Messageboard

Album thoughts (44,249) by Mara from United States I have been listening to MIAM since it was available for first listen and downloaded both versions off iTunes. I have to say I think it is one of her best albums. I think this album is a vocal album. Sure her voice is a little weaker, but she has been using this voice for 25 years, of course it is not going to sound like when she was 19 years old on VOL or the Daydream album. But taking that into account, she still has the best voice out there. The way she layers her vocals, adds the whistle register and still hits those high notes, there is nobody out there that has that sound. I love reading all these posts and different opinions, and all the new faces on here. We are all here for one reason, our love for MC. I have to disagree when it was said there are no songs like Outside or Petals. Camouflage is right up there IMO of course. I think she poured her heart and soul into that song down to all the different layers and vocals. She put time into that song and boy does it show. The song is just beautiful and everytime I listen to it I get something new. It is so raw. It reminds me a bit of Butterfly. The ending is done beautifully. How many artists put that much time into one song with all the different vocals upon vocals? I think if all of us like at least 2 songs, she did her job. MC has such a mixed group of fans, as we all know everyone wants something different and she aimed to please all of us with this record. I don't care if it does not shoot to the top of the charts if it is an album that is a solid piece of work. And that it is. I really think her hard work, time and effort paid off and it really shows. And I gotta say my love for Meteorite grows everytime I play it too. Some think it's too Madonna or GaGa, but it's so different for Mariah and that's what I love about it. It's got this futuristic sound and it works. All in all I think it's a great album, whether it was a contract obligation or whatever. I can get by with new Mariah material and that makes me happy. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 7:38)

Mariah uplifitng (44,248) by nOVA from USA Yes, on a positive note. This new album is like the vocal Mariah of her first few albums but with the sound of post-Butterfly Mariah. Yes, it sounds like early Mariah but she sings with a soul and conviction that her maturity has given her. It rocks. It's an album of gorgeous songs. I feel like she's just really spoiled me this time. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 7:31)

Re: Adam (44,247) by nikki from usa Yeah, I'm bummed. But, also kinda expected it while hoping for the best. Nobody survives pushing their album back for 2 years and has high sales. Quite frankly, we're lucky it's selling this much because she's been essentially crying wolf for 2 years now. At least with the Christmas album, she promoted it which is more than we can say for this one. Although, all the signs were there. Mariah's allowing us to constantly hear the music and download "singles" but doesn't actually promote them. I sincerely believe after her label didn't back her with Beautiful, she basically said, "Screw it, if you're not going to promote me, why should I bust my butt to make you a buck?" That seems to be the time she decided to make an "artist's artist album", the kind no label would approve of because it's not layered with commercial hits. Plus, if her album sales are low it would be easier to negotiate her way out of her contract early. Once she corrects this "situation" she probably has an arsenal of hits after 5 years of recording. That's my theory at this point. Kick Rocks, Save The Day, Hope Street, etc. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 5:53)

Randy (44,245) by Licia from USA I didn't say anything about the label and promo stuff because I already know this is her get me off this label album. I figured that out a while ago. I can agree that situation with getting away from Columbia turned out better. Although the promo was way better, the album was not though IMO. With the exception of CTTA, TGIFY, Heartbreaker, and Bliss, Rainbow was garbage (in my humble opinion). I think this album is much better than Rainbow. I feel like she put more thought into how she wanted to, present this album to us than she did with Rainbow. I respect the fact that you don't like this album. That's your right. That silver lining statement just rubbed me the wrong way. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 5:08)

New album (44,244) by Robby from Chicago USA I love Faded. Singing with it while driving. This song is so good. Regarding promotion, charts and all that, I think Mariah is no longer interested with that stuff anymore. She just wants to make music for her die hard fans who stayed with her since Day 1. She mentioned this several times on her recent interviews. Of course, it would be great if this album will sell a lot of copies and will produce 3 or 4 #1's to beat the Beatles, but you and I know that it's not gonna happen no matter how hard she tries. This is no longer her era anymore. 24 years in the business is unmatchable and today's music standard is far-fetched from what it was back then during her prime. Let's (die hard lambs) just support her in any way that we could and enjoy everything that she puts out there. I am fan since 1990 (I was 14) but the reality is, everyone gets old. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 5:06)

