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About this_is_qhm from the Philippines: I love the intricate vocal harmonies only Mariah can make.

Top 10 Hip Hop Mariah Carey bangers (45,757) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Arranging them in order would take me all day, so mine are: Fantasy (Remix) - The first will always be her best. Dedicated - This one's her most successful thug-love track since 1995, and "oh baby, you know" it. Honey - Her best song of the summer. So Lonely (One And Only Pt. II) - Sleek, slinky, and incredibly club-ready. Migrate - Who says Mariah and autotune won't work? Ribbon - Such a lazy yet dreamy melody. Heartbreaker - Layering 3 hooks towards the end of it is just pure genius. It's Like That - The hit that ushered in an epic era. I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time (Remix) - It's a crime this didn't fare well at the charts. Breakdown - Still one of the top highlights of her entire career. Crybaby - So fly because it sounds so appropriately sly. Honorable mentions: Cruise Control - Mimi pon de mic with Jamaican patois. Up Out My Face (Remix) - Before all the drama, Nicki did make this track much more interesting. Thirsty - Mariah does trap, matches the song's message perfectly. Side Effects - Love the menacing production against uber-personal lyrics. This predates Rihanna's similarly dark Rated R album. (Sunday 3 August 2014; 5:08)

Duets album (45,739) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Lady GaGa has recently been toning down her image in prepartion for the release of her duet album with Tony Bennett. It's nice to see her tap into her jazz side, especially since she's predominantly known as an electronic artist. In fairness, her voice does fit well with the genre. Not as well as Mariah's, though. Will Mariah ever release a duets album? I personally wouldn't mind, even if it's just with one partner for the whole album or with a gaggle of other artists. If you were to choose artists (male or female) you dream of her to do a duet with on an official recording, who will be your top 3? Mine would be: 3) Celine Dion 2) Michael Buble 1) Stevie Wonder (Saturday 2 August 2014; 6:11)

Perfect sequencing (45,738) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I agree that this probably is the most flawless sequencing that Mariah has done on any of her albums so far. Though it doesn't tell the clearest, most cohesive story, it's more of how she chose the transitional elements that really tie the whole thing together. The journal-writing, the drink-pouring, the match-lighting, dembabies singing, the Warhol-quoting - looks like Mariah's taken a page from Janet's book and it worked really well, as each track segues into the next seamlessly without any jarring tempo shifts. (Saturday 2 August 2014; 4:52)

Katy (45,736) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This will be my last say on this topic. There's no point in comparing the two - really, they're different artists from different generations. Shade or no shade, Katy and Mariah will never be in the same league even in time comes that she surpasses her #1s, it's artistry that's timeless and speaks for itself. (Saturday 2 August 2014; 4:35)

Fave Mariah covers (excluding Christmas songs) (45,719) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I’m a fan of only some of Mariah’s cover versions due to various reasons that mostly boil down to song choice. For years I’ve wondered why she seemed to be more inclined to remake songs sung by men rather than women (as evinced by the studio versions she has created and released). And then one day, like a signature Mariah shade, it hit me hard: it’s more interesting, most times even easier to cover songs by the opposite sex. I mean the gender-bending alone elicits intrigue, as opposed to if she covers a woman’s song, she’ll be more hard-pressed to find ways to make it her own without having to stray too far from the original. Reactions from critics have generally been mixed to even negative regarding her cover choices throughout the years. My top 5 are: 5) One More Try (grown on me) 4) Without You (powerful vocals) 3) Open Arms (elegant) 2) Didn’t Mean To Turn You On (rare upbeat cover) 1) I Still Believe (best ever) My worst 3 (since there’s not really much left) are: 3) I Want To Know What Love Is (so watered down and unreasonably cut short) 2) Sweetheart (still don’t get it even after countless listens, must be a melody thing) 1) Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (enough said) What are yours? (Friday 1 August 2014; 16:50)

Ugh (45,703) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'm thirsty. (haha *wink*) I guess if that got me fooled then I'm the stupid one who somehow got my hopes up enough to comment on a false rumor. I usually take everything online with a grain of salt but this was a momentary lapse. I guess I'm just ready to jump on any chance of reviving this era because that's how much I believe in the music. But I still think a re-release would be fine. Or better yet, a whole new album out next year, hopefully. (Thursday 31 July 2014; 16:01)

