MARIAH CAREY GOES KARAOKE

MARIAH CAREY GOES KARAOKE *** Mariah Carey turns karaoke queen for her latest album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. We had a first listen to six tracks but almost choked on our pink cupcake as we heard her belt out Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is. *** We can see the children's choir on stage already. The rest is classic Mariah with R&B tracks Candy Bling, Standing O and Impossible and a biting tribute to Eminem with Obsessed. (Mirror)

PREVIEW: MARIAH CAREY

PREVIEW: MARIAH CAREY

*** I've had a sneaky preview of six tracks from 40-year-old Mariah Carey's new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, out on September 14. Her 12th opus boasts collaborations with artists including The-Dream, 27, and Timbaland, 38. Here's my verdict so far:
****Candy Bling: A melodic, mid-tempo soul shaker with understated vocals that leave you thoroughly detoxed. Not the booty-trembling hip-hop anthem you'd expect from the title. 4/5
****Obsessed: The hard-hitting yet elegant lead single has MC declaring: "It must be the weed, it must be the E, 'cause you be poppin', you get it poppin'." Eminem bating? Possibly - but definitely biting. 4/5
****H.A.T.E. U: Mariah has invited fans to guess the meaning of the track's initials, but it's clear it stands for a lady in love as she purrs through a hypnotic, musical aphrodisiac. 4/5
****Standing O: The O is officially for ovation but, given the intimacy of this tune, it must be a double entendre. A toe-tapper but not quite a show-stopper. 3/5
****Impossible: MC loves you "like a milkshake", although the melody isn't quite as full-flavoured as you'd hope. 2/5
****I Want To Know What Love Is: Foreigner's cheesy 80s signature power ballad, given the Carey the Carey treatment and complete with choir and karaoke climax. It's a great re-work. 5/5

(Daily Star)

MARIAH CAREY'S NEW LP GETS THE BIZ REVIEW TREATMENT

MARIAH CAREY'S NEW LP GETS THE BIZ REVIEW TREATMENT *** Mariah used to be on fi-ah. But no longer. While UK Brrrap pack artists such as Tinchy Stryder and DJ Ironik take soul and R'n'B in exciting new directions, veteran Carey is left looking tired and irrelevant. No more so than on new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. *** I was played a selection of tracks from the CD, due on September 14, and they left me feeling that the diva has run out of steam. The collection has been billed as her most personal so far, harking back to the sound of her mid-Nineties heyday. But its reliance on bland, dated-sounding, dreary R'n'B bored me to tears. *** Cliched lyrics about things being better "back in the day" and loving someone like "Kool Aid" don't help either. A cover of Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is was competent at best. And with little of her trademark vocal pyrotechnics on display I can't find much to recommend what I heard. *** There's still more tracks to finish before the album hits the shelves. I just hope they're not as bad as the one's she's already handed in... (The Sun)

MARIAH CAREY TO RELEASE COLLECTOR'S SET

MARIAH CAREY TO RELEASE COLLECTOR'S SET

*** Mariah Carey fans who go to the store to pick up her new album on September 15 better bring extra cash. Island Def Jam will release a three CD collector's set the same day as Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Rap-Up.com has learned. The box set will include the songbird's first three Island albums, 2002's Charmbracelet, 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi, and 2008's E=MC2, and be sold at a special low price. The packaging will have space for a fourth CD (hint, hint).
*** In addition, those who purchase the collector's set will receive a Mariah poster to remind them of all the money they just spent.

(Rap-Up)

NICK CANNON CLAIMS "OBSESSED" IS ABOUT HIM, NOT EMINEM

NICK CANNON CLAIMS "OBSESSED" IS ABOUT HIM, NOT EMINEM

*** Despite what you might think about Mariah Carey's single and video for "Obsessed" being directed at Eminem, when the singer made an appearance Wednesday night on husband Nick Cannon's show "America's Got Talent", Cannon used it as another chance to insist the song isn't about Em.
*** "I don't care what nobody say, that song is about me, because I am obsessed with this beautiful girl right here," Cannon said on the show after Carey performed the controversial track. "This beautiful woman next to me has more #1 hit singles than any single artist in the world. How do you do it?"
*** After Carey clarified that the Beatles have more hit singles than her, Cannon added, "We ain't worried about them, because it's all about Mariah right now. She's modest, she's beautiful. Ladies and gentlemen, my soul mate, Mariah Carey."
*** Cannon had been angling to get Carey on the show since its premiere earlier this summer. "They keep asking me that - I don't know. It's a possibility. She loves the show," he told MTV News in June. "She has a hot new album coming out. It's the hottest show on TV, so why wouldn't that work out? So hopefully the timing works out and she does get to come represent."
*** He also had previously mentioned that he thought the song was about him when he spoke to us while promoting "AGT". "I always say I thought the record was about me, 'cause I'm obsessed with my wife," he said. "But if somebody's out there and you feel like you might have been obsessed, then the record's about you."

