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Post by Late Winter on Feb 19, 2008 15:34:24 GMT -5
Known producers and song titles so far.
• Touch My Body (C. Tricky Stewart, The-Dream) • Bye Bye (Johnta Austin, Stargate) • That Chick (Johnta Austin, Stargate) • Heat (Will.I.Am) • For The Record (Bryan Michael Cox, "Adonis" Shropshire) • 4Real (Bryan Michael Cox, "Adonis" Shropshire) • Thanks For Nothing (Jermaine Dupri) • Cruise Control (ft. Damian Marley) (Jermaine Dupri) • Loving You Long Time (DJ Toomp) • Migrate (ft. T-Pain) • OOC • Last Kiss • Love Story
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Post by romanticfantastic on Feb 23, 2008 1:29:31 GMT -5
I wonder which one of those tracks should be the WBT copycat. ;D
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Post by So What on Feb 23, 2008 1:33:11 GMT -5
I can't wait to hear Heat! It was produced by Will.i.am, so that should be a different sound for her!
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Post by Late Winter on Feb 25, 2008 12:35:54 GMT -5
Yesterday, Island/Def Jam honcho L.A. Reid hosted a few journalists in his office for a special preview of Mariah Carey’s upcoming E=MC² album, tentatively due April 15. While Reid looked on, Mariah’s A&R man and long-rumored beau Mark Sudack played 12 of the album’s cuts from his laptop, often passionately (and adorably!) singing along. On the album, there was drama, there was death, there was disco. What follows is a track-by-track breakdown of our impressions of the album. Note that this isn’t the final track sequence, that L.A. ticked off the producers list to us but it is by no means etched in stone and the tracks that we heard weren’t always mastered.
One final note: so much of this album is sung in Mariah’s chest voice. The vocal gymnastics and whistle notes, while there (’cause, duh, it’s Mariah!), take a backseat to clear, purposeful singing, and Mariah sounds better for it. Oh yeah, Mimi’s back.
1. “Migrate” (co-produced by Danja) – After announcing itself with Mariah’s patented whistle notes, this club track gets to bangin’ and it takes that task really seriously. It’s about as meta as a banger gets, with Mariah explaining during the chorus how her night goes: “From the car to the club / We migrate / From the bar to the V.I.P. / We migrate.” And so it goes, from the party to the after party, from the after party to the hotel. There’s a slight autotune effect on Mariah’s voice on the last “migrate” of each chorus, which I assume is to put her on equal ground with the man she shares the mic with here. T-Pain, mercifully shows up for just a guest verse – this is not a full-blown duet. It’s a feisty track, with tough Storch-esque beats that Mariah’s bravado attempts to match: “If you’re inked up thuggin’, that’s what I like,” she says. See, I always thought she went for the pretty boys. Already we’re learning stuff!
2. “Touch My Body” (co-produced with Christopher “Tricky” Stewart and The-Dream) – There isn’t much to say about this ultra-femme track that wasn’t said when it leaked. Hard to believe that that was only a little more than week ago – in the time since, it’s become so ubiquitous that it’s kind of hard to imagine what radio was like before it. Even L.A. seemed taken aback by how quickly it has caught on – he described the track’s out-of-the-gate success as virtually accidental.
3. “Last Kiss” (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) – One of the album’s many declarations of eternal love, this one is “We Belong Together, Part 35.” It’s nice but extremely safe. One thing that’s very much in its favor are Mariah’s vocals, which are nimble as they are in “We Belong Together” (she changes up her flow more times than I could count) and maybe more robust than they’ve sounded in over a decade. There’s a nice little duet at the end of this one between Mariah’s full chest voice and her higher register. Of course, if she didn’t show off that stellar natural resource, this wouldn’t be a Mariah Carey album.
4. “Lovin’ You Long Time” (co-produced by DJ Toomp) – Pure and utter joy is this one, which is most reminiscent of the lovely Mimi outtake “When I Feel It.” Except this one’s, like, 10 times better. The chorus of DeBarge’s “Stay With Me” is the foundation of this track (as opposed to the verses, which provided the foundation for the single remix of Biggie’s “One More Chance” and Ashanti’s “Foolish,” among tracks). However, the sample sounds more weathered, and overall, the track comes off as a ‘60s throwback rather than an ‘80s one. One hundred percent feel-good and packing in a killer breakdown and conclusion that’s a wall of Mariah voices, this was the first song that felt like the work of unstoppable pop genius.
