Any Mariah Carey fans out there?

[my chicken is infected]

I'm not impressed with the single. I'll give the album a chance, but I don't expect much. Many artists have followed up an exceptional Christmas album with another good one, but many others have failed to match their predecessors. (I'm looking at YOU, Barbra Streisand, and your boring Christmas Memories album, which had none of the electricity and vibrancy of her glorious original album, A Christmas Album.)

However, all the talk of the new one made me finally get my butt to the Amazon Marketplace and order her original Christmas album, as I lost my tape many moons ago and have tried in vain to find it again many times since. Good price, too - at 50 cents, the shipping was 6 times more than the disc itself. And the album is flawless. Flaw. less. Short and sweet, doesn't dawdle around in one tempo/style long enough to get boring, etc. Definitely reminded me why this has earned a place as one of my favorite Holiday albums, along with Barbra's original Christmas album, Christmas With The Chipmunks, Bing Crosby's timeless Merry/White Christmas album, and Celine Dion's superb disc.

[AwallaceUNC]

I'm planning to hold off until November 1 before listening to the new single, as tempting as it is to listen now.

Oh and Aaron, great Beauty and the Beast review! (I would post it in the actual BATB thread but the "colors" talk bores me to tears...)

Thank you! I appreciate that! Thanks for reading it.

[AladdinFan]

http://www.popeater.com/2010/10/01/mari ... -premiere/

[Poody]

So, what do you all think of her new Christmas album? I LOVE it... and I think it's the best thing she's put out since Emancipation.

[AwallaceUNC]

So, what do you all think of her new Christmas album? I LOVE it... and I think it's the best thing she's put out since Emancipation.

I'd go back further and say it's the best since Daydream. I've listened to it a few times now and am really impressed. While not on par with Merry Christmas (not that I'd expected it to be), the new album is a worthy successor. Mariah hasn't sounded this good on an album in years, or live either, for that matter -- the live recording of "O Holy Night" features the best vocals on the CD. Even the lead single, "Oh Santa", which I initially hated in the online preview, sounds great on the CD (when hot heavily compressed in a low-quality online stream) and has grown on me.

[MutantEnemy]

It's great! So glad people are enjoying it. My favorite track is "One Child" Sounds lifted off the original "Merry Christmas" album!

As much as I would like to keep it hidden, I should point out Aaron that this "new" rendition of "O Holy Night" is from 2000, just so there isn't any misrepresentation of her voice. Doesn't change the quality of the song though.

[AwallaceUNC]

As much as I would like to keep it hidden, I should point out Aaron that this "new" rendition of "O Holy Night" is from 2000, just so there isn't any misrepresentation of her voice. Doesn't change the quality of the song though.

Yeah I just read the liner notes this afternoon and saw the 2000 date. That makes a little more sense.

[Poody]

Even the "2000" version of O Holy Night features mostly vocals from 1994 I still prefer that version.

I went to the tape of her new Christmas special on Saturday! It was awesome! It was amazing seeing Mariah perform live with her mother also!

[AwallaceUNC]

Even the "2000" version of O Holy Night features mostly vocals from 1994 I still prefer that version.

There are parts that sound like playback, but a good portion of it clearly isn't, and those parts still sound really fantastic.

I went to the tape of her new Christmas special on Saturday! It was awesome! It was amazing seeing Mariah perform live with her mother also!

How did she sound?

[Poody]

^Mariah or her mother? Both were amazing! haha!

[MutantEnemy]

It has been a long time since the last update.

Mariah has a new single out from her fourteenth (!) as yet untitled album, called #Beautiful feat. Miguel. It is a fantastic new song and is currently #6 in the iTunes store and the video has also been released. This is an exciting new direction for Mariah and hopefully a sign of things to come.

From Billboard w/e 5-18-13:

"#Beautiful" Mariah f/ Miguel
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #44 (Hot Shot Debut)
Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles: #4 (Debut)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #39 (Debut)

http://youtu.be/oe1wtkkt9-E

[universALLove]

I love the song so much already I've been playing it a lot. It's probably my favourite single from her since The Emancipation Of Mimi era. She looks beautiful in the video as well, I swear she doesn't age!

[Disney's Divinity]

Yeah, I like the song. Does anybody know if "Almost Home" will be on the album (whenever it comes out)? With those two songs on it, I'll most likely buy it.

[universALLove]

Yeah, I like the song. Does anybody know if "Almost Home" will be on the album (whenever it comes out)? With those two songs on it, I'll most likely buy it.