Mariah Carey the true artistic legend (44,243) by Raden Ratna Kesuma Joe-Yo from Singapore Mariah Carey is the world best international artist, even if she failed to dominate her status in America she is indeed a [...] well known to other countries and they love her soo much. As from now, her current position in iTunes for her new album Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, she dominate #1 in 25 countries. [...] What does she need to prove to all of us here especially the [...]? She has done her prime before she had enough and now she is a legend of her own. Even if she didn't sell as much as before like a hot cakes for the first [...] week, she probably don't care anymore, because she's rich. She just want us to enjoy her music, her true music as a true musician who she is. That's why she came true to herself and doesn't want to follow other trend like all the twinky newbie artist such as Katty Perry, Ciara, Ariana etc. Duhh (roll eyes). Btw it doesn't matter, she's still the one and only, [...] There is nobody diva-ish" or her charismatic poise classic chanteuse like her after Whitney's passing or even Celine. Atleast, can we just enjoy her and her music while she's still with us on earth? (Thursday 29 May 2014; 4:38)

Album as a whole thoughts (44,242) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Never has Mariah taken the word throwback more seriously or literally in any album more than this. It's a slow-burner with only a few single choices - all of them risky, especially in today's musical landscape. There's a Janet Jackson-ish feel of cohesiveness throughout the album, where each song seamlessly segues to the next, sans the unnecessary interludes. Her vocals also sound healthier than they were on MOAIA, and have not been utilized and stretched this much since TEOM. This is also her least commercial yet most age-appropriate release yet. It serves as a lookback at her career - containing at least one song to represent a phase in her musical evolution, spanning her progression from adult contemporary pop, to R&B, to hip-hop, to urban, then retro soul. It ends up sounding like an amalgam of everything she has done before, which isn't bad, but isn't necessarily all good either. Every artist who's blessed to have a career with longevity is bound to release at least one retrospective chronicle of their journey at some point, and for her, if this is it, then it does the job really well. To me, this is on par with TEOM. While it does lack that album's radio-friendly appeal, but trumps it in terms of maturity and introspection. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 4:27)

That number 1 guy (44,241) by Gilbert from USA I went to Target to check to see if they had any more Mariah CDs and that kid's albums were right next to hers. But the idea I had was the reason this kid probably has high sales was because his CD is 7.99 and Mariah's is 16.99. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 4:13)

Randy (44,240) by TR from USA I'm not going to completely disagree with you. I do think MC gave the fans what we wanted. There is a song for each of her billions of fans on this album, and I love that it's a walk through R&B from the 60s all the way to now. I think it's one of the best urban albums she's done, production-wise, outshining E=MC2 and Memoirs IMO. Cry alone does that. In terms of lyrically poignant songs, yeah, Cry tries, but is a little bit weird. (Why would you want to hold each other until you break down in sorrow? "Guess it's selfish of me to just expect that I'm internally happy" - huh?) But the delivery of those lines... phenomenal. Supernatural, her singing "and the beat goes" along with Roc, and her belting notes from here to heaven. Phenomenal. MILG is missing a verse from Stevie (I mean how can you have Wale smothering YDKWTD, but you throw The Stevie Wonder a friggin harmonica?), but it's phenomenal anyway. She's drunk at the start of Dedicated, but it's smooth anyway. If there was one, Camouflage is lyrically in the vein of Petals and Sunflowers. Bottom line, sounds like she had fun and freedom to play. It certainly doesn't feel as rushed as Rainbow did with all those interludes, and Ex-GF, and Did I Do That, haha. Call it a throwaway for the label or whatever, the concept and production are A+. It's definitely as strong as Emancipation (except I do feel she didn't connect with OMT, and the wailing on Heavenly was all over the place and a bit too much for me). (Thursday 29 May 2014; 3:59)

My part (44,239) by Adam from US New member here. I feel like I've done my part. I've promoted Mariah on Facebook. At work. To my friends, family. I have downloaded the deluxe version. Bought the Target edition. Bought physical copies of the explicit deluxe and regular and the clean deluxe and regular. So, I've spent roughly $98 on her CDs. Which is a lot. Granted, not the $1,200 the fan spent on the plane ticket. I'm very disappointed Billboard says her sales are expected to be 65,000 or so. WTF? Has an album ever been that low in sales? Her MCIIY sold 56,000 but that's a holiday album. I am shocked at this low number. I felt for sure she's a lock for #1. Anyone else bummed? (Thursday 29 May 2014; 3:50)