(MTV News)

NICK WELCOMES "SOULMATE" MARIAH TO AMERICA'S GOT TALENT

NICK WELCOMES "SOULMATE" MARIAH TO AMERICA'S GOT TALENT

*** Wednesday brought the first night of live eliminations on America's Got Talent, when 12 quarterfinalists, who performed Tuesday, were cut down to just five acts. High-flying basketball crew Acrodunk, Drew Thomas Magic and country crooner Kevin Skinner were the first three to make the semi-finals.
*** Then, AGT welcomed Mariah Carey, host Nick Cannon's wife, to the stage to perform her new single "Obsessed", off her upcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. "I don't care what nobody say, that song is about me because I am obsessed with this beautiful girl right here," Cannon said as his wife finished her song. "This beautiful woman next to me has more No. 1 hit singles than any single artist in the world. How do you do it?"

*** "Well, there's a group that has more," she said, referring to the Beatles. "And clearly, we can't touch them." "We ain't worried about them because it's all about Mariah right now," Cannon replied. "No, no. This is your show," she said to her husband. "I'm just so happy to be here."

*** "She's modest, she's beautiful," a proud Cannon continued. "Ladies and gentlemen, my soulmate Mariah Carey." Then, it came down to just two more spots in the semi-finals and the first went to 75-year-old stand-up comedienne Grandma Lee, who got choked up when she got the news. The second, between 14-year-old singer Thia Megia and dancer Arcadian Broad, 13, would be the judges' choice.
*** In a split decision, Broad, who played the piano and danced to "Footloose" the night before, was selected to move on to the next round of competition, getting votes from judges Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff while Piers Morgan's vote went to Megia.

(People)

MARIAH CAREY PREVIEWS NEW SONGS

MARIAH CAREY PREVIEWS NEW SONGS

*** Mariah Carey's latest songs, from her new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, were previewed in London. While the Grammy-winning star wasn't in the capital to show off her new tracks in person, Matt Voss, Island Def Jam's senior vice president, introduced the newly completed six songs to reporters at the Langham hotel.
*** "LA Reid and Mariah thank you for taking the time to listen to Mariah's first finished tracks - there's loads more to come, it's a contemporary but evocative classic Mariah Carey album," he said.

(The Press Association)

MARIAH CAREY: "OBSESSED" IS DEFINITELY NOT A FLOP

MARIAH CAREY: "OBSESSED" IS DEFINITELY NOT A FLOP

*** Despite continuous claims that Mariah Carey's new single "Obsessed" is a flop, the single has been rising steadily at iTunes and continues to gain airplay impressions nationwide. The song originally debuted at number 11 on Billboard's Hot 100, then dropped to number 20 and climbed back to number 17 last week.

*** This column was one of the first that heralded the single as a flop, but we put our foot down way too soon. When a single by a big artist is first released, the die-hard fans buy a lot of copies the first week. Thus, Mariah had a huge spike of sales that made her debut at number 11.
*** After first week sales level off, the song either drops completely off the charts or drops and slowly climbs its way back up if the rest of the general public like the song. After dropping out of the top 20 in iTunes, Mariah has made her way up to as high as number 14. It is quite possible that the song will rise up to the top 5 again on iTunes. Mariah will most likely score another top ten single.
*** Despite our admitting that we called "flop" way too early, it is still obvious that Mariah is in need of a makeover. The song isn't the huge number one smash people expected and several fans and non-fans have said they are growing tired of Mariah's hoochie mama act. In any case, Mariah is making more money than all the people reading this column put together so perhaps we should just let her be.