5. “Thanx for Nothin’” (co-produced by Jermaine Durpri) – A mid-tempo ballad that sports a beat rougher than anything Jermaine Dupri has laid down for Mariah and a guitar line not unlike Mimi’s “So Lonely” (though this track is more sassy and less dour than that), “Thanx” suggests that Mariah and Jermaine aren’t sentenced to live in the shadow of their former glory and can actually make relatively new sounds together. Lyrically, this break-up track is a cross between the self-deprecating “Mine Again” (“I never knew enough about you, babe / And I guess I only have myself to blame”) and the streetwise posturing of “Get Your Number” (“Seems like all I do is think about your pseudo-romance / While you’re somewhere burnin’ diesel in the streets, havin’ laughs”). Mariah packs in so many lyrics that she barely has time to sing them, and sort of just growls them. It’s not nearly as ridiculous as that description might make it sound.
6. “That Chick” (co-produced by Stargate) – Instant. Classic. An absolutely brilliant disco track that plays on Mariah’s strengths and sexiness without ever crossing the line into indulgence. It’s slick, it’s chic (and Chic, with its slap-you-on-the-ass bass line), it’s silly (“La da da a oooh wee-wee” goes the bit between the chorus and the verses) and it carries a killer middle 8 that’s as exhilarating as the one in Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T.” (you know, the best part of one of the best songs ever that goes, “Don’t you know nowwwww / Is the perfect time…”?). Mariah makes references to 2Pac and Biggie, compares herself to ice cream and the lottery and maybe even references the long-lost track from the Charmbracelet sessions “Touch the Sky.” Oh, and also she delivers the most her line of her career, complete with a 10-cent word: “I brings that levity.” Maybe one day they’ll bottle the essence of Mariah, but until then, we have “That Chick” and I seriously am counting down the days till I can hear this track again. This needs to be a single, like, now, and Mariah needs to dust off those “Heartbreaker” remix roller skates for the video, pronto.
7. “Cruise Control” (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) – Another J.D. track that deviates from what could have been a detrimental pattern, this is a reggae-lite extended car metaphor (“I need a caddy wit some cruise control,” belts Mariah). The chorus consists of her spelling out, “C-R-U-I-S-E control” and the second verse finds Mariah adopting a Jamaican affect for kicks: “When da door open I de gals pon de block / They be hop-on, to rob the clock / Me say no mam / Step up step up / Bottle broken / Tink I’m jokin’.” Seriously, she says that. Damien Marley gets a guest verse, and I have to say, his shtick is a little more convincing.
8. “Side Effects” (co-produced by Scott Storch) – You know how sometimes Southern rap almost has a heavy metal feel? Mariah and Storch exploit that by turning out a Southern-fried power ballad that’s a thinly veiled portrait of her time under Tommy Mottola’s reign (“Hell we built, and I dealt with it…Kept my tears inside ‘cause I knew if I started, I’d keep cryin’ for the rest of my life with you / I finally built up the strength to walk away / Don’t regret it…”). For someone as guarded as Mariah is publicly, it’s shockingly frank (she alludes to “violent times”) and really naked (the titular side effects refer to the toll the relationship has taken on her: she’s “still a little depressed inside” and “still a little defensive thinkin’ folks be tryin’ to run my life”). This is another highlight, and having a rapper so associated with drugs (Jeezy) on a track called “Side Effects” that isn’t about drugs at all, only makes things cleverer.
9. “Love Story” (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) – Anther ode to endless love (“This ain’t no fairy tale or fiction / This is truly ours for eternity”), this ballad is more of the baby-making ilk. It’s like Prince-lite with a synthesized beat a la “The Beautiful Ones,” but not as effects-laden (i.e. the beat doesn’t have the backwards sound). The melody is reminiscent of Mimi’s “Joyride,” and that should give you an indication of how sweet this track is.
10. “OOC” (co-produced by Swizz Beatz) – This one has a pummeling thump so pronounced, it’s somewhat surprising that it’s not the work of Stargate or Tricky. “OOC” stands for “out of control,” and while the track isn’t exactly wild, it’s a fun mix of The-Dream’s “Ditch That N…” with a melody like Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style.” Besides the hypnotic refrain of “Forever and ever,” the track is most notable for including the word motherf***er. As in, “I know y’all motherf***ers feel like we / When you’re messin’ with the one true lova / That makes you OOC.” Hardcore!
