Why Mariah Carey's New Album Has Stalled
Earlier this year the hype was rampant. Press releases. Interviews. And a lead single that was, face it, pretty killer. The buzz surrounding Mariah Carey's E=MC2 album was huge. "If my last album was dinner," said a confident Mariah in an interview, "then consider this new album dessert".
Word on the street was that this new Mariah album had the potential to trump her 2005 blockbuster THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI. MIMI not only revitalized Mariah's career; it also was a solid album that became an important album for a lot of people. Sure, the singles were hot. "It's Like That," "We Belong Together," "Shake It Off" and "Don't Forget About Us." More importantly, the album was filled to the brim with juicy album cuts that were just as emotional and crafty as those singles. "Stay The Night," "Your Girl," and "You Could Be Mine" all could have been blockbuster singles in their own right.
So this new follow-up album was poised to continue Mariah's hot streak. And when "Touch My Body" debuted, it almost seemed Mariah could pull it off. Of course there were people that wrote off that single as formulaic. Or boring. Or hookless. But I was a strong advocate for "Touch My Body." I thought it was cute, classy, and sexy. And even the video was camp at its best.
The day E=MC2 came out my friend Sam and I went to lunch and bought the CD. We made an event out of it. We sat in my car and quickly browsed through the tracks. "Holy shit!" we thought, "this album might even be better than MIMI!".
Fast forward. So what happened? After "Touch My Body" and the initial publicity blitz, E=MC2 quickly fell off the pop culture radar. Sure, Mariah's rapid marriage to Nick Cannon grabbed headlines. But those headlines did not translate to a second huge single from the album. In fact, said second single "Bye Bye" barely cracked the Top 20. And the third single, the glorious "Lovin' You Long Time," could have been a summer smash, but never got past the upper reaches of the 70s on the Hot 100.
So why has Mariah's new album stalled? What's going on here?
Culture changed fast. Of courrse, this new album isn't as solid as MIMI. But that nonwithstanding, in a different time there could have been a few more blockbusters from the album. Times have changed. Back in 2005, when MIMI ruled the airwaves, we were all in better financial shape. We were having a good time. The party was hot. So when Mariah re-invented herself as a materialistic, product name dropping, fabulous bling diva, we bought it and loved it.
In 2008 gas prices are sky high, we are all worried about our jobs, and the future seems quite scary and uncertain. There seems to be an underlying sense of dread and unease in the air. And this time people aren't turning to music for escape. And alas, Mariah's new album, with tales of VIP status at the club, drinking expensive drinks, driving in expensive cars, turns out to be horribly timed. Whereas at one time we could take such music and get lost in it, these days we're worried about where our next paycheck is going to come from. And so Mariah's new album quickly fades from the public conciousness. Unless times get better, I think people, at least for now, are more interested in Obama than bling and butterflies. These are dark, serious times indeed. And Mariah's new album isn' the kind that could provide an escape from the darkness. It alienates more than it invites. While Mariah is getting her VIP on at the club, we're all scraping up change off our car floors to see if we can even afford to get in. Love you, Mariah ... maybe next time will be better.
Word on the street was that this new Mariah album had the potential to trump her 2005 blockbuster THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI. MIMI not only revitalized Mariah's career; it also was a solid album that became an important album for a lot of people. Sure, the singles were hot. "It's Like That," "We Belong Together," "Shake It Off" and "Don't Forget About Us." More importantly, the album was filled to the brim with juicy album cuts that were just as emotional and crafty as those singles. "Stay The Night," "Your Girl," and "You Could Be Mine" all could have been blockbuster singles in their own right.
So this new follow-up album was poised to continue Mariah's hot streak. And when "Touch My Body" debuted, it almost seemed Mariah could pull it off. Of course there were people that wrote off that single as formulaic. Or boring. Or hookless. But I was a strong advocate for "Touch My Body." I thought it was cute, classy, and sexy. And even the video was camp at its best.
The day E=MC2 came out my friend Sam and I went to lunch and bought the CD. We made an event out of it. We sat in my car and quickly browsed through the tracks. "Holy shit!" we thought, "this album might even be better than MIMI!".
Fast forward. So what happened? After "Touch My Body" and the initial publicity blitz, E=MC2 quickly fell off the pop culture radar. Sure, Mariah's rapid marriage to Nick Cannon grabbed headlines. But those headlines did not translate to a second huge single from the album. In fact, said second single "Bye Bye" barely cracked the Top 20. And the third single, the glorious "Lovin' You Long Time," could have been a summer smash, but never got past the upper reaches of the 70s on the Hot 100.
So why has Mariah's new album stalled? What's going on here?
Culture changed fast. Of courrse, this new album isn't as solid as MIMI. But that nonwithstanding, in a different time there could have been a few more blockbusters from the album. Times have changed. Back in 2005, when MIMI ruled the airwaves, we were all in better financial shape. We were having a good time. The party was hot. So when Mariah re-invented herself as a materialistic, product name dropping, fabulous bling diva, we bought it and loved it.
In 2008 gas prices are sky high, we are all worried about our jobs, and the future seems quite scary and uncertain. There seems to be an underlying sense of dread and unease in the air. And this time people aren't turning to music for escape. And alas, Mariah's new album, with tales of VIP status at the club, drinking expensive drinks, driving in expensive cars, turns out to be horribly timed. Whereas at one time we could take such music and get lost in it, these days we're worried about where our next paycheck is going to come from. And so Mariah's new album quickly fades from the public conciousness. Unless times get better, I think people, at least for now, are more interested in Obama than bling and butterflies. These are dark, serious times indeed. And Mariah's new album isn' the kind that could provide an escape from the darkness. It alienates more than it invites. While Mariah is getting her VIP on at the club, we're all scraping up change off our car floors to see if we can even afford to get in. Love you, Mariah ... maybe next time will be better.
