Really, there are two types of Mariah. There is the Mariah who warbled power ballads and insidious dance tunes throughout most of the 90s before going a bit crazy (Britney is so behind the times) and making the biggest comeback this side of Take That. Then there is Mimi Mariah, who insists on having guest rappers on everything and going all a bit hip hop. Which granted, has served her just as well in recent years as her old jeans and sweater on a swing in videos persona, but has left me colder than a witches tit in November. Mariah launched onto the scene back in 1990 with the epic debut single Vision of Love, which perfectly showcased her astounding vocal range and showed that she could (co)write a melodic tune up with the best of them. I fell instantly in love. I spent a fortune on importing her debut album (which i later retitled Visions) and devoured the mix of balladry (Love Takes Time, I Don’t Wanna Cry) and pure pop tunes (All In Your Mind remains an all time fave along with funktastic There’s Got To Be A Way). Her second album barely a year later was more of the same leading off with 70s inspired Emotions, more ballads (Can’t Let Go) and the excellent spiritual follow up to There’s Got To Be A Way, Make It Happen. Once again, this song showed that Mariah could pull off a bit of restraint and rule the dancefloor in a way that was completely more acceptable than say, Celine doing Misled (though i like that song too…). I was all ready for Mariah to release the highlight of her second album, You’re So Cold, (a down and dirty slice of prince-esque pop) but instead she released a cover of I’ll Be There with Trey Lorenz which actually sealed her fate as an international superstar. Her next few albums in retrospect, were a slow and subtle shift to the more hip hop orientated sound she would come to adopt, but kept the pop sensibilities that I loved. Tracks like Hero, Dreamlover, Fantasy and my all time fave Mariah song, Always Be My Baby, competed with Whitney, Janet and Deborah for space on my cd player and often won out. Add into this one of the most enduring Christmas songs in recent memory to be released and I was convinced I would be a Mariah fan for life…

Then Butterfly came along and my interest started to wane ever so slightly. Honey was the first lead off single of hers that I abandoned in a ridiculously short amount of time, and her duet with Brian McKnight (Whenever You Call) was the only track on the album I kept coming back to on a regular basis. A similar tale happened with Rainbow. It was only the nostalgia of treacly ballad Thank God I’ve Found You that held my interest. What was going on? True, I was going through a big indie college rock phase, but hey I was still spinning Deborah and Kylie, and worshiping at the altar of Steps so it couldn’t be that my pop had fizzled out. Still, I had invested so much time in Mariah and she had provided so much enjoyment for me, that i owed it to her to be a bit more faithful (unlike Janet she hasn’t burned all her bridges with me ). Unfortunately Glitter was a big old mess, but the single Through The Rain was a return to form that I appreciated (even though Charmbracelet was still too hip hop heavy for my liking). Then the whole world liked Mariah again thanks to her emancipation and once again, I was left pondering why one of my favourite acts had experienced such a fall from grace from me…

E=MC2

..Until now. Mariah’s latest album is probably my favourite album of hers since Daydream. It’s by no means in the classic Mariah mode of old that I adore, but maybe I am mature enough now to accept that she has moved on and so must I. Or perhaps there is enough hint of it in this body of work that it is completely appealing to my nostalgic side. Lead off single Touch My Body is a tongue in cheek slinky groove that wisely keeps Mariah at the centre of the song and hangs back from Timbaland style over production that can overpower lesser artists. It’s the reliance on guest rappers and artists that once again do nothing for me – Migrate with T-Pain (who?), the reggae flavoured (but not in a good Jesse/Shayne way) Cruise Control and frankly boring Side Effects could all be left off the album to create a much tighter collection of tunes. I think it was PPG who heard that the very We Belong Together sounding sob fest Bye Bye could be the second single. From an accountants point of view, this is probably a good choice. It’s a lovely tune, with a gorgeous restrained vocal from Mariah and a lovely lilting melody. I have no problem with this as a single. It’s just that there are a few other songs that could easily be stronger and better single choices. I Stay In Love is probably the most 90s Mariah song here – there is some lovely piano and she starts off the song using the lower register of her voice, which I absolutely adore. It’s an incredibly pretty song that sticks in your head and makes me fall in love with her all over again. Plus it makes me want to hug Darren incredibly tightly and that’s always a good thing. The incredible That Chick takes inspiration from Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and is a song so brimming with potential (both remix and radio) that I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a massive smash all over the world this summer. (And a funky little choreographed dance routine wouldn’t go amiss either). Taking me back to the days of perfect summer pop grooves like Make It Happen and Always Be My Baby continues with the very lovely I’ll Be Lovin You Long Time. O.O.C is a club banger in the same way that So Cold should’ve been (though it doesn’t really need the annoying bloke rant behind the groove!) I have to say I am preferring Mariahs 70s and 80s influences much more than her hip hop vibes and that is what is making this album work for me in a big way.

Reviewed by Paul from Fizzy Pop

Listening Booth:
Mariah Carey – Bye Bye