Fave songs from MOAIA (45,699) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I have a handful, but my top 2 would have to be: 1) Ribbon - I know many think it's overproduced, but it's one of the reasons I like it. The giftwrapping analogy in the lyrics actually comes off as cute rather than annoying. Love the vocal layering and appropriately "lazy" delivery. It stands out among all of the songs in that album because of its overall dark, almost grimy, sound that visually, would probably look like oozing purple/hot pink sludge, if that makes sense. Haha. The only other song of hers that utilizes a similar production is Side Effects, one of the highlights of E=MC2. I believe these songs are good examples of Mariah trying new things. 2) It's A Wrap - I love it when Mariah does something doo-woppy. It's not groundbreaking, and some may even deem it sleepy or even boring, but I don't think so, I mean it's still a bit bouncy and groovy for a downtempo number. Besides, it holds the finest vocal moments in the album, to which it serves as a great centerpiece. It (along with Betcha Gon' Know) are very situation-specific songs that not everyone can relate to, but paint such a detailed picture, it's hard not to be impressed at how vividly she captures those moments. They both have that earnest storytelling quality that's present in a lot of country songs. Lyrically, I find IAW quite amusing and I can see it as a scene acted out from a musical. Runners-up: Candy Bling, H.A.T.E.U., Betcha Gon' Know, Standing O. What are yours? (Thursday 31 July 2014; 11:24)

Thirsty and re-release (45,696) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I think releasing Thirsty will be a great idea. Coupled with a great video and persistent promotion, it can be a hit, especially since thanks to Dark Horse and Fancy topping the charts, r&b infused thug-love duets seem to be making a comeback. I hope it really takes off. I'm also excited for her re-release, especially dem new tracks, which I'm pretty sure will be tailored to be a bit more commercial than majority of MIAMTEC to lure more audiences. What worries me is that tweet she deleted moments after posting. Did she do that to tease her fans and stir up interest, or was she asked by her label to delete it because it won't be ready before September 9? I hope it's the former because I don't think this album will survive another pushback, I mean, it has already underperformed once. None of us want a repeat of that. No matter how great the music is, people tend to be fixated on success; so if this bombs, not only will it be a letdown considering the quality of the album, but we're also probably not gonna hear the end of it, especially online. Knowing Mariah, she would probably try to forget this and move on, but a re-release and a supporting tour would only prove how much she believes in this project despite the dismal start. I hope she learned from the past year and that she attacks this like it's 2002-05 all over again. (Thursday 31 July 2014; 10:18)

Re (45,695) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Abraham, you are so right about the CLG comparison. I'd throw a little IDWC in there too. It's just dark, sexy, and atmospheric. I like OA, I think it's one of her best covers, but it just feels a bit out of place on Daydream for me. I mean why tack on a cover if there's a perfectly competent original song that flows better with the entire album? Even critics were questioning its inclusion at the time. I think swapping it with SA would've made the album even stronger than it already is, and who knows, would've even won it the Grammy for Album of the Year. TJ, I appreciate Tommy's efforts in making Mariah the supernova that she is today and I think without him things would have turned out differently. But while I like that he kept her disciplined and showed her the ropes in the industry, I don't like how he stifled her personal and creative freedom to a point that she had to fight for her musical decisions to see the light of day. May, upon first listen of MIAMTEC, it was the most immediate connection I've felt from a Mariah album since TEOM, and in some aspects even Daydream. Like I posted here before, it's her first album where she sounds like a veteran artist who's finally come full circle. It says that regardless of commercial performance, no one can bear her at her own game. It plays like a great retrospective record, I mean there's at least one track to represent every era of her artistic evolution (pop to R&B to hip-hop to urban to most recently, retro soul). (Thursday 31 July 2014; 3:12)