11. “Bye Bye” (co-produced by Stargate) – When Mariah first started promoting Mimi, she described “We Belong Together” as a cross between “Breakdown” and “One Sweet Day.” That description is infinitely more appropriate for “Bye Bye,” a song about death that’s “for my people who just lost somebody,” “for my people who lost their grandmothers” and seemingly for Mariah’s departed father, Alfred Roy (“You never got to see me back at No. 1”). It’s nice that Mariah’s on a confessional kick, although a track with the “We Belong Together” sonic template and lyrics tailored appeal to everyone on such a basic level seems like too easy of a combination for someone as established as Mimi. This one’s like insurance – in case nothing else is a hit, here’s a sure-shot. But ultimately, it turns out that the album is too good for that.
12. “I Wish You Well” (co-produced by James Poyser) – We were told that this was hot off the presses and a very rough version of the song, but even in its unpolished state, it was a stunner. A piano ballad that features Mariah, some gospel-tinged backing vocals, a piano and that’s it, this track is a throwback to the fan-favorite “Vanishing” from her 1990 debut. Part feisty (“You can’t manipulate me like before”) and totally spiritual (Mariah name-checks a bible verse in the chorus, although I couldn’t catch exactly what it was, and she ends the song repeating, “The Lord is my salvation / I will trust in him”), “I Wish You Well” will have fans wetting themselves. It’s gorgeous and in its simplistic way, the type of risk that Mariah should take more often.
The risky moments on the album (”Lovin’ You Long Time,” “That Chick,” “Side Effects” and “I Wish You Well”) bode well for the future. Though E=MC² feels extremely safe, there’s enough variation to signify some artistic growth. She’s cranking out hits and that’s fine because that’s what she’s always done (hitmaking is her medium), but when she goes out of the Top 40 comfort zone, the album truly soars. Over 10 years after she first sang about it, it’s only now that Mariah has worked up the courage to really spread her wings. The next question is: how high can they take her?
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Post by Just No on Feb 25, 2008 13:38:24 GMT -5
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Post by Scott on Feb 25, 2008 13:53:04 GMT -5
ROFL! That basically means Breakdown Part 100!
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Post by So What on Feb 25, 2008 14:20:06 GMT -5
LOL! Well obviously she was gonna try and recreate the song. I don't know, this review makes the album sound AMAZING, but so did the reviews for Discipline and well we see how those held up.
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Post by So What on Mar 2, 2008 21:42:57 GMT -5
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Post by So What on Mar 2, 2008 21:43:41 GMT -5
Mariah Talks Babies, Britney, Barack
Mariah Carey has a lot on her mind these days.
In an exclusive interview, which airs Monday on Yo on E! satellite radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, the Daydream diva dished to host Michael Yo about everything from her faith in God and the possibility of one day having a child to Britney Spears' meltdown and, yes, even backing Barack Obama for president of the United States.
While plugging her upcoming album, E=MC², the 38-year-old Carey reflected on her personal life and her future now that she's dating record exec Mark Sudack.
For now, that doesn't appear to include babies, though the singer didn't rule out the possibility.
"Obviously having a kid is a commitment for life," she told Yo. "I really would have to be very, very positive that I was in a place where I could completely focus and put everything into the job of being someone's mommy cause it's hard enough to have a puppy."
When asked about a deadline for kids, Carey was philosophical.
"To me whatever is meant to be is meant to be. Whatever is in God's plan is going to happen," said the songstress.
On life after the bomb that was 2001's Glitter album and movie and her subsequent comeback, Carey pointed to her faith as a source of strength.
"You know what, I never lost my faith in God and that's the main thing," she noted. "For me it's about my personal relationship with God and just feeling centered and just not letting anything really penetrate that. That's something that's sacred for me that I have for myself no matter what."
Considering the personal crisis Carey faced in the wake of Glitter's failure when she checked herself into a hospital to be treated for an emotional and physical breakdown, Yo also got her take on the Britster's current travails and whether or not the pop tart can recover (typically her answer was all about Maria).
Commented the singer: "I think anybody who loves music and is committed to the game can do whatever. I never count people out, that's just not in my nature but that is a part of human nature, people like to do that but with me especially with making this new record, its all about the music."
Carey also laughed off concerns about what the public might think about her from reading the very same gossip zines that are making a bundle reporting on Spears' struggles.