(Examiner)

NICK EXCITED TO SHARE AMERICA'S GOT TALENT WITH MARIAH

NICK EXCITED TO SHARE AMERICA'S GOT TALENT WITH MARIAH *** Nick Cannon is not the only one excited to see his wife Mariah Carey perform on America's Got Talent Wednesday night. "I see paparazzi pictures of them all over the place, but very rarely do you see them interact together," executive producer Jason Raff tells People of Carey's performance Wednesday on the live results show. "I have a lot of anticipation to see her perform, but also to see her interact with Nick." *** As for Cannon, "He's really excited to share his primetime show with his wife," Raff says. "He's always so proud of her. He always talks about her." Cannon, 28, is in the middle of his first season hosting AGT while Carey is promoting her new single, "Obsessed", off her upcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. *** "The fact that they live in the same house certainly doesn't hurt the situation," Raff says of booking Carey for the show. "But it's about [the timing]. It's never something that we talked to Nick directly about. It's never like, 'Do you think you can ask your wife if she doesn't mind coming on to perform?' We went through our normal channels." *** In short: "She was thrilled to do it," Raff says. Could America be witnessing the second coming of Sonny and Cher with Cannon and Carey? "They can be the first family of variety," Raff jokes. (People)

OBSESSED EXTENDS MARIAH'S LEAD IN TOP 40 HISTORY Mariah Carey makes her 29th appearance on the Mainstream Top 40 radio airplay chart as "Obsessed" de

OBSESSED EXTENDS MARIAH'S LEAD IN TOP 40 HISTORY *** Mariah Carey makes her 29th appearance on the Mainstream Top 40 radio airplay chart as "Obsessed" debuts at No. 39, extending her lead for most overall chart entries in the tally's nearly 17-year history. She is now three titles ahead of second-place holder Madonna (26). *** On Tuesday, August 4, Mariah's "Obsessed" music video reached the #1 spot on BET's 106 & Park Top 10 Live video countdown. Keep voting for the video here. (MariahCarey.com)

SUPERSTARS TO MAKE JACKO TRIBUTE ALBUM

SUPERSTARS TO MAKE JACKO TRIBUTE ALBUM

Madonna, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Robbie Williams are among the host of big names planning to record a charity disc of Jacko's greatest hits. Other world-famous acts taking part include Whitney Houston, Usher and Brit schoolboy sensation Shaheen Jafargholi, with legends Stevie Wonder, 59, Diana Ross, 65, and Lionel Richie, 60, also expected to lay down tracks.
The idea came about after a succession of stars sung cover versions of the singer's hits at his memorial service. Producers are asking the stars to perform their favourite Jacko songs. Mariah, 39, will sing I'll Be There and Britain's Got Talent star Shaheen, 12, who wowed fans at the Los Angeles memorial with his version of Who's Loving You, will be asked to record that track and Jacko's 1970s smash Ben.
Madonna, 50, could be tempted by Beat It or Billie Jean, while other songs expected to be covered include Rock With You, She's Out Of My Life and Bad. And Robbie, 35, is being lined up to sing Man In The Mirror amid reports his former Take That bandmates could cover ABC, Working Day And Night or Don't Stop Til You Get Enough.
A source revealed last night: "The idea came from the memorial concert. Many fans asked if cover versions would be released and it seemed a wonderful idea. Some the biggest stars in the world have indicated they'd like to take part to pay their own respects and tribute to the King of Pop. This covers album is sure to be a massive worldwide hit with fans and could raise a fortune for Michael's favourite charities."
Robbie, 35, revealed yesterday he has already been working on a tribute to Jacko - who died suddenly on June 25, aged 50 - on his own new studio album. "It's all so very sad," he said. "I couldn't get a lyric to fit on one of the new songs, so when Michael passed away I rewrote it with him in mind."
It has already been revealed that Robbie and Whitney, 46, have been asked to play some of the O2 Arena dates that had been pencilled in for Jacko's 50-gig run at the London venue. A live tribute concert is also being planned at the venue, involving the singer's family and other guests, on what would have been his 51st birthday on August 29.

(Daily Star)

SNEAK PEEK TO MARIAH CAREY'S PERFORMANCE

SNEAK PEEK TO MARIAH CAREY'S PERFORMANCE

***Footage showing Mariah Carey's upcoming performance at "America's Got Talent" has emerged. The performance was pre-taped on August 2 and will be aired at the reality TV show, which is hosted by her husband Nick Cannon, on August 5.
***Mariah, who wears a black one-off shoulder, is seen performing her brand new single "Obsessed" with companions from several male backing dancers. During the taping, her black-and-white pictures are featured on huge screen behind her.
***Mariah Carey has released "Obsessed" as the lead single from her upcoming studio album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel". The new effort is set to arrive in U.S. market on August 25 and will feature ads from upscale brands like Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens, Le Metier de Beaute and the Bahamas Board of Tourism.