"Hoodriah" / "Thugriah" (45,669) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Although I personally love her, I know “hood” version of Mariah (some fans/haters call "Hoodriah"/"Thugriah") isn’t for everyone. It’s just a matter of preference/tolerance for some fans. But what many people don’t seem to get is that Mariah was raised in New York; she was a first-hand witness to the infancy and growth of hip-hop/rap as a genre. That’s why it’s close to her heart and eventually was the path that she ended up taking. Sure she started with pop ballads and she excels at them, but something about her oldest songs always sounded a just wee bit forced to me. It’s like you can almost feel Tommy’s control, as well as Mariah’s reluctant compliance on some of the material, so she made sure she put little stamps here and there of her own input. But even in such a restricted environment, her talent and rebelling artistry still stood out. But it’s only until Hoodriah arrived that she became more honest than ever. What makes me appreciate Mimi even more is her commitment to give back to the music she grew up with. Even way before she was on Idol, she already was discovering new talent. So generously cool. She’s constantly on the lookout for less known rappers on the brink of going mainstream to feature in her tracks. That’s a win-win situation for both parties, as she’s giving someone talented a shot at stardom while ensuring she isn’t overshadowed by her guest. Nicki owes her a big deal. Mariah was one of the first mainstream acts to feature her on an official single. (Tuesday 29 July 2014; 11:05)

The webmaster / album art (45,666) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Funny, I also thought the same thing. I also read that article about the album cover, which came out around the same time the former album title was leaked. So when I first saw the deluxe album cover for MIAMTEC, I knew that this album really was slated for a 2013 release to benefit from the hype #Beautiful and her stint on Idol generated. This confirms that the injury was real and not just some stunt (a cruel theory on this board last year) and begs us to rethink if the rumored tracklist that circulated last year could have been the actual one at that time, especially since some titles in that one ended up on MIAMTEC. When the whole plan was derailed by the injury, it gave Mariah some time to reconsider some of the songs and record new ones. So if the old leaked tracklist was true, then a handful of songs really were left out. I hope she reworks them and includes them on her next release, which like some here have said, could very well be in 2015 to coincide with her silver year in the business. It's also possible that she's planning another greatest hits album, now to include her hits post-2000, with a few new tracks tacked on, including a single or two to promote it. I'd be okay with that too, but I personally prefer an album of all new material, even more so if it includes leftovers and outtakes since 2009. Mariah's an unstoppable machine in the studio, there could be at least 40 completed/unfinished songs that were left on the cutting room floor from that 5 year period. (Tuesday 29 July 2014; 6:18)

Wasted b-sides (45,662) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Anyone else bummed that Do You Think Of Me and Slipping Away didn't make the cut during their respective album eras? I mean seriously, such a waste. They could have at least been bonus tracks, like Everything Fades Away, at least they'd still somehow be part of the album. DYTOM was single material. That production alone would've made it a standout on Music Box and possibly the most interesting joint there. It must've been left out due to its heavy R&B leanings, which Tommy considered bad news for a singer he was molding to be a boring, adult contemporary pop artist. Slipping Away, on the other hand, is like a less retro Underneath The Stars. It has a laid-back, effortless ease that a lot of Mariah's early material lacks. It could've easily replaced Open Arms for me, as that cover was good but unnecessary, and SA was much stronger and flowed with the album better. It wasn't left out for the same reason DYTOM probably was, as most of Daydream already made it clear that Mariah was venturing into R&B, so my theories for its exclusion are: 1) it alluded to her marriage way too much than what Tommy wanted to let the public know; 2) for some reason, Mariah's earlier albums had to consist of 10-12 songs, and a 13th track was cut to avoid bad luck (like how the 13th track on John Mayer's debut consisted of silence). Was there a quota on the number of songs for the label's albums back then or did they just want to keep their releases within the normal running time of 40-50 minutes? (Tuesday 29 July 2014; 1:20)