"If people ever said things that are not in my character like doing serious drugs or anything of that nature that's just not me and that's never been me and it never will be," she said. "Things like, 'oh she was going to commit suicide'--that's never ever, nobody could get me to that point because I have too much respect for God and for life. One of the rumors I just heard about was that $150,000 in plastic surgery. What in the ham sandwich do they think I did? It's very annoying."
The subject eventually switched to politics, something Carey confessed isn't exactly her strong suit.
"Are you watching the debates?" asked Yo.
"Clearly I'm no political analyst. We all know that my album is called E=MC² but I'm not exactly friggin Einstein," joked the "Love Takes Time" singer. "So basically I like to leave that to people who know what they are talking about, but I am very much more focused on this moment in our history."
When Yo pressed Carey on whether or not she had settled on a presidential candidate, he eventually had to drag it out of her.
"Have you picked anyone?" queried Yo.
"Yes, clearly," she answered.
"Can you say?"
"That's personal but it's pretty obvious," the entertainer replied.
"Come on Mariah, 'Yes we can' Mr. Barack Obama?'
Laughing, Carey came clean: "Yes we can!"
E=MC² is scheduled to hit stores on April 15. The first single, "Touch My Body," was streamed digitally to radio stations on Feb. 12 and hard copies went out a week later.
Source: E! Online
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Post by So What on Mar 2, 2008 21:45:03 GMT -5
She is apparently dating record exec Mark Sudack Here are some recent pics of him & her together!
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Post by Late Winter on Mar 2, 2008 22:02:42 GMT -5
They have been apparently dating years but it always seems to go under the radar
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Post by So What on Mar 5, 2008 4:39:34 GMT -5
Look at the pig next to the topic title!
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Post by So What on Mar 5, 2008 5:25:25 GMT -5
UGH! Late Winter changed it.. It was a
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Post by luisro on Mar 5, 2008 9:52:19 GMT -5
Makes sense. She's Miss Piggy after all.
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Post by Late Winter on Mar 7, 2008 11:10:10 GMT -5
"A listening party to Mariah's new album was held in Paris, France yesterday (Monday, March 3rd). A DJ from one of the top R&B radio stations in Paris - Ado FM attended the party and wrote the following review, which was translated from French by Camelina.
• Loving You Long Time They told us the track is not completely mixed yet, which happens sometimes. The track is very good, a nice first listening. It's a mid-tempo with old school influences. The song has a good use of violins and a very catchy chorus. This track doesn't sound like any other track from her previous album.
• Touch My Body You already know this one, the famous "Touch My Body" first played by 'Ado' weeks ago. This title has the best beginning for a first single from Mimi in the USA since 1997. A big smash for a common title which is not the best album track for me.
• That Chick 'Ooh We eeh', remember this phrase well, it appears in this track produced by Stargate, who produced songs for Ne-Yo (So Sick), Beyonce (Irrepleceable) and Chris Brown (With You). It's a really fresh title. It has positive vibes. I was really seduced by this track which makes me think of "Because of You" by Ne-Yo but the diva brings a special touch with her to it, in a good way.
• For The Record Having followed Mariah news recently, I jumped (positively) when I discovered the track because the music belongs to the commercial for Mariah's fragrance "M". I remember that when I first heard the music in the commercial, I secretly hoped that a longer version of it would be a song. The thing is now done and you will appreciate it. B. Cox is responsible for the production of this song ("Be Without You" by Mary J) which is definitely a future hit. The style perfectly fits Mimi and I hope that they will work together again in the future. The result is a potential smash hit with a nice vocal effort at the end. This future "classic" will be played endlessly in the Midnight Love.
• Migrate The listening party follows with this track, it sounds hip-hop with a heavy sound. Danja at the production, is responsible along with Timblalnd for the latest hits by Timberlake, Furtado and co., offers to the diva a heavy and smashing track. Notice the T-Pain presence which brings a lot to the track and lends a vocoder to Mariah who uses it wonderfully when she sings "Migrate". It sounds like "Snap" in 'Buy You A Drank' but enhanced. Be ready to bounce on this title which is truly made for the clubs and which is another potential single.
