by wildangels

After about a week of rumors and statements from family and others involved, Mariah and Nick themselves confirmed their marriage during an interview. I'm a bit surprised that she made this move, especially talking wanting kids. Wasn't she just going on about how she'd feel "violated" by having children? Ah, well. Good luck to her. Maybe she'll outdo some of the others yet again by actually making a quickie celeb marriage work. If not... well, I guess we know what the next album will be about.

Well, I'm out of here. Take care and I'll see y'all next time with more news and reviews.

by wildangels

So, as promised, here is my review of Mariah Carey’s E=MC2. As I said before, this is a really good disc and it’s exactly what I’d been hoping to hear from her. She’s showing off her vocals more than she had in some songs recently without going overboard. Good to see she’s found the balance so many can’t. The people who said this is an album full of singles were right. There are only a couple I’m not too thrilled with. The others, I can definitely see being hits. I’m gonna go through my favorites one by one. Feel free to reply to this post with your own thoughts.

Migrate: This is definitely a hit in the making. It’s fun, catchy and she sounds good in it. The song starts with her typical whistle note and then smoothly transitions into a nice mid-tempo beat with a high-pitched sound in the background that really adds to the unique sound.

Cruise Control: This is a reggae-influenced song that is another mid-tempo number. She actually adopts a bit of an accent on this one that sounds pretty natural to me. This is bound to be an R&B and club hit for sure.

Side Effects: This is probably one of my favorites. It’s got a slow beat, but Mariah’s vocals are rapid fire as she blasts an abusive/controlling ex. You can just feel the bitterness and determination oozing out of her voice when you listen. Makes you really wonder about what did go on back in the day before her divorce.

I’ll Be Loving You Long Time: This song actually reminds me on old school R&B. I haven’t seen the track info in my CD jacket yet, but I’m willing to bet there’s an old sample in here. It’s up-tempo and has a bit of a feel-good pop vibe to it as well.

I Wish You Well: This is probably the closest Mariah gets to the sound of her first two albums. Her voice shines over a kinda bluesy/gospel arrangement. It’s a song about using your faith to get through tough times and rising above pettiness.

Well, there you have it: Mariah’s new CD. Check back next time for more music news and reviews. Take care!

by wildangels

Well, I'm a bit pressed for time right now, but I wanted to check in and say that I just got the new Mimi album (along with The Emancipation of Mimi). I'm loving it! I'll post a more detailed review later, but suffice it to say that this is the CD I was waiting to hear from her. It shows off her voice and is a great mix of her old and new sound. Stands outs for me right now are "Migrate", "Side Effects", "I'll Be Lovin You Long Time", "Bye Bye" and "I Wish You Well". From what I've seen it also looks like this just may debut at #1, too. Go her!

In the meantime... has anyone else bought them and want to share their thoughts? I'm interested to hear what other fans think about it.

by wildangels

Yes, I know.... Idol is kinda cheesy and I usually avoid it. When you get Dolly or some of the people on the special last night involved, though? I'm there. Last night, they had some of my all time favorite people there: Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, Fergie, Heart and Mariah to name a few. How could I resist?

If you read my Country Blog, then you already know about Carrie's part in the show and what I thought of it. So, let's talk about some of the others, shall we? Annie Lennox was great and sounds just as good as ever. I wish she'd get a little more more attention again- she definitely deserves it.

Mariah was pure awesome. She sang "Fly Like a Bird" and really got into it. She still can hit the high-notes like no one else. If this is any indication of what I can expect vocally out of her new CD, count me in. She actually closed out the show, which ran long. She didn't get on the stage until after 10 PM.

The highlight for me was Fergie. After a nice performance of "Finally", she got onstage with Heart to sing "Baracuda". What a performance it was! She did more than hold her on against Ann Wilson and seemed to really enjoy herself. She should definitely do some more rock-themed material in the future- it really suits her voice.

by wildangels

Those who discovered Paula Abdul through American Idol might not remember that she was once accused of pulling a Milli Vanilli. My grandmother used to love buying the tabloids and occasionally she'd show me a story about people I liked. Well, one was about this girl who claimed her vocals were mixed with Paula's for the CD Forever Your Girl.

According to VHI, today was the day she sued Virgin Records over it back in 91. She lost the case, but I still don't get it. The vocals on that album were not that great... I would hope Virgin would've hired someone who sounded better than that if that was what they were doing. Despite the vocal problems, I did like the music. "Straight Up" and "Cold Hearted" were my jams when I was a kid. Who could ever forget that video she did where she and her dancers auditioned for a part and got all the execs hot and bothered? Now, that was a video! If you wanna see more events that happened today, check out the link above.