Carla (45,637) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I appreciate how passionate you are as a Mariah fan. I really do. It's great that you choose to repress the bad and express the good, which always sounds easier than done. I should know, because if you read through all my posts, until about a month ago, I used to be super defensive of Mariah as well. I also didn't want a negative atmosphere on this board. But I realized that this is the internet. Relative anonymity pretty much grants anyone the chance to be meaner than they actually are or would ever want to be. People will always find something criticize, even on a fansite. In a perfect world, there will be none of this crap. But hey, like I said before, all of us here may be fans of varying degrees of devotion, but I have faith that everyone, even the most critical and cynical won't talk smack just for the heck of it. Deep down, underneath all the harsh words, is good intent. Not gonna lie though, it does feel like a roast up in here at times. But fans do have different ways of expressing their love for Mariah, and some can be way too tough at it. I gets upsetting, but until they cross the line, I'll respect that. If you go through all of my posts, I do my best to balance my critical moments with positive ones. But right now, to you I'm probably just someone who "called" Mariah a bitch. That's fine. It's fair. It's human nature to be drawn to what's negative. In the context of this messageboard, we have no control over what people will say, but what we can somehow control is the extent of how their statements can affect us. I choose to see the good over the bad. It's not gonna be easy, but I'll try my hardest to stick to it. And if the good isn't there, I'll look for it. It has to be somewhere. I mean, we're all fans here. I guess that makes me naïve. Peace. (Monday 28 July 2014; 9:30)

Touring (45,629) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines A big reason why Madonna still manages to sell 2 million copies of her recent releases worldwide is because of her constant touring. Say what you want about the woman, but it's just admirable how she never tires of performing, especially at her age. She attacks every album promotion with such gusto as if it was her debut all over again. That's why I think it's great that Mariah's going back on the road. It's exactly what she needs to reconnect with her core fanbase, especially since apparently there are only around 60,000 left in the US (maybe even less, as hardcore fans might've bought 3-5 copies each of MIAMTEC). In some ways, touring brings her back to earth. It serves as a humbling experience for her, humanizing her and stripping her off of her larger than life persona. Plus, I've always believed that infrequent singing can be just as detrimental to one's singing ability as vocal exhaustion. As Janet said once, "You gotta keep the chords going." Now I don't know how often Mariah sings in her normal everyday life, especially now with her family around, but I believe it's safe to assume that the last time she really sang for an extended period was her last tour. As long as she rests well and drinks less, she'll be fine. It's a solid plan, she'll get reunited with her fans plus her voice will be all warmed-up for her next album, which I strongly feel will arrive within the next 2 years (fingers crossed). (Sunday 27 July 2014; 23:45)

I'm probably gonna get crucified for this, but what the hell (45,625) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Since this can be a touchy topic, I'll tread carefully. Mariah needs younger fans. As we know, they are the most rabid demographic when it comes to buying music. And since she seems to avoid working with other artists that aren't rappers or R&B crooners or even male for that matter, another way for her to broaden her audience is to dabble into other genres - something that's possible without her having to compromise her pop/R&B/hip-hop/urban roots, as proven by Cruise Control, Migrate, and Side Effects, which turned out better than anyone could have expected. I just listened to Ariana's Break Free. She's no Mariah for sure, but she's one of the few current new artists who have talent. The production sounds awfully cheap, but her vocals save it. This made me realize that regardless of genre or production quality, a great voice will always shine through. Always. EDM almost always gets immediate disapproval on this board. As someone who appreciates it as well as everything under dance music, I don't think it will hurt Mariah if she does a dance track. She's done it successfully numerous times before in remixes and a couple of it can spice up her future albums. It's not selling out because she doesn't actually hate dance music, she just doesn't like too much of it. And she's not following any trends because other than dubstep, EDM hasn't been a trend for almost 2 years now. Plus, knowing her, she always puts her own stamp on her more experimental tracks, as most recently proven by the Triumphant remixes. The beauty of electronica is that it has a lot of sub-genres: trance, synth-pop, house, euro-disco, hi-NRG, etc. for her to choose from. She'll it off well if the following conditions are met: 1) None of the generic uninspired stuff in-demand producers like Guetta lazily cobble together now that they’re famous. Dance music suits Mariah’s voice very well, so she should go to less known producers who haven’t run out of tricks yet. 2) She must go for timeless rather than hip. This can be done by adding retro or world sounds. Anything on Madonna’s Ray Of Light or Confessions album still sound great today. Mimi’s brilliant mash-up of My All and Stay Awhile sounds dated but simultaneously still fresh. 3) She must just let herself go with the vocals. Mariah’s signature climactic runs towards the end always sound great against a hard-hitting beat. Now the biggest reason behind me choosing dance music for her to work with is because I miss straight-up dance/club Mariah (and I know I’m not alone in this). And if she doesn’t feel like doing this right now, then I’m hoping for her to toy with other genres such as rock, country, reggae, or even better bossa nova or jazz. She’s done most of these before already but I’m always game for another installment. (Sunday 27 July 2014; 17:15)

