Mariah Law part 1752387629

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

No unicorns this time but plenty of dog action:

Something bothers me about this track - I think Mariah builds up the vocal intensity very nicely towards the end, but the music doesn't quite follow the same upward curve. And the way she rhymes 'brothers' with 'grandmothers' kind of sounds like she's taking the p1ss.

Saying that, the blatant sentimentality isn't too bad at all, mainly thanks to the piano verse vs electrofuzz chorus FITE going on in the background.

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I love the grandmothers line! It does sound like she's taking the piss slightly, it undercuts the sentimentality just enough for the tinkly gloopiness not to matter; it's hilarious, you imagine grandmothers who've fallen down the back of the sofa, but it's also still really sweetly sincere - the line about her dad never getting to see her comeback is a true and real "awwww" moment. I like that it's about grieving, but is serene and accepting rather than distressed and abject; it's more like the farewells when you leave school than at a funeral.

There are about 10 better choices of single on E=MC2 though (unless this kind of sentimentality makes it a shoe-in for another No 1 in the US?) - on the one hand this is further evidence of what an amazing hitmaking pop album it is, on the other FFS Mariah release 'Migrate' or 'I'm That Chick' or 'Side Effects' or 'OOC' or 'Cruise Control' already.

[koganbot]

This starts off sounding like it's from what in my book I called the air freshener part of her repertoire, but I'm impressed at how she builds it into an ache. I'd paid no attention to the lyrics or much else about this song until seeing the video, which does a good job of bringing it to attention. I think it's a commercially smart choice for a single, actually, though it's more a third single type than a second single type. But yes, "Side Effects" especially would be the one I'd want to be ubiquitous. But it's too tough to be as big a hit.

[weasel-seeker.livejournal.com]

I don't think that Side Effects is too tough to be a hit. Of the whole album it's the one that's buried itself in my brain and not left yet. It's got a nice bounce to it. Is there a distinct history of Southern-fried crunk ballads not hitting on the charts? I seem to recall them generally getting a good reception, although none as nutso as Mariah's.

Young Jeezy's "AY!"s and his middle eight rap and the return of We Belong Together's overflowing scansion and rhyming patterns and the BRIDGE (forgive but I can't forget,etc.). The constantly switching vocal rhythms. And the epic feel of the chorus. I mean, I guess it's just speculation until they decide to release it, but they'd be dumb not to.

Best of friends and worst enemies

[koganbot]

I think Mariah builds up the vocal intensity very nicely towards the end, but the music doesn't quite follow the same upward curve

I like this, actually; the way she multitracks the vocals, building on one track while keeping the song steady on the other.

Also, the video has a not necessarily intentional Obama subtext (i.e., here's someone displaying white and black grandparents). (Btw, not to derail this thread, but I switched from Hilary to Obama when Hilary started going for the Michigan and Florida delegates, which to my mind is straightup cheating. At this point her behavior is inexplicable, and isn't helping her career much less her party. And I was impressed with how well Obama handled the Jeremiah Wright flap.)

But for songs that celebrate fidelity to family, LeAnn Rimes' "Family" utterly obliterates the competition, since it's all about how totally Lunatic and Dysfunctional the family is. She sang it at ACM so I hope hope hope it's the next single. Right now it's the first song up on her MySpace. I love how dad leaves the family in the lurch to run around with a hussy half his age, then LeAnn lights out with a man twice her own age. ("Ain't it funny how things never change.") All celebrated with ecstatic "woo-hoos." Would have thought it was too loud to be considered, but the ongoing success of Miranda Lambert opens the radio up for this.

Re: Best of friends and worst enemies

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

LeAnn must have been watching Hollyoaks recently! (Dad starts going out with his daughter's mate, daughter gets revenge by bringing home her (married) college lecturer...)

[weasel-seeker.livejournal.com]

RE: 'I'm That Chick'. Specifically around the chorus (And you know you need this mayn), the song starts hitting my "this really sound like a Janet Jackson song" button and I can't place which one. It's been bugging me for a week now. Am I crazy?

That said, she gots that levity.

[koganbot]

Well, I think southern-friend crunk does well for a woman who's identified with crunk like Ciara, but I don't think that that's Mariah's market.

Re: Best of friends and worst enemies

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Obama's speech on race was INCREDIBLE and made me switch back to him too. Though I think I've switched back and forth at least one more time since then anyway, but currently with Obama. Or at least just going "Hillary just GIVE IT UP".

Er anyway yeah, that Mariah dual vocal line thing - it's such a reliable inevitability of all her songs, yet this doesn't diminish its effectiveness in the slightest.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh god it does too - it's one of Janet's mid-90s numbers isn't it. It might be 'All For You'?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Did 'It's Like That' hit No 1? Because that's far tougher and crunkier than 'Side Effects', which beneath the Southern-fried production is as much of a traditional stone-cold classic SONG as 'We Belong Together'.

tbh I really did think there were four obvious singles off the album the very first time I heard it - 'Touch My Body' then 'Migrate' then 'Side Effects' then 'I'm That Chick' then maybe 'Cruise Control' for giggles - and it confuses me that she's deviating from this. Especially as the slated third single is effing 'Love Story', ie the only blah track on the whole album!

[koganbot]

"It's Like That" only hit #16, but it helped to reestablish her. Rhythmically its crunk is deeper than "Side Effects,"' but it's a much smoother vocal (well, except towards the end).

[koganbot]

Btw, I hadn't realized that there was a Scott Storch remix of "It's Like That." (Don't think it works as well as the original.) Also that "It's Like That" uses a Run-DMC sample, but not from "It's Like That."

Re: Best of friends and worst enemies

[weasel-seeker.livejournal.com]

Not to totally derail into politalk, but as a political science and history (American Civil Rights) student, the race speech pretty much pushed all the rights buttons for me. Nuanced, intelligent, on point and ballsy.

[weasel-seeker.livejournal.com]

On further listening, it might be the pre-chorus melody/vocal phrasing from Somebody to Call My Lover (which incidentally rocks a great Ventura Highway sample, although America are kind of guys with guitars, so never mind). Or maybe Doesn't Really Matter? Argh.

I feel like they're all kind of close since they work off a similar (awesome) template, but I'm positive there's a much closer Janet match. Either that or a Platonic ideal of all these songs that doesn't actually exist.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah you're right about 'Someone To Call My Lover'! I always loved the guitar line, but never knew it was a sample. Also I don't know why I assumed that and 'All For You' were mid-90s...they were 2001, and I was aware of them then, but I guess r&b was all about being hyper-futuristic Timba/Neps stuff, so I didn't pay as much attention to Janet's gorgeously undemonstrative lightness as I should have.

I think 'I'm That Chick' itself might be the Platonic ideal of the breezy summer bliss r&b number! If only because that's what it wants to be so much.