She still believes
If Whitney Houston hadn't confessed all to Diane Sawyer Wednesday night on ABC, surely television's biggest diva drama this week would have been Mariah Carey deconstructing her own 2001 "meltdown" for Matt Lauer on Tuesday on NBC. The 32-year-old singer downplayed rumors that she'd had a nervous breakdown by explaining that it was exhaustion - not depression, suicidal thoughts or insanity - that led her mom to call 911 in a panic that summer. Carey has talked in other interviews about further pressures, too: a flop film debut, a fizzled relationship with Latin singer Luis Miguel, the unfortunate release date (9-11-01) of her album "Glitter" and the ensuing nasty break up with her new label, EMI (after a previous nasty break up with Columbia, run by her old hubby, Tommy Mottola). But hey, she pulled through. The confident and calm Carey demystified all, letting the air out of each balloon of gossip.
Of course, Houston was still the winner of the week's Tragedy and Tears prize. The singer, who also has a new album due in stores, admitted to Sawyer that she had "partied" in the past with alcohol, pot, cocaine and pills. Still, Carey may come in first when it comes to rising from the ashes. Why? Her new label, Def Jam, is pushing the story of redemption hard on her new album, "Charmbracelet". The back of the CD booklet reads, "I still believe that after every storm a rainbow appears. This album is like a charmbracelet I'm passing down to you. Here's my story..." Corny as a pink teddy bear? Sure, but the preteens now being targeted by the industry love this kind of stuff.
Inspirational notes aside, the lyrics in "Charmbracelet" aren't exactly enlightening, and, in most places, could be basic love and breakup songs off any old sensitive, ballad-heavy album. But the CD has an easy flow that the self-conscious "urban" tunes on "Glitter" didn't, though Carey is still aiming to ditch her VH1 stigma and go BET. For this CD, heavy-hitting producers Jermaine Dupri and the team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis helped guide Carey in a more contemporary R&B direction. On "Boy", she teams up with rapper de jour Cam'ron for a cool, slow jam about a boy that "lifts me up and makes me smile". Here, Carey sings in a steady falsetto rather than climbing her usual impossible scales. It gives the song a relaxed, laid-back appeal in keeping with album's artwork and the new Mariah look - lots of gauzy shirts, flowing satin skirts and soft-focus smiles.
She only attempts to get jiggy in a couple of spots, one being with Jay-Z on the song "You Got Me". It's not quite as embarrassing as her past "street" endeavors, though, because her voice is manipulated into a freaky, high-speed tweet, giving it that old-skool, cartoon appeal. For the rest of the song, she simply busts out her sexy, backup-girl voice (this happens a lot on "Charmbracelet"), showing that even a skilled vocalist like Carey can take a step back. It works, even though it seems like an attempt to keep up with modern-day pop sensations like the much-less talented Ashanti. Jay-Z does his thing - plenty of gruff raps and "Mariah" namechecks.
For the most part, Carey tries to keep things warm and fuzzy. In "I Only Wanted", she does vocal acrobatics over the sound of crashing waves and Spanish guitar. Again, "Charmbracelet" can often be as melodramatic and sappy as a 13-year-old's diary, and the idea here is that Mariah has regained the naiveté that was supposedly lost in the mean world of showbiz. Toward the close of the album, the songs become more and more inspirational. There's a redemptive tune for her dad, asking for forgiveness for all the "hurtful things I've done" and a ballad, "My Saving Grace", a gospel number complete with the church organ. The whole thing ends on the celebratory single "Through the Rain". She sings, "If you keep on falling, don't you dare give in. You will arise safe and sound if you keep pressing on. You'll have everything you need. Believe you will prevail." Mariah comes off as triumphant, though in real life it may be a little early for the singer to claim victory. Only time, and album sales, will tell. (MSNBC.com)
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