Carla (45,557) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I believe you were referring to my post. I didn't call Mariah a stuck up bitch. I said her actions tend to make her come across as one, and there's a difference between the two, as I was just making an observation, not bullying or name-calling. And I honestly feel like the webmaster is fair to us all. Peace. (Thursday 24 July 2014; 16:56)

Katy (45,553) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I actually like Katy and own 2 of her albums, her first and latest. I think she's a decent singer with quite a distinctive voice that's unfortunately always buried under heavy production. I think some of her stuff is inspired, especially those that come from a raw, personal place and dusted with minimal commercial sheen. And in fairness, the girl knows how to create a catchy, easily accessible chorus just like Madonna, Britney, Rihanna, and GaGa. But unlike those artists, a lot of her hits (especially California Gurls, Last Friday Night and Roar) have an unapologetically commercial quality to them that feels tacky and even embarassingly so, but also somehow seems deliberate, which is weird. It's like the sonic equivalent of cheap nail polish, if that makes sense. So whether the rumors are true or not, I hope Mariah doesn't respond in any way, as Katy isn't worth the energy. After all, however this plays out, it seems like one of those silly issues that in 5 years, if remembered at all, will only be laughed at because of how mundane it is. (Thursday 24 July 2014; 12:54)

In the midst of all the perceived "negativity" (45,545) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines While we're all still breaking things because of the unspeakably horrible way this era has been handled, let's take a moment to remind ourselves of just how phenomenal Mariah's career has been so far. True, many female solo acts have burst into the spotlight throughout music history, but only once in a blue moon has one exploded, attained immense fandom, and sustained the same fever pitch of popularity for at least over a decade. It's often forgotten that Mimi belongs to that elite league of women. Unlike Madonna and Janet who are famously adept at living off of controversy and being daringly innovative; Mariah, with Whitney, are known for their sheer one-in-a-billion talent. There's a reason why each of them has earned at least 10 #1s each. (Rihanna and Katy have only caught up because of today's single-driven industry, plus, I know at least 3 of RiRi's #1s were just her piggybacking on other artists' songs.) And that's just the achievement part of it - we still haven't gotten to their cultural significance and legacy. Nothing reaffirms iconic status as much as the ability to make an epic comeback, which they've all managed to do with varying degrees of success. On top of it all, nothing says legendary quite like not being able to imagine today's musical landscape without them. Just listen to the radio, their influences are ubiquitous. That makes me so proud to be a fan, knowing just how much of a rarity Mariah is. Inescapable. Forever relevant. There will never be another. (Thursday 24 July 2014; 6:37)

Songwriting (45,538) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Aside from the vocal and creative maturity, another thing that has improved is her songwriting. I feel like present Mariah is comfortable with writing just about anything. To me, some of her earlier work (especially pre-Daydream) was too conservative, even contrived. While songs like Vanishing and VOL are great mature compositions made even more impressive by the fact that they were written by a teenager with a talent beyond her years, some of the lyrics of her other songs always seemed to come straight out of a Hallmark card only disguised by pretty melodies. She was at her best when she ditched all the platitudes and vague generalities and wrote deeply personal stuff like MIH. But as time went by, she rebelled more and opened herself to more opportunities to explore a wider range of topics and more varied ways of expressing them. She adapted a more vividly descriptive way of storytelling. She also incorporates more clever metaphors, allusions, name-dropping, colloquialisms, and even slang, which to some may be a bad thing, but for me makes her work more interesting and shows her versatility. Not to say that everything she picked up is great, though. I personally dislike her use of the term "boy". It's fine in small doses, but when used too much, especially considering her age now, it just makes her seem like a cloying cougar. Other than that, I'd say her post-'94 songs lyrically intrigue and challenge me more and just makes a lot of her old stuff seem banal in comparison. (Thursday 24 July 2014; 0:17)

