Remember when City High had a promising career and The Black Eyed Peas were just a little-known hip-hop act? In this weekly feature, I take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what's happening in RnB today. Previous posts have focussed on the Honeyz comeback, a retrospective on Lumidee's career and new videos from Frank Ocean and Ciara. Today I wanted to share Mariah Carey's comeback single 'Beautiful'.
Despite starting off as a pop artist, Mariah has been successfully releasing huge RnB records since the late 90s and her impact on the scene is incomparable. I'm a huge Mariah fan so I was ridiculously excited to hear that the diva would be releasing a new studio album this summer, although I was worried that the new release wouldn't perform well. The hip-hop heavy sound of last years single 'Triumphant' didn't make much of an impact on the charts and not many people heard the song 'Almost Home' from the 'Oz' soundtrack, so comeback single 'Beautiful' needs to be a huge smash to put Mariah back on top. But is it good enough?
The decision to collaborate with an upcoming artist is always risky for someone who's been in the game for as long as Mariah has. Will you still sound fresh in comparison to a new buzzworthy singer like Miguel or will the duet seem like a desperate attempt to stay relevant? (Yes I'm looking at you Madonna!).
Luckily, 'Beautiful' is the perfect comeback for Mariah. The sweet, sultry vibe of the track sounds fantastic with Mariah's breathy vocals and Miguel's smooth voice is a natural fit here. I love the laid back 70s style production and I think 'Beautiful' will be a huge smash for Mimi this summer. I seriously cannot wait now for the rest of the album, which I hope will be a bigger hit than 2009s underrated 'Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'. See what you think by listening below.
I love the background laugh. It's so sweet! But what do you think of 'Beautiful'? Do Mariah and Miguel sound good together? What will the video look like? And are you more excited now about Mariah's upcoming album? Let me know what you think by commenting, liking and sharing below; And remember to come back next week for another edition of Whatever Happened To RnB?
I love it! Really old school Mariah, it reminds me a little bit of Dream lover with the 70's vibe of Emancipation of Mimi, good job!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can definitely hear the old school vibe but what's great about it is that the song still sounds relevant so hopefully it should be a massive hit!
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