Track-by-track thoughts (44,238) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines C. - Heavy start to the album. The vocals kick in and you know she means business. F - Would not have sounded out of place on MOAIA. "Echo" would have been a better title, though. D - A little bit too on the nose with the nostalgia concept, but works well thanks to the laid back vibe. #B - Flows well with the overall vibe of the album. Most commercial song. T - Sounds straight out of TEOM. The harmonious refrain saves it from being monotonous. MILG - She rarely does doo-wop, but when she does, she nails it every time. YM(E) - Has atmospheric quality that's reminiscent of MOAIA. YDKWTD - Single material, but sounds too sophisticated for radio right now, even with disco throwbacks being in vogue. S - Dembabies are cute, but there's a bit too much giggling in the song that somehow distracts from a stellar vocal performance. M - Another potential single. Her first song in a long while that, even in its original version, already sounds like a remix. C - While the staccatto singing in YM(E) lent a hypnotic effect, here it gives a subtle sense of pleading and longing. M($*/...) - Breezy jam that sounds like it was lifted from Charmbracelet. OMT - Lacks emotional depth of the original. A commendable technical effort, but sounds too pretty to be believable. H(NWT/CGUN) - Would have done much better without the background beats. Her best attempt at gospel since Fly Like A Bird. TAOLG- Would've been a perfect closer to the album only if it didn't already follow two long closing ballads. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 3:29)

I don't, old fans like me (44,237) by javier from chile I was 14 when I heard VOL, I became an instant fan since then, even when I couldn't understand a word of English. I'm 38 now, I still 100% get and support Mariah. What happened to the other fans? It's like they had a crush on her early style of music and never really understood Mariah Carey the artist. MC already wrote many songs like Butterfly: verse, chorus, vers 2, chorus, bridge, final chorus. She might want to try new types of composition. Maybe she believes in following a melody where it leads as a more creative stand for ballads. She maybe understood that she doesn't need to use a thesaurus to be able to express her meaning, she transferred that complexity to her layered voices and runs. The woman is an artist and some people want her to be a music technician. Besides, we can't expect Mariah to have the voice she had in her 20s (because her voice is fragile and she has nodules) but she still has one of the most beautiful, characteristic, complex voices in pop. Can you grasp that? I have even read people saying that she lost her voice 17 years ago. She lost that voice that was ten thousand times better than all other voices yes, but she still has a voice that is one thousand times better than most current singers. Wouldn't you consider it unfair if 25 years into your career you boss would scorn you and made you feel unworthy becasue you are now just 1 time better than the rest and not 3 times better like 25 years ago. Shame on you people. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 3:03)

No Marcel, no (44,236) by Tarraga from New York City You can't say that the majority of people that love the "late" Mariah became fans after Charmbracelet. That is not true at all. If you read my previous message on here you would know that I have been a fan since 1990 and I absolutely love the "new" standard Mariah as you call it. I know lots of people that became fans with Rainbow or TEOM that then would discover the "old" Mariah and were not thrilled, or people that became fans in the 90's but prefer the "new" Mariah, so what? You can't judge people with such unsupported thesis. That's ridiculous. I respect everyone's opinion but when someone tells such nonsense I get irritated. Stop the negativity. Thanks. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 2:50)

Anthony and Marcel (44,235) by Randy from USA Anthony, your reply was awesome. I guess I will agree to disagree with you because you speak so intelligently and aren't coming for me. Marcel I think MC released some amazing material post Charmbracelet so I have to disagree with you. I do think we're outnumbered here as far as not liking the album so that's good for MC at the end of the day. Even my friends like the album and don't understand my position so I guess I'm an outsider. Good luck MC. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 2:44)

The reality of what is going on with MC (44,234) by Luke from italy Lately I found myself scared and excited at the same time when Mariah is about to do something. I say scared because her marketing is completely wrong. Her image is totally OOC, an this is not about being fat or slim, it's about the actual artistic direction of her whole look, starting with the styling, photoshop use, and performances set. Basically the whole art direction around MC is dragging her into the "not cool" box when it would be so easy for her to be in the "cool" one. Not to mention the singles strategy: completely wrong. This said I love almost every song on MIAM, but I also wished things were different for Mariah. Since she dislocated her shoulder her relationship with Nick looks different. His involvement in MOAIA was a lot, in this one it feels like she barely let them babies say "daddy" in Supernatural. Also it's impossible not to think about Nick while listening to Thirsty (worst single choice ever after You're Mine). Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for that because every time Nick was involved in Mariah's music things looked like he was trying to pimp her out without a real high standard, in one word: cheap. Musically speaking MIAM is better than MOAIA and E=MC2 and it takes me back to the real Mariah but at what expense? [censored], as in post Glitter era and her interviews are... well over the top to say the least. It's time for some damage control, label change and someone like Benny Medina to get her back on the cool track. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 2:38)