Fans and criticism (45,521) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines There are 3 types of fans on this board: the critical ones who can be quite pessimistic, the eternal optimists, and those that fall in between. No type is better than the other, we're all fans after all. But in this unprecedented messy era, I believe it'd be better for us to be one those combination fans who aren't hesitant to call out the b.s. but remain constructive and positive. Some assert that she has done this for over 2 decades and knows the signs of the times. While that may be true, the music industry is very fickle. Brutally so. Only time will show if still knows what she's doing, if she's actually lost and clueless, or if she's been in the game too long and has already gone weary of keeping up. And while I do agree that the real Mariah lies in her music, sadly, it has gotten to a point that her image affects the way her music is received. What use is a great album if, with the exception of hardcore fans, it falls on deaf ears? Besides, weren't Mariah's fans just as fervent as Madonna fans before? Are we just supposed to assume that they suddenly disappeared? Even in an age of declining album sales, such a steep sales drop from one of the world's biggest-selling artists signals that there is something wrong here, and it definitely ain't the music. It's hard enough that R&B and pop don't have the same strong and loyal niche markets as jazz, rap, and country music. Bublé, Eminem, and Brooks can release an album led by a weak single and still shift a huge number of units. 2010's Mariah clearly can't manage the same feat with a similar amount of effort. That's why there are a lot of suggestions in here of what Mariah should or shouldn't do - we blindly hold out hope that someday she or a member of her team would happen to stumble upon this board and maybe see what people who genuinely care about her have to say. Now even if she marches to the beat of her own drum, who's to say she won't take suggestions and advice from mere fans? It's true, we may get obsessively analytical at times, even going overboard and coming off as snooty experts on Mariah-logy, but it is all well-meant. Really it is. I don't believe anyone here, not even the most critical or cynical, is rooting against her. But just because we're more outspoken doesn't mean we're ungrateful. If you don't like what you read, then kindly skip to the next one or post about something else, but please don't tell us to shut up. Peace. (Wednesday 23 July 2014; 15:48)

Ageism (45,520) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines With Cher, it happened in '99. Believe is a great song and deliberate obvious use of autotune was considered cool. Plus, music fans were way more accepting of aging artists back in the '90s. Even Elton John had a long-running chart-topper in '97. Since then, no other Cher or Elton song has reached the same success. Madonna, on the other hand, managed to have 8 top 10 hits since she turned 40 in 1998, five of them peaked within the top 5, and one of those reached #1 when she was 42; and she was 50 when she got her last biggest hit (4 Minutes, #3). That's impressive, but we have to take into account that we're talking about Madonna here, a brilliant mastermind in promoting herself whose "devil may care" attitude (which Mariah doesn't even come close to having) has more often than not worked to her favor. But Gimme All Your Luvin' hit top 10 mostly due to digital downloads. Airplay was poor. Plus, she had to feature 2 current rappers in it and perform at the Superbowl to achieve that. In the past 5 years, a huge chunk of the music buying public has gotten much younger thanks to digital downloads. These tweens, teens, and twenty-somethings would tend to gravitate towards artists of or close to their age because they can relate to them more than they do to older ones. The ageism is real. It's possible for artists over 40 to get hits; it's just more of a struggle. And the young artists may not be direct competition, but they do steal a whole lotta focus and thunder. (Wednesday 23 July 2014; 12:43)

Glitter (45,514) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I love MIAMTEC and actually think it's her best album post-2000, but I realize I have been vague. When I deemed Glitter a smash, I meant commercially, in in comparison to Mariah's most recent releases. Even album sales back then were stronger, considering the bleak circumstances surrounding it's release (9/11 coincidence, unsuccessful accompanying film, lack of a solid hit single, Tommy plotting against Mariah, her mental and physical state, and her relatively waning popularity), being able to sell 3 million copies worldwide can still be considered a success in an era where everything was going against her. And creatively, I believe Glitter was an inspired idea. It was a risk that didn't pay off as well as she expected it to. I don't remember anyone else mainstream in '01 who was brave enough to even think of bringing back the '80s in an entire album barely 12 years after it ended. It's not better than MIAMTEC, but it was a solid ahead-of-its-time effort that had its flaws but was unfairly lambasted because it wasn't as successful as Mariah's previous releases and the mere fact that the world just wasn't ready for it yet. (Wednesday 23 July 2014; 3:05)

