That's only two performance dates! So far that's less than average for a high-profile artist, hardly busy. New reviews from last night's Memoirs listening party held in Hong Kong:

 

‘Candy Bling’ - Mariah’s slowest jam to date, I can’t quite think of a song to compare it to…….. *scratches head…..*

 

‘Standing Ovation’ - Very Mary J. Blige imo, ‘Standing O-O-O-O-O…..’ Another urban/r&b type song.

 

‘H-A-T-E-U’ - Much much better than the demo leaked, but the overall melody and production is the same and the baby sound is still there.

 

‘The Impossible’ - Another slow ballad…. very Blackstreet… Jodeci references in the lyrics…

 

‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ - It’s got that whole TTR vibe… breathy 1st chorus, then it’s bring on the choir, but it’s not OTT, alot better than Tina Arena’s rendition imo. But I don’t think it’s gonna have the same impact as ‘Without You’… but who knows…

 

I didn’t hear any pop songs or upbeat songs as such, didn’t get to hear the Timbaland produced track, nor the other demo. Mariah sings alot in her lower register and the songs above highlight that alot. Although I didn’t hear imo an ‘instant hit’ e.g. WBT (they might be saving those biggies for later)….Overall, we have a very exciting album that’s coming, the songs I’ve heard have a mid-late 90’s feel to them, this is not neccessarily a bad thing as songs back then were the sh!tz, I’ve got a feeling M.O.A.I.A. will be pure quality.

 

‘Standing Ovation’ - similar style to Obsessed with a little gangster feel. With 'oh oh oh' in chorus part. There are more electric effects and a special ending.

 

‘H-A-T-E-U’ - similar as demo with an extra bridge.

 

‘Candy Bling’ - Very nice flow with initmate feeling. In the middle when Mariah sings 'STOP', there is a pause with no music (similar to WBT when she sings 'too deep), bass is heavy, very slow and soulful jam.

 

Not much high notes and belt in HATE U and CB.

 

‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ - Piano intro, then drum, arrangement something like BOTH. Yet its also have a 'world music' kind of feeling. (like FLAB, What more I can give) The whole song is short in length.

 

‘The Impossible’ - Chorus lyrics: 'Love You Like...... love you like....'

quite lot of whispering in this song, sounds like a side-track.

 

E-MC2 looks like an album that want to make each song sounds like a single, however not the case for this album, at least for the song IMPOSSIBLE and CANDY BLING. (not a single material but fans definitely would love it)

 

Overall, the vocal for all these songs ranged from lower to mid. Vocal layers are frequently used compared to EMC2. Her voice is very soulful and intimate. This whole feeling for this album is a more mature Mariah like in Butterfly.

 

JD songs may not be in the album. All 6 songs produced by Tricky, The-Dream, with the addition of Big Jim in IWTKWLI. At least 3 singles will be released.

 

I can't say those reviews really tell us much about the songs but I guess I'm most excited for 'Standing Ovation' at this stage...

I can't tell much from those reviews. :(

We should get something better tomorrow since the UK listening party is being held this afternoon. :D

That's good, wonder if any leaks might come out after. :o

Mariah Carey's new album to feature ads?

 

Mariah Carey is reportedly in talks to include a tribute magazine with copies of her new album.

 

According to Billboard, Elle is to issue a mini 34-page publication about the 'Obsessed' singer that will be available alongside the CD release of Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, while label boss of Def Jam records Antonio Reid believes that the magazine could bring in valuable revenue through its advertising slots.

 

"The idea was really simple thinking: 'We sell millions of records, so you should advertise with us.'" said Reid. "My artists have substantial circulation - when you sell 2 million, 5 million, 8 million, that's a lot of eyeballs. Most magazines aren't as successful as those records."

 

He also stipulated that any advertising selected would have to reflect the image of the singer, adding: "I wouldn't want to do Mariah Carey and Comet abrasive cleaner, I wanted things that really reflected her taste."