No official track listing has been confirmed yet or even a rumoured one. Personally, I don't think it will make the main album because the song is for a soundtrack but my guess is that it'll be included as a bonus track on a "deluxe" version. A lot of artists release a standard and deluxe version of their album these days, will.i.am also included a track he did for "The Great Gatsby" soundtrack on the deluxe version of his new album, which makes me think if "Almost Home" does get included it'll be the same way.
I'm also fairly confident "Triumphant" won't be included seeing as it royally flopped.

[Disney's Divinity]

Yeah, I read that about "Triumphant." I actually haven't heard that song though. I've had her #1's compilation for several years, but "Almost Home" and American Idol made me check her out more. I got one of those triple features that had Charmbracelet, The Emancipation of Mimi, and E=MC2 (and a nice poster of the Emancipation cover, which is gorgeous by the way). I decided to listen to Emancipation first since I read that was her comeback album, and I was obsessed with "We Belong Together" for quite a while earlier this year, wondering why I had never heard this song before. I'm trying to pick up all her albums as I get the chance. I've been trying to collect the albums I always wanted to get, but had to put off because of money considerations before now. I haven't picked up the Christmas albums yet (even though her version of "AIWfCIY" is one of my--if not the--favorite song at Christmastime) just because I only buy them around that time of year.

[Disney's Divinity]

Just wanted to mention, if any Mariah fans here hadn’t heard already, that the new album, titled The Art of Letting Go, will be released on July 23rd, 2013. “#Beautiful” (feat. Miguel) is the lead single, of course. Hopefully “Almost There” will be included on the album as well, as a bonus track at least.

[my chicken is infected]

I hope if Triumphant is included, it's one of the dance remixes. They were hugely successful in the clubs, reaching #1 on Billboard's dance chart, and had great vocals and, best of all, no rappers instead of mostly rappers and a little bit of Mariah. Beautiful is an ok song - not great for a lead single, but not bad. And I hope Almost Home is on the album too, even if it's just a deluxe edition bonus track, cuz it sucks that it's only available in lossy versions. I'm just hoping her vocals are strong on this CD. And not compressed and processed like in Almost Home. Great song, but I wish they'd left her vocals alone, even if it meant they might not be perfect, because they made them sound hollow. I know sometimes even her untouched vocals can have a hollow feeling, but the processing they did just made it worse.

[MutantEnemy]

Just wanted to mention, if any Mariah fans here hadn’t heard already, that the new album, titled The Art of Letting Go, will be released on July 23rd, 2013. “#Beautiful” (feat. Miguel) is the lead single, of course. Hopefully “Almost There” will be included on the album as well, as a bonus track at least.

The Art of Letting Go has been pushed back to an unknown date to add more meaningful songs which will deliver a better final product, which I fully support.

[Disney's Divinity]

Listening to the new album right now. Honestly, I wish she'd kept the title 'The Art of Letting Go,' because the song of the same name is one of my favorites on the album, personally. I'm enjoying it for the most part. It may just be that I came to the Mariah train late that her newer albums work for me more, even though her earlier albums have a more classic sound to them.

[DisneyFreak5282]

Listening to the new album right now. Honestly, I wish she'd kept the title 'The Art of Letting Go,' because the song of the same name is one of my favorites on the album, personally. I'm enjoying it for the most part. It may just be that I came to the Mariah train late that her newer albums work for me more, even though her earlier albums have a more classic sound to them.

You're not alone. I became a Mariah fan in 2008, and I really prefer her work from 2001 and onward (though Glitter and Charmbracelet don't rank very high for me). I just think her work from the '00s on is more fun. Not to dismiss any of her early work, it's got some great stuff and it's what made her. Then again I might be a little biased because I don't know it all that well.

As for The Elusive Chanteuse, I think it's a solid entry into her catalogue, being a big step up from Memoirs, especially lyrically. That being said, I don't think it's as good as E=MC². Overall, it's a very long album. I prefer shorter albums, 10 songs minimum and 14 maximum. Even if they had trimmed down the length of several songs the length wouldn't bother me as much. My favorites are "Meteorite", "Money ($*/...)", "Make It Look Good" and "You're Mine", among others.

I think the inclusion of the remixes for "Betcha Gon' Know" and "It's A Wrap" is a bit of a lazy move on her team's part, seeing as we've known of their existence for almost 5 years. They would have been better off saving these for a second Remix collection or as part of a collection of previously unreleased material. I would have rather seen "Triumphant" and "Almost Home" in place of the two remixes.