For all you Mariah fans out there, here is a link to an Island/Def Jam page where you can hear a new Mariah song called "Bye Bye". I just had a listen and loved it! To me, it's a great mix of the hip-hop sound she loves so much and the vocals of her old records. It's a One Sweet Day kind of song in that it talks about losing someone and not wanting to say goodbye.

Well, that's all for now. Check back next time for more. Til then, take care and "let the music play!"

by wildangels
This one one of the best write-ups I have seen about Mariah's new CD. While I have been kinda leaning towards wanting to get it, this actually really makes me excited about the release. It sounds like it's gonna be a great disc. Based on this, I think I may end up liking "I Wish You Well" the most. It sounds like it's gonna be true old-school Mariah and a much more mature song than some of her more recent hits.

by wildangels
According to Yahoo!news, Mariah Carey just beat Elvis' number #1s record and is now in second place behind the Beatles. Good for her! I loved her reaction in the story, too. She didn't seem to make a huge deal about herself and knows she hasn't been quite as influencial and long lasting as them. Now, that's what I like to see- a Diva with a little humility. Well, that's about it for now.... see y'all next time.

by wildangels

Since Mariah is releasing "Touch My Body" on Itunes today, I thought I'd talk about some of my favorite Mariah songs. "Vision of Love" is the first one that comes to mind for me. It was the first single and the first video of hers I ever saw. Let's just say that by the end of that song, I was in awe. "Love Takes Time" and "Vanishing" were favorites of mine cause they were a little more soulful. Especially "Vanishing", which had a really bluesy feel to it.

"Someday", "You Need Me" and "Prisoner" from that album are favorites because they were more uptempo and fun. What can I say? I'm a sucker for any song with some attitude in it. Plus, they were a little different from the other songs she was releasing at the time and I like variety in my music.

When Emotions came out, I fell in love with the title track almost immediately. Especially the note towards the end. I still wonder how she does that! It was also nice to see her open the album with something more fast paced and fun, since she had mainly released ballads until then. "Make It Happen" was another really great uptempo track and at the time I just loved that really inspirational message in it. She didn't lose the attitude, though, including "You're So Cold" on the CD. It starts off so slow, you think your in for another ballad until the beat picks up and takes you by surprise.

Mimi's at her best, though, with ballads. "And You Don't Remember" from Emotions is a classic for me. It's so soulful and emotional and a great song to belt out when you're not feeling so great and you just want to let it out.

"Dreamlover", the lead single from Music Box was another instant favorite. I remember dancing around my house rocking out to this one and just having a great time. It's one of those feel-good songs that just makes me smile every time I hear it. "Now That I Know" and "I've Been Thinking About You" were just really fun dance tracks I couldn't help but like. There's something about the message of the songs, too, that appeals to my nostalgic side. I mean, these songs just seemed to be made with her teen fans in mind. "Hero" is also one of my favorites because of it's inspirational message and amazing vocals. I still try and belt along to this one sometimes.

Her Daydream CD's lead single, "Fantasy", was kind of a surprise. I think that was the first time she had some hip-hop in her songs and sampled another song in one of hers. It was a great song, though, and my teenage self loved it. Meanwhile, "One Sweet Day" always makes me bawl like a baby most of the time. It makes me think of my grandmother, who was like a second mom to me. I always thought it was really interesting how she and Boyz II Men were writing pretty much the same song without realizing it until they showed what they had to eachother. I loved "Always Be My Baby" because it was such a fun song and really great to sing along to. My other favorite is "Forever", just because it reminds me of those old 50's ballads for some reason.

So, now Mariah's away from Tommy Motolla and things are really getting shaken up. "The Roof" and "Breakdown" were total shocks to me, but I loved them. From the first beats, I could tell we were gonna see a whole new Mariah.To this day, I'm not sure I like the direction these ended up leading her in, but they're great tracks. Of course, it's not a Mariah CD without some ballads and there were some good ones here. I remember loving "Outside" and "My All" the most. "Outside" even inspired a paper for a music class in college.