That's what people don't get Randy (44,233) by Marcel from Montréal, Canada No one try to impose an idea, you and I as the rest are stating our opinions. You've just said that it isn't to you on the same label as some of her previous work, something I agree with. To me, Butterfly back in the day was a total bore, then I happened to love it. Not the best (to me) but love it. The lyrics and prod are on top. Her voice is although barely heard, still in great shape when it showed. This album to me has not any "grown MC lyrics" and her voice obviously is not on top. All the songs have the same sort of beat like JD applied the same script after he got the songs like on Meteorite. It doesn't sounds like the same MC. To me me Meteorite is more GaGa than MC if we're going to extremes. And about the silver thing and others, first I didn't say that then, the 17 years ok, you can't get it because it's not like I'm just "waiting for her for 17 years". I have a life and live it and if MC happens to drop new music then I turn to her to see what's up and then I'm like "ok, nice cut, nice track, it's fine" but have never been amazed as I used when she used to write incredible lyrics and sing with a polished voice. Some or a lot of you have been fans since Charmbracelet or so, that's why I can get you like this, since you grew up listening to her "new" standard. It's different when you grew up used to the previous standard and then this. It seems like "lets finish the contract and stay present without doing much", at least to me. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 2:29)

I love the album (44,232) by Deedre aka MiTodoChop @HBF from Canada I've listened about 4 times through and I think Mariah put together a solid gem. Even as someone who doesn't always groove to her heavier hip-hop influences, there's not one song on this album I would skip over. Yes, her voice may not have the fullness it did 20 years ago, but she can sing. There's no one who can sing like her. Cry sounds like it could have been on Music Box or Daydream vocally. Faded is catchy. Dedicated is so much fun to listen to. Thirsty hooks you in, Make It Look Good is happy and perfect for summer. I don't know how one wouldn't get that chorus along with Stevie's musicianship stuck in their head. YDKWTD is pure fun. How do you not tap your foot to that? Lol. Heavenly is off the charts fantastic - wow. Talk about throwback to 1994. I might even like it more than FLAB which is really saying something. I'm a huge George Micheal fan, and I'm stoked she covered One More Try. I wasn't expecting it to sound like his version. As for the charts. I really have no clue. I'm just happy the album is so solid. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 2:20)

Me... I Am Mariah (44,231) by west@MC from Philippines Well definitely this album is a meteorite. I'm going to buy it today after work. [...] Forget the haters, they will never count you out. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 2:01)

What's with all this negativity? Andrew Crisostomo (44,230) by Tarraga from New York City I have been a fan of Mariah since 1990. I'm 33 years old now and, like Mariah, I have evolved. I don't know if I am a die hard fan, a regular fan or a lamb, but what I know for sure is that I love this woman so much for what she did in the past and still does in the present. Her voice, no matter what the state of it, still is the most beautiful voice in the world, and it shines in every genre she does. If Mariah had kept doing the same big old ballads or big old pop songs people would still complain and accuse her of not evolving. Then, Mariah's voice and music evolve: what do you want from her? She still makes great music and I am positive that she can belt like back in the 90's but she doesn't want to do that anymore nor collaborating with Walter. Why can't some people accept that? Leave the woman alone and if you don't like anything that she does anymore, stop spreading negativity because fans like me, that have been loving the woman since 1990 don't really like negativity. Andrew, I agree with you about Dedicated. It became my favorite song of the album. It is so incredibly amazing, timeless and so 90's. It's on repeat all day long. Lol. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 1:54)