 

The magazine is expected to be packaged with the first one million copies of the disc available in the US, as well as a further 500,000 for sale overseas. Companies already signed up to have their advertisements featured include Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens and the Bahamas Board of Tourism.

 

Should the experiment go according to plan, the label declared that they will use a similar idea for other artist's albums, including Rihanna and Kanye West.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a169261/...eature-ads.html

Notes are in from the UK listening party and ALL of them comment on the epic I Wanna Know What Love Is. Can't wait to hear it now. :o It's a chance to show off her (perhaps) strong vocals, so I really can't wait! :w00t:

So far I've not seen any properly written reviews, just tweets, but they all comment like you say on What Love Is as well as Candy Bling :D A little worrying perhaps that nobody is raving about the planned second single...

 

Oh, here's the first:

 

I think "Candy Bling" was amazing! Very "Underneath The Stars." Another real slow jam. Had lots of people nodding. Could see everyone's thoughts, 'Yes!' Really loved it! Cannot wait to get it on my iPod! So hot! Very Aaliyah.

 

Then it was "Obsessed." Obviously amazing.

 

Then came "HATE U". To be honest, I was indifferent to it as a demo. It was obviously nicer when she sang it than The-Dream's version and I was bobbing my head. Again another slow/mid tempo number. Very pretty.

 

"Standing O" was more contemporary and involved the auto-tune again.

 

"Impossible" was another slow jam. I want another Emancipation and this is definitely another E=MC². I reckon that it won't hit the lambs first time around but it will totally be a grower.

 

"I Want to Know What Love Is":

Another Big Jim Wright number - amazing! I wish she would do more live numbers!

 

HMMM.

Thank god, IMO E=mc2 was FAR better than Emancipation, but was just handled awfully...and this era looks like it could be heading the same way if Hate U isn't that amazing, it could do a Bye Bye.

Another:

 

Yeah, i was there. I really really love those slow jams. They are just like that H.A.T.E.U. demo, with sparse background arrangement. and really really slow! I do wonder if radio will play them?

 

I Want To Know What Love Is was really the highlight of this party. I guess it maybe the last cut on the album. The manager played Candy Bling and Obsessed twice because some people were late. But I couldn't find the chorus in Candy Bling, it's not a catchy song. BUT, the flow is really really nice. It's those "growing track". I am sure it will be many fans favourite. And I appreciate that all these slow jams do not have an octave higher chorus to end them! Her ad-lib is back!

 

And Standing Ovation, hmmm, I didn't really like it. And it did really instantly remind me Obsessed because of the Oh Oh thing. Maybe I will like it when I listen to it again.

 

My friend asked how many cuts will be on the album, the manager said hopefully there would be 12 songs at least. He said Mariah is still writing songs and kinda worried that she can't meet the deadline. The manager said it will be a soulful album, yeah I do think those slow jams are quite soulful. But don't expect it will be sthg like Alicia Keys or Mary J. And he claimed that JD may not be involved in this project because Mariah wants to work alot with The Dream this time to make this album sounds consistent.

I'm not so sure on the comment about it sounding a lot like E=MC² rather than Emancipation. Emancipation is the better album of those two for me.

Here is Gordon Smarts review :kink:

 

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...

 

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showb...-treatment.html

Ergh, what a typically trashy tabloid 'review'. I don't trust it. For one every single thing I've read about IWTKWLI has been glowing which rather suggests it's more than just 'competent at best'.

Indeed, every listening party held has came back with glowing reviews for every track, especially I Wanna Know What Love Is, and this one is basically saying the whole thing is $h!te? If more reviews like this come out of the woodwork i'll start to take it seriously, but one bad review from THE SUN (!?!?!) is not going to dampen my excitement for now.

The Daily Star's review is rather more enjoyable :D

 

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[/b]

 

I Want To Know What Love Is: Foreigner’s cheesy 80s signature power ballad, given the Carey treatment and complete with choir and karaoke climax. It’s a great re-work. 5/5

 

And another from Heroes of Mariah:

 

A message was given at the beginning of the listening session:

"Taking Mariah's career in the UK very seriously