Rainbow's actually the last Mariah album I have. Again, not thrilled with how far she's gone in that hip/hop direction. She doesn't seem to show off her voice as much lately. Still, there were a couple here I loved. "Heartbreaker" was just lots of fun to listen to and sing along with and come on- who didn't love the dueling Mariahs video? "Against All Odds" is one of the moments on this CD where you see classic Mariah and it's one of my favorites from the 80s. Mariah's vocals seem to make it even better then it was originally. Finally, couldn't help but love "Cry Baby". Even though I tend to like the songs without such a hip/hop feel, this one still gets to me. Can't explain it, but it does. The video was great, too.

Well, there's some of my favorites from Mariah- now what about you guys? Do you like her more pop-influence songs? Is hip/hop Mariah your favorite? Let me know, it's always fun to hear what other fans think.

by wildangels

VH1 is actually going to be playing music in the afternoon! Tune in between 4 PM eastern and 5 PM eastern tomorrow to see the 100 Greatest Vdeos of the 80's. I think the early days of videos (and video channels) where the best. I remember spending a lot of time as a kid tuning into MTV and loving this new way to enjoy music.

Were the videos kinda cheesy? Oh, yeah. But it also felt like most of them were more fun and creative. It was about doing something new and cool every time. There are still cool videos today, but it kinda feels like something's been lost. Too many of them are set in clubs and parties now and it feels a bit boring. That's why I'm loving Mariah's new video and several of Fergie's. It feels like they're trying to have fun for the most part.

So, tell me about your favorite videos! Have any videos ever helped you like a song more than you did before you saw it? Sound off and let's chat about it.

by wildangels
Who knew? Her new video for "Touch My Body" features her enbracing her inner geek by chasing one around with toy guns and acting kinda goofy. It's pretty different from most of what I've seen from her, so it was kinda cool to watch. Still loving the song, too. The voice is definitely back! Check out the  VH1 Top 20 Countdown when it comes on, cause it's sure to be playing on there soon if it's not already.

by wildangels

Mariah is milking the comeback she acheived with her Emancipation of Mimi CD for all it's worth. Her first single off E=MC2, "Touch My Body", has reached #34 on the charts. It's expected to explode from there as well as a few other tracks from the CD. Early reviews seems to be favoring "That Chick" and "Migrate".

I wasn't sure if I was gonna be into this new era of hers, but after hering the lead song and some of these glowing reviews, I've changed my mind. Mariah appears to be back for the long haul and I'm excited to hear what she's come up with. .

by wildangels

I just read in the "Touch My Body" topic of Pulse that Mariah is debuting the video for the song on BET this week. Check the post for date and time.

I'm curious to see what she's gonna come up with for this one. I just heard the song for the first time the other day and it's pretty good. I guess I wouldn't call it my favorite Mariah song, but it's above quite a  few of the songs she's released lately. The song has a nice r and b sound to it and a nice melody on the chorus that Mariah sounds great on.

Also, for any Instant Star/Alexz Johnson fans out there here's some new info. According to a post by the executive producer of the show, Alexz has, in fact built a MySpace where she's going to keep fans updated on her career. He also said he's heard some of her stuff for the solo CD and it's good. In other updates, he said that the final season of the show will air in June, most likely, and the Soundtrack will closely follow. I wonder if her new label will have the restrictions that Capitol did? Guess we'll have to wait and see...

by wildangels

Well, ole Mimi hasn't disappointed. Fans who were complaining about her CD being titled "That Chick" and curious at the somewhat normal title can rest easy now. According to her official site, the CD is now called E=MC2. (Yes, that's right. She's using a famous equation as an album title!) All I know is, this should make for some interesting interviews...

Meanwhile, check out the bit underneath the annoucement. It's a review for her new single "Touch My Body."

Well, the Music Industry is getting yet another slap in the face. This time, it's a lawsuit. Basically, it's your typical "They didn't pay us", "Yes, we did!" story involving many artist's estates. This is coming at a time when the Industry has been complaining more than ever that sales are down. It's going to be pretty interesting to see how everything plays out.

by wildangels

is apprently the new CD by Mariah Carey. According to Billboard, it's due for an April  1st release and I can't wait. Ok, the title is iffy and the cover I saw (if it's real) is really trashy IMO, but hey: the girl can sing her ass off and I love that.

Mariah has been a favorite of mine ever since she came out with "Vision of Love" in the 90s, and it's been nice to see her (someone with true vocal talent) making it as far as she has. Mimi was a breakthrough after her infamous breakdown period and from the buzz I've seen, this disc should be yet another hit to add to the comeback.