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Mariah Carey – “I Want To Know What Love Is” [Download]

I was sitting here jammin’ to Nikka Costa’s latest one…and had to turn it down to listen to this foolishness LOL! FAIL!

Anyway, I’m sure ya’ll already know what I think. Mariah Carey has become a caricature of herself. She turns in a decent performance, but it’s sure to be a future let-down because I don’t think she can re-create it live and if she does, it’ll surely be lip-synched and the backup singers WILL be earning their pay.

She turns in a schmaltzy overdone version of Foreigner’s classic song (which was once derided back in the 80’s anyway). She uses her Mariah Carey-esque “vocal dynamics” to give us the impression that she is really feeling it. I’m sure she pictured Nick Cannon through the studio glass while she recorded a la Beyonce’/Jamie Foxx’s “Listen” in Dreamgirls.

Of course she kicks the whistle notes (or what’s left of them) into high gear toward the end of the song so that she doesn’t have to sustain them as long throughout the rest of the song. And this sums up Mariah Carey’s career as of late. Saving the last bit she has til’ the end. Histrionics do NOT equal singing.

If you want real singing, please divert your attention away from this chick and hit up that Ledisi album!

Mariah Carey – “Obsessed”

Wow.

This is what we get as the great return of Mariah Carey? It truly is a wrap. And to add insult to injury, the song is a “diss” song or kiss-off song to Eminem apparently? Don’t she got money that’s way longer than him!? She needs to quit!

The fact that Mariah has given in to auto-tune on the high notes towards the end of the song doesn’t bode well. It’s a song typical of the Mariah template — histrionics at the end, catchy (barely) hip-hop beat and lots of lyrical posturing and posing.

I wasn’t expecting much better honestly, and when the cover leaked, I figured that we’d be getting something sexy and upbeat. But…this song falls so far below my expectations that I think it’s just about time to throw it in the towel with my love for Mariah. Her voice just ain’t what it used to be, and apparently neither is her ear. She’s Mariah, she can do what she wants, and maybe the next single will redeem her.

But I doubt it.

And as far as The-Dream and Tricky, this track is so phoned in…and I’m not even going to talk about the “remix” with the Gucci Mane verses on it. I WILL NOT.