[Review] Mariah Carey feat. Rick Ross & Meek Mill - Triumphant (Get 'Em)

I'll tell you this right now, I am NOT loving the new Mariah Carey single. While I don't abhor it, I was expecting a lot more from the lead single off Mimi's first album of all original material in nearly three years.  The overwhelming consensus (and I'm inclined to agree with the majority) seems to be that "Triumphant (Get 'Em)" doesn't sound like a Mariah Carey song, rather a Rick Ross song FEATURING Ms. Mariah Carey.  For shame!

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Hot Video Alert: Mariah Carey - Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)

"Does anybody really know the words?" Mariah Carey asks in the middle of her New Years Eve dance anthem, "Auld Lang Syne (The New Years Anthem)." Oh Mariah. What happened? Before I discuss the song let's first talk about the cheapo video that we're presented with.  I don't understand what happened?  Did she break the bank with the "Oh Santa!" video?  I don't remember that one being too spectacular, out of this world either but MAN. This video takes the (cheap) cake. This is the saddest excuse for a music video that I've seen in quite some time. Standing in front of a screen with projected fireworks shooting all over the place, I am brought back to Katy Perry's "Firework" video, which was actually kind of cool...visually speaking. I mean hello! Fireworks shooting out of Katy's breasts! This video has none of that.  This video just has Mariah meaninglessly flailing her arms about as she does her riffs and sings the chorus of the song over and over again against a dance beat.

"Auld Lang Syne (The New Years Anthem)" is the second single to be lifted off of Mariah's new Christmas record, Merry Christmas II (which peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200)You, following the moderately successful "Oh Santa!" which went on to peak at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart as well as on the Billboard Holiday Digital Songs chart.  Mariah's version of the Robert Burns poem is just cheap sounding and the video makes it cheap looking.  I may be stating the obvious here but her vocal acrobatics just aren't what they used to be.  That being said, she holds her own as best she can. Overall - not a fan.  This song is clearly Mariah's attempt to cash in on the lack of any real solid New Years Eve dance anthems. Enter Mariah Carey and a trash-tastic dance version of an old classic.  NEXT!  At least we have remixes brought to you by Ralphi Rosario and Johnny Vicious.

Check out Mariah Carey on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//VEVO

Hot Video Alert: Mariah Carey - I Want To Know What Love Is

Sure the new Mariah Carey video is a bit cheesy. I still think it's a very nice cover version and Mariah sounds (and looks) absolutely beautiful.

Massive Album Artwork Update

OK...putting up a quick album artwork update while I have some computer access. Currently I'm in the Chicago burbs at my parents place...the tail end of a week long vacation that took me from Boston to Corvallis (Oregon) then to Portland and now, sweet home Chicago. I didn't really do TOO much shopping but while in Portland I stumbled upon a cute little indie music shop (Jackpot Records) and bought a couple of Girl Talk CDs (partially to prepare for November's show). I really fell in love with Portland on this trip. What a GREAT city. Lots of great shops, hipster boys around every corner and amazing food and coffee.

I'll be back in Boston on Monday night and blogging (semi) regularly from then on. For now, here's some cool new album artwork to keep you busy, courtesy of the always helpful Coverlandia and Covermania teams. In interest of getting a good night's sleep tonight...I will be posting three words that describe the album artwork, rather than my usual 1-2 paragraphs of commentary. Sometimes brevity is better.

La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (SINGLE): Stoic, Regal, Elizabethan

Beyoncé - Broken-Hearted Girl (SINGLE): Sexy, Diva, Vixen

Beverley Knight - Beautiful Night (SINGLE): Classy, Stunning, Strong

Anouk - For Bitter Or Worse (ALBUM): Dirty, Raunchy, Erotic

Wale - Attention Deficit (ALBUM): Innocent, Creative, Retro

Luis Fonsi - Tu Amor (EP): Alluring, Mysterious, Sexy

Tokio Hotel - Humanoid (ALBUM): Unoriginal, Futuristic, Robotic

Carrie Underwood - Play On (ALBUM): Smoldering, Sweet, Suburban

Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (ALBUM): Rebellious, Hollywood, Vintage

Robbie Williams - Bodies (SINGLE): Bad-ass, scruffy, Sexy

Shakira - She Wolf (ALBUM): Barbarella, Sequined, Animalistic

Madonna - Celebration (ALBUM): Retro, Iconic, Poptastic

Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet (SINGLE): Jazzy, Classic, Suave

Leona Lewis - Happy (SINGLE): Free-spirited, Fun-loving, Fiery

Mariah Carey - I Want To Know What Love Is (SINGLE): Uninspired, Plain, Lacklustre

Basshunter - Bass Generation (ALBUM): Euro-trashy, Airbrushed, Tease

Natalie Imbruglia - Come To Life (ALBUM): Natural, Wide-eyed, Ingenue

Natalie Imbruglia - Want (SINGLE): Bold, Loud, Floral

Beyond Bleeding?

Today's question...can Leona Lewis have a proper second single in the U.S.? My vote is...ABSOLUTELY! If her record label throws as much into it's promotion as they did with "Bleeding Love." Upon hearing the song by itself, I honestly never would have guessed that a beautiful, heart-achy love ballad would ever top the Billboard Charts. In recent years, the U.S. charts haven't really embraced pop music. U.S. radio is very urban-oriented these days. Had "Bleeding Love" been given some sort of an R&B remix--then yeah, with some good promotion, I could have predicted that the single would do alright. But #1 on it's own with no urban twist? Outstanding! You can tell how much Clive Davis, Simon Cowell, and the label believe in Leona as a star. It sort of makes you wonder why labels don't invest more into other fantastic artists (AHEM--P!NK!) who put out fantastic albums. $$$$$$$ would be the reason.


Now back to the topic at hand. Can Leona have another proper hit single in the U.S.? Right now, the label is being smart and letting the success of "Bleeding Love" (still doing well on the charts) wane before pushing a new single onto the American airwaves. The label is also being smart and not releasing another chintzy ballad as a second single. "Better In Time," definitely a beautiful song, and probably a good third single, is not the right choice for a second single here in the U.S., in my opinion. While it made it to #2 on the UK charts, I don't think it would do very well in the U.S. We need to hear what else Leona can do. Time for the urban-infused pop jam, and if rumors are to be believed, Akon-penned jam "Forgive Me" is the second U.S. single. Also produced by Akon, this track is a hot one. It has a very old-school Mariah vibe going on and it's up-tempo and lots of fun!

With no release date set yet for second single, hopefully the label will continue to ride out the success of "Bleeding Love" and release the new single once all the excitement has subsided. Leona is a deserved star and I hope only the best for her.