(AceShowbiz)

WHY MARIAH'S SELLING ADS IN A CD PACKAGE ISN'T SELLING OUT

WHY MARIAH'S SELLING ADS IN A CD PACKAGE ISN'T SELLING OUT The music industry may not be the first to turn to the advertising industry to fill its revenue gap, but there's something to what Brandweek reported yesterday: that Mariah Carey's forthcoming album, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" will include a "a 34-page co-production with Elle magazine that includes lifestyle ads from Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens, Le Métier de Beauté and the Bahamas Board of Tourism". And that's only the beginning. Carey's label, Universal Music's Island Def Jam, may expand the program to new releases from Rihanna, Bon Jovi and Kanye West, among others. (To complete the virtuous - or is it? - circle, a non CD-specific version of the Mariah mini-magazine will be inserted into October issue's of Elle.) L.A. Reid, who runs Island Def Jam, told Brandweek the pitch: "We sell millions of records, so you should advertise with us. My artists have substantial circulation - when you sell 2 million, 5 million, 8 million, that's a lot of eyeballs." To which I say, "Duh!" and I mean that with all due respect to Monsieur Reid. What Reid is onto here is a concept that gets lost sometimes when people become too attached to older business models: that even as media options proliferate, sometimes we don't think of enough things as being mass media - able to grant those advertisers who want to piggyback upon big crowds - no matter how they are assembled - the kind of reach that is harder to come by every day. But let's look at this from the content company's point of view: Is this going to save the music industry? No. And, yes, there's a certain paradox in thinking about some artists as mass media, even as sales of their product continue to plummet, thus limiting their reach. Still, you have to applaud parlaying a simple idea into revenue. I asked Becky Ebenkamp, a former colleague who wrote the story, whether she thought this idea was a flash in the pan, or the real deal. She told me: "I think the idea could catch on. Let's face it, when someone discovers a new ad medium, whether that's a urinal, a dry cleaner's hanger, a pizza box or a piece of produce at the market, it doesn't stay blank for long. And we're already seeing marketing merge with music in so many other ways, from pop songs replacing jingles in TV ads to promo fliers falling out of CDs when we open them to rampant brand mentions in hip hop lyrics. In some cases, like Chris Brown's Wrigley gum deal, these are even paid endorsements!" It's been a long time since what Carey and her label are doing here has been viewed as selling out. In fact, these days, for some companies and musical acts, "selling out" may equal survival. While Carey certainly doesn't need the cash, what would be cool is if an idea like this could become a revenue stream for music's long tail of independent and up-and-coming artists. It hasn't worked for most long-tail content providers online, but hope springs eternal. (BNET)

VH1 STORYTELLERS POSTPONED

vH1 STORYTELLERS POSTPONED We are so sorry to tell you that the VH1 Storytellers taping has been postponed. We don't have a new date yet, but we will pass on whatever details we find out, as soon as we get them. VH1 Storytellers winners - your names will remain on the list for the re-scheduled taping date. (MariahCarey.com)

MARIAH ON LATEST MIXTAPE

GHOSTFACE KILLAH GETS BEYONCE, MARIAH ON LATEST MIXTAPE "What a joy we made from the love we made." Raheem DeVaughn definitely does need to use the Auto-Tune, and despite his computer love in the vocal booth, he laces the chorus to Ghost's single "Baby". The record is the first official offering from the September release The Wizard Of Poetry. (Obviously you can tell by the title of the mixtape that it's to promote said album.) J-Love assembles over 20 Ghost R&B collaborations, such as "Summertime" with Beyoncé, the "Chosen One" remix with Jaheim and the remix to Faith Evans' "Again". Our big beef with the tape is that Love did not include Bulletproof Wallet's "Never Be the Same" with the homie Carl Thomas (C. Teezy). (MTV News)

WHY DID EMINEM DIS MARIAH CAREY?

WHY DID EMINEM DIS MARIAH CAREY?

