Lambs, the perfect Mariah Storm is brewing. The Mariah's World docuseries is on its way. "Mariah Appreciation Season" (FKA Christmas) is practically here. And our queen has announced she's already working on a new album. That can only mean one thing: Complete. Mimi. Domination. All of us want her new musical era to provide epic body-touching, emancipation-making, melisma-inducing realness. Here are the the eight musical moments that will get us there.
1. Festive banger moment
"I came to have a party." Mariah's lambs like festivity, it's inherent in their love of all things Mimi. That's why this album should 100 percent (see: Olympics) kick off with a club banger a la "It's Like That". That was her 2000s-era party song, and we're ready for 2.0.
2. Anthem moment
"When you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong." Somewhere in the mid-'90s, Mariah cemented her role as "fervently inspirational songstress", likely with the omnipresent iconic ballad "Hero", continuing through the late '90s with "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" and, the biggest ballad of the 2000s to date, "We Belong Together". It's time to revisit this role with some new material. It doesn't have to be single-worthy; even the likes of "Outside" are flawless.
3. Collaborative moment
"Me and Mariah go back like babies with pacifiers." Mariah invented the crossover pop/R&B collaboration with ODB on "Fantasy" so it's only fitting she continues her legacy with a 2016 take on "I Know What You Want" meets "Say Something (feat. Snoop Dogg)".
4. Shady Mimi moment
"And I was like... why are you so obsessed with me?" Mariah is, among other things, the ultimate thrower of shade. The brevity and artfulness of her shade will be studied in college classrooms for years to come, so let's indulge in more "Obsessed"/"Clown" moments.
5. Jazz moment
"If you really need me, baby just reach out and touch me." Subtle Invitation - listen and learn.
6. Lyrical domination moment
"This is Oprah Winfrey whole segment for real." No artist is more well-versed in adverb usage than Mariah Carey (see: unfailingly, abandonedly), but she also has a knack for penning a mouthful of lyrics made for Olympic-level karaoke contests (see "Touch My Body": "all up in my business like a Wendy interview"). Throw in the full-stop lyrical turn-up power of "We Belong Together" ("throwing things, cryin', tryin' to figure out where the hell I went wrong") and you have the perfect blueprint for her next showstopping jam.
7. Cover moment
"And you coming back to me is against the odds, and that's what I've got to face." Just call her Mariah "Master of Covers" Carey. From her first U.K. No. 1 "Without You" (originally Harry Nilsson) to Rainbow's "Against All Odds" (Phil Collins) and her timeless take on the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There", she has the uncanny ability to pick up a hit and drop off another. Also worth noting, her version of Def Leppard's "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" received praise from lead singer Joe Elliott.
8. "The Voice" moment
"Treated me kind, sweet destiny." An ode to Mariah's 2005 comeback. Leading into the release of The Emancipation of Mimi, L.A. Reid dubbed her "The Voice" in her street campaign, culminating with the release of her single "We Belong Together", a 14-week No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Vision of Love", "Mine Again" and the fan-favorite "Vanishing" prove there is always a hunger for more belting, full-bravado Mimi.
(Billboard)
|
|
