Quantcast
Article Index |Advertise | Mobile | RSS | Wireless | Newsletter | Archive | Corrections | Syndication | Contact us | About Us| Services
 
  Breaking News :    
Advertisement
Robinsons Land Corp.
Xoom

INQUIRER ALERT
Get the free INQUIRER newsletter
Enter your email address:

 
Inquirer Entertainment Type Size: (+) (-)
You are here: Home > Showbiz & Style > Inquirer Entertainment

  ARTICLE SERVICES      
     Reprint this article     Print this article  
    Send as an e-mail     Send Feedback  
    Post a comment   Share  

  RELATED STORIES  




imns



Mariah Carey balances frivolity with gravity in latest album

By Rito Asilo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:21:00 07/18/2008

Filed Under: Music, Entertainment (general)

MANILA, PhilippinesE=MC2, Mariah Careys follow-up to 2005s chart-topping The Emancipation of Mimi (and the biggest opening-week sales of her career), shows that the songstress has learned a lesson from her embarrassing misfires (Glitter, Charmbracelet) by following a formula that keeps her sound current and cool to pop music patrons fickle tastes.

Hooks and beats

The 14-track lineups hooks and beats arent that different from the catchy vibe of We Belong Together, Shake It Off, U Make Me Wanna or I Know What You Want, but underneath the songs sleek, hip-hop-flavored texture and radio-friendly purr, Mariah evinces a maturity and depth that her early record-busting singles sorely lacked.

For instance, the 38-year-old diva talks about the loss of a loved one in the bittersweet Bye Bye, or about an emotionally abusive former husband in Side Effects.

She still displays her celebrated five-octave range in songs like Thanx 4 Nothin and For the Recordafter all, there arent a lot of singers out there who can pull off that spine-tingling vocal feat as well as she does. And this time, those curlicues are utilized organicallythey dont just come from out of nowhere.

Mariah balances tuneful frivolity with thematic gravity in tunes like the piano-driven and Gospel-tinged last track, I Wish You Well, I Stay in Love and Jermaine Dupris Last Kiss.

In Touch My Body, Migrate and the reggae-flavored Cruise Control, she lends melodic heft and feminine rhythm to hip-hops hard, urban-sound edgeand blends well with the genres current spinmeisters like T-Pain, The-Dream and Young Jeezy.

Carrier single

Touch My Body, the albums carrier single is a faultless dance/pop/hip-hop confection, but the collections best cutsIm That Chick and Ill Be Lovin U Long Timeactually get much of their verve from the sound of the 80sby transposing samplings of Michael Jackson and Rod Tempertons Off the Wall and Debarges Stay With Me into those toe-tapping, hip-swinging tracks!



Copyright 2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

To subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines, call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.

Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk.
Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer's Reader's Advocate.
Or write The Readers' Advocate:

c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer
Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94


Share

RELATED STORIES:

OTHER STORIES:

COLUMNS:


  ^ Back to top

© Copyright 2001-2009 INQUIRER.net, An INQUIRER Company

The INQUIRER Network: HOME | NEWS | SPORTS | SHOWBIZ & STYLE | TECHNOLOGY | BUSINESS | OPINION | GLOBAL NATION | Site Map
Services: Advertise | Buy Content | Wireless | Newsletter | Low Graphics | Search / Archive | Article Index | Contact us
The INQUIRER Company: About the Inquirer | User Agreement | Link Policy | Privacy Policy

Advertisement
Sta Lucia Realty
Ancop Foundation
David Pomeranz
Inquirer Blogs
INQ GAMES