to save it. The string of sub-par #1 singles ended with this one, as her new singles released in the next 4 years would barely chart at all. Rating: 6.5/10
"We Belong Together" (2005) - After 5 years of no chart-topping singles, "We Belong Together" was truly a return to form. Her last two albums Glitter and Charmbracelet were utter failures, and many deemed her career over. Thanks to this song, faith was truly restored. The passionate song brought Mariah back to vocal power that disappeared after Butterfly. The song employed the MOR pop of her early 90s success with her R&B flavor of the late 90s. The fusion worked amazingly. The song stayed on top for 14 weeks, her longest run as a solo artist. Rating: 10/10
"Don't Forget About Us" (2005) - It was fairly obvious that this song was a follow-up to "We Belong Together". Although not as inspired, it continued her resurgence as the premier pop diva. It was her first ballad that was completely influenced by R&B, and it worked well. It was the first #1 of 2006, and helped the release of Mariah's comeback The Emancipation of Mimi sell an amazing 6 million copies in the US, and 10 million worldwide.
BWU Recommends - Vision of Love, We Belong Together, One Sweet Day, Always Be My Baby
No comments:
Post a Comment