• Side Effects This is the second and last track still in the mixing process (Americans say work in progress). The new style is Dirty South I think (Ludacris, T.I, Young Jeezy). Young Jeezy is featured on this track and he gives the tone for the song from the very beginning with a "Yeahhhh" that gets us in the mood. If I remember well, I found the chorus very catchy "To walk away and don't regret it, but I still live with side effects". The lyrics are well written and serious. Mariah explains her course and the traps she got through all through the song. The song didn't immediately grow on me, but it probably needs a few more listenings.
• Love Story Jermaine Dupri produced this track for the fans' pleasure who will certainly appreciate the track which sounds like a song from her previous album. The slow music makes me think of 'Until The End of Time' (Timberlake), probably due to the fact that a piano is very present.
• Cruise Control JD once again is the producer on this summer track in which Mariah collaborates with Damian Marley and tries some Jamaican lyrics: "pon de gals on the block". I didn't find it odd and thought it worked well. The reggae style slowly carries the song which is original and surprising. Mariah spells "C.R.U.I.S.E Control" in the chorus.
• Thanks For Nothing Mimi's voice is the spotlight of this other JD produced song. It's Mariah who says the famous "So So Def" here instead of her favorite producer. The keyboard use is very much like in "Always Be My baby". She sings "Oh Oh Oh Oh" which is very catchy, another song like the ones in the previous album.
• OOC This track arrived at a perfect time (after 3 JD produced songs which were good but a bit too repetitive). Swizz Beats is the producer (Tambourine by Eve, Get me bodied, Ring The Alarm by Beyonce, and Touch It by Busta Rhymes) but surprisingly, the music is not agressive. I was particularly taken by this track which sounds fresh, original and retro at the same time. Nostalgia backs the song and hearing Mariah on this one is delightful, particularly when she pronounces the famous "OOC" which means Out Of Control. It's the first time I heard the diva sing a French sentence - "Je ne sais pas mais c'est la vie", preceded by another sentence in Spanish if I remember well. I adored it!
• Bye Bye Stargate again is the producer with a slow jam track, slower than "That Chick" but it doesn't sound like Irrepleacable by Beyonce for example. It's more of a pure Mimi Style a-la "We Belong Together". The track is very sad, its theme is the loss of those we love. It sounds like a hit with a superb vocal finale.
• Last Kiss JD is the producer of the final track of the listening party. A classic mid-tempo.
To sum it up, I think Mariah Carey successfully experimented with new sounds and new producers. That Chick, Migrate, Lovin You Long Time, For The Record and OOC are my favorite tracks. As for the JD and Mariah collaboration fanatics, you will be happy to hear Thanks For Nothing, Last Kiss and Love Story all produced by the two. I was disappointed by the fact that there's no Soul/Gospel song like only Mariah can deliver, but it's not the final cut of the album and maybe there will be changes before it is released."
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Post by So What on Mar 7, 2008 18:37:26 GMT -5
The album sounds kind of boring.
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Post by Late Winter on Mar 7, 2008 18:40:45 GMT -5
Well, that was a quick turn around LOL
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Post by So What on Mar 7, 2008 18:42:13 GMT -5
Well, those descriptions don't sound too appealing. BUT these same people made Janet's album sound HOT and we know how that turned out.. lol
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Post by So What on Mar 10, 2008 20:46:30 GMT -5
Touch My Body" Available To Download On March 24 Mariah's new single "Touch My Body" is currently scheduled to be released digitally in the US on March 24, 2008. Please note that the date is subject to change. Stay tuned for more updates as well as information on an upcoming download contest on this site! www.mariahdaily.com/news.shtml
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Post by jennifa on Mar 10, 2008 22:13:43 GMT -5
#1
Go Mimi!
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Post by So What on Mar 10, 2008 22:15:10 GMT -5
What if 4 Minutes is released the same day?? That would be interesting! I would love to see the battle too.
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Post by jennifa on Mar 11, 2008 0:35:33 GMT -5
TMB would win, obviously. And it would get #1 on the Hot 100 since it has massive airplay.
Madonna isn't even competition in the USA. please.
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Post by So What on Mar 11, 2008 0:43:24 GMT -5
Oh I know it would win on the Hot 100. lol Its obvious cause Madge has no airplay here yet.
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Post by jennifa on Mar 11, 2008 0:47:52 GMT -5
TMB would win on iTunes too since it's been repressed for so long. lol.
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Post by So What on Mar 11, 2008 0:48:41 GMT -5
it hasn't been that long. lol And with big acts like Mimi, repressing really doesn't do much.
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