*** Even if you're a total cynic, there's something puzzling about Eminem's latest dis track - in which he reiterates his claim that he once had some bad sex with Mariah Carey, before she met her current husband, Nick Cannon. It's a claim Carey denied while also poking fun at Em in her recent video for "Obsessed", the first single from a forthcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. For reasons having apparently little to do with that awful title, and instead focusing on his thus-far violated right to be recognized as a quickly disposed member of Mimi's male harem, Eminem thinks it's cool to talk about murdering Carey. (Yeah, it's a metaphor, in that Em supposedly has a large enough reserve of incriminatingly intimate phone calls and pictures of Carey that he feels confident spitting the line "enough dirt on you to murder you". So is that really a threat, or just an over the top way of saying he'd like to hurt her credibility? Given Shady's past history of declaiming a desire to get his assault and battery on with respect to his own mother, I'm going with the former.) The video's obviously NSFW, with lots of offensive language about women, as well as a depressingly anti-sensualist attitude about sex that might make you want to become a monk for a few days.

***Now the cold, cynical economic rationalization for this generally tired and immature back and forth centers around the fact that both platinum-selling work-horses have albums out this year, during an era in which record labels are desperate for numbers. Eminem took the top of the charts when Relapse debuted back in May. But its first week sales of 600,000 utterly paled in comparison to the million plus in opening business he notched with previous records. Is there a "threaten to murder someone" button over at Universal Music Group - the owner of Interscope, which in turn distributes Dr. Dre's Aftermath label - that gets pushed whenever Slim Shady fails to move a million units in the first week? There's an odor of stale beef here that could lead one to think this is being done with a wink and nod between the two performers. (After all, Eminem proved he wasn't above a little stagecraft back at the MTV Movie Awards, as his encounter with Bruno's ass was planned well ahead of time.)
But even if the Mariah-Eminem feud isn't staged, what's strange is how witless the end product is. Diss tracks are supposed to bring some funny. Yes, they also need to devastate an opponent, but most rappers understand this is better achieved with an undermining wit as opposed to a violent spasm in the gutter. Take, for example, Inspectah Deck's recent swipe at Joe Budden - who had apparently committed the sin of comparing himself favorably to a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
*** Around the one minute mark, in the midst of a hard-bangin' verse, Deck dares the listener to "name me three Joe Budden songs", after which we hear the Jeopardy! theme. In the background, a hip-hop head attempts to do Deck's bidding, but can only come up with "Pump It Up" as a Budden track. "Aw, this is for a hundred thousand dollars? I'm blowin' it!" the faux contestant cries in desperation as he realizes he doesn't know or like Budden's music enough about to be able to answer the question. "Still waitin'," Deck thunders as the track comes back strong. The point - that Budden isn't successful enough to back up his boasting - is effective because it makes you laugh, even if you've never heard Budden's music.
I'll say this for Eminem's diss track, though. Dr. Dre's beat is more interesting than the track Cary used for "Obsessed".

(Newsweek)

MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL

MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL *** As the most successful female recording artist of all time, as well as having written more #1 singles than any woman before her, Mariah Carey occupies her own unique place in music. Following up on the platinum success of E=MC2, Mariah is back with Memoirs of an imperfect Angel. This incredible album once again showcases her amazing virtuosity as both vocalist and songwriter. *** Partnering once again with C. "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, Mariah's first single "Obsessed" is an amazing track that was immediately the #1 Most Added track at its formats. Together with Brett Ratner-directed video and a national premiere on the NBC hit series America's Got Talent, everyone knows one thing - MARIAH IS BACK! The great early press hits in People and Rolling Stone confirm what we already know... *** To launch Memoirs of an imperfect Angel, Mariah will have an unprecedented number of high-profile release week appearances, including: VH1 Storytellers (this is Mariah's first ever appearance), BET 106 & Park takeover, star presentation on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a very special performance on The Today Show to close out their Summer Concert Series. Memoirs of an imperfect Angel, packaged in a beautiful 3 panel softpack, is a must-have for all Mariah fans and will include: the CD; a 2nd Enhanced CD featuring the "Obsessed" video, a remix video, and 3 remixes; and a 36 page Elle mini-magazine that's an inside look at Mariah. *** Along with a massive marketing, advertising, and online campaign, Memoirs of an imperfect Angel is positioned to be one of the biggest releases of the year! (Universal Music)