Randy (44,229) by Anthony Basco from Cardiff, Wales I feel many songs are comparable and even exceed some of those you mentioned. I love those songs you mentioned. They have a very special place in my heart as I'm sure they do to many people. You're just still not getting it. This album does not sound rushed, it does not sound juvenile, it does not sound throwaway. It sounds exactly like Mariah and like a Mariah who has taken great interest in the product. The textures in these songs, the minor details, the high notes, the sound effects, the experimentation in this album all screams a Mariah who continues to explore and discover not only her own voice and musicality but also a broader musical landscape. This album sounds like someone growing and flourishing. So I'll respectfully repeat - I get that you aren't a huge fan of it. But there is no evidence and no fact that this is an unfinished, flippant effort. None whatsoever. And I can't help but feel affronted that you keep banding around this notion that what you're saying is the truth. And may I point out, I don't like music because I'm "optimistic" (I don't even know what that means with regards to liking something). I like it because I enjoy what I hear. I think most fans are way way over a smash hit number one album. Most of us just wanted something incredible and I think a lot of fans feel that's what they got. I feel she probably does want to get out of the label, however that doesn't mean she has delivered a sub-par product. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 1:31)

Coldplay (44,228) by enwar00 from usa Coldplay's Ghost Stories is projected to be #1 again next week, and Mariah at #2. Aww. I guess I should buy the album this week for sure. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 1:13)

Bill from UK / EP eligibility (44,227) by cBerr from Canada Thanks for reminding me about "Unplugged". While I did completely forget that it was also an EP - I still feel the same way. EPs are not albums - by their descriptive name alone. They are Extended Play(s) and not Long Play(s). The Billboard 200 is an albums chart. And like I said previously, this has nothing to do with MIAM specifically. I am simply bringing it up because multiple websites/headlines are reading that he is "leading the album sales charts" and it is not fair to those artists who have recently released an actual album (probably of better quality music to boot). (Thursday 29 May 2014; 1:00)

Anthony and Licia (44,226) by Randy from USA Since I'm on vacation, I have time on my hands to debate this. Name one song on this present album that is as poignant lyrically as as Right To Dream, Petals, Butterfly, My All, Outside, Close My Eyes, Looking In or Languishing. I did not say if you liked the album you were forcing yourself to. I was making the point that many fans are overly optimistic and love MC so much that they will like anything she puts out. This is the same board that a few months ago had a member say she could burp on top of a beat and he would buy it. I'm not saying that the album is bad or you shouldn't enjoy it. I'm saying it's not comparable to her previous work. If you like it, amazing. I also pointed out the opportunity to promote this album has been thrown away. And there is probably a reason why. No one discussed that point. Her own website is not promoting the album, it lists her last album under the music link as MCIIY. In addition, TAOLG is really about IDJ not fans who loved previous MC. She does have ballads on this CD. She has said many times she would never abandon her ballads as they are a part of her. She doesn't need Walter A to craft a ballad. I bought the album for $20 full price at Best Buy. I will download Cry and Camouflage on my iTunes and the rest will sit on a shelf collecting dust. I'm waiting for you to point out any song comparable to the above ones. This is a "get me off this label" album. She's done it before. She just did a better job last time. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 0:18)

Article from this day in 1990 (44,225) by Michele from USA I always scroll through the "this day in history" archive on this site, and I read one from this day back in May 1990, when Mariah was filming the video for "Vision Of Love". Look at the description of her: "Now, on a Saturday afternoon in May, on a soundstage in Long Island City, Carey stands on a 40-square-foot platform looking both young-girl gangly and young-chanteuse sexy in a tight black off-the-shoulder Norma Kamali dress." Young-chanteuse. How fitting for today. (Thursday 29 May 2014; 0:08)

Randy (44,224) by Musti from UK I disagree with you that MC is not present on the album. The more I listen to it the more I'm getting a Butterfly feel from it. It's packed with artistic songs, almost entirely lacking in single material, ala Butterfly. I personally love the whole thing. I felt the same about Memoirs when it came out, though now I can see its flaws in retrospect. Perhaps evetually I'll feel the same about MIAM but for now I'm far more satisfied with this than I ever was with Memoirs. However I do agree with you that the lack of promotion and Mariah stating herself that she's not about the "single situation" (no single, no video) probably indicates that the relationship between Mariah and Def Jam is completely strained. I don't think they want to invest a single penny in this album. Perhaps Mariah was aware of this all along, so why bother making an album filled with potential singles that will never see the light of day. Nevertheless, I'm very impressed with the quality of her expression and the album overall. She finally sounds like a grown woman. (Wednesday 28 May 2014; 23:59)

MORE MESSAGES