Trends are even more fleeting nowadays (45,513) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines If you've been really listening to the radio lately, you'd notice that techno/EDM is no longer the prevalent trend in today's musical landscape. GaGa set it off in '08, which Ke$ha aped and Rihanna and Katy somehow have as well. That's why Adele was so successful at the time, because her music was a much needed break from all the mind-numbing synthetic beats. But that train has slowed down in 2012, and since then the trend has been much more trickier to tell, with only few discernible patterns to be observed. As a chart worm, I've noticed that today's listeners are even more open, as they're constantly looking for something new, regardless of genre. I mean look at today's top 5 - we have a rap collabo, a '90s throwback track, a reggae infusion, etc. That's why #Beautiful was quite a hit. In the past 2 years, the only "trends" that were obvious were the updated disco revival (heralded by Suit & Tie, Treasure) and more recently, the relentless use of sound snippets (particularly woodwind/brass instruments, as in Talk Dirty, Problem) as well sparser, more minimalist productions (Royals, Dark Horse, Fancy). It's not so much about innovating, but rather coming up with something different from everything else. Going against the grain is the grain. It's even more of a trial and error game, but all it takes is for Mariah to get a single hit in, preferably within the top 5, and then that may set things running. She doesn't have to sacrifice her artistry to be even more experimental. (Wednesday 23 July 2014; 2:13)

Beginning of hopefully something wonderful (45,496) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Yesterday, Mariah informed all her followers on FB about her revamped website. Okay. But it's what she said next that's definitely intriguing. If this only marks the beginning, then, especially with the rumors about new songs circulating, I'm really excited for what she has up her sleeve. A re-release? A whole new album? Who knows? I'm just really glad Mariah seems to be back on track and moving on from what I feel is the actual lowest point of her career so far. Glitter (the soundtrack) is a smash compared to MIAMTEC or even MOAIA for that matter, and at least back then she had the public's sympathy. Now it's safe to say only her fans can tolerate her. Honestly, other than great music and a moderate hit, the only good that can come from this extended nightmare of an era is if she learns from her mistakes, and that should she manage to pull off another comeback, this will make the success even sweeter. Now more than ever, it's do or die for her, particularly if she still intends to use her 18 #1s to promote herself, then it's high time to add more to that. (Especially since Rihanna's just 6 phoned-in features away from catching up, which is very likely as she's almost 2 decades younger. Although if the time comes that she does beat The Beatles, that record would probably already have lost its significance.) So go Mariah. Nothing should be half-assed from now on. You can prove 'em all wrong once again. Win back all your old fans and make new ones as well. We're all rooting for you. (Tuesday 22 July 2014; 17:14)

Been listening a lot to E=MC2 lately (45,447) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines E=MC2 clearly was intentionally cut from the same mold TEOM was. A lot of its tracks have obvious respective counterparts on that comeback effort. But while the latter was crafted to prove the voice was very much still there, the former was more of a celebration of the success of its predecessor, riding high on Mariah's rejuvenated relevance. E=MC2 plays more like a collection of potential hits rather than a cohesive body of work. To me, Mimi's music has never sounded so calculatedly commercial. That's not to say it wasn't good. This is the most confident and polished she's sounded in the 00s. It's her album during that decade that had the best potential to be every bit the hit machine Daydream was in the 90s. It's a shame she gave up on it too early. The bonus tracks are nice, although 4real4real was too whispery, it's Heat, with its fiery sass, that I feel could've replaced Last Kiss (which I love, but is the weakest when compared to similar tracks LS and ISIL). I would've instead kicked out OOC if it weren't saved by its Middle-Eastern influences or T4N if it didn't contain some of the album's (few) best belted vocals. The ballads are the weak point of this album. Each of them are actually good, but the lazy production just makes them sound all same-y and like cheap obvious WBT wannabes. Overall, E=MC2 is a more fun, carefree and modern yet somehow still less impressive TEOM. She was right - it definitely was dessert. (Saturday 19 July 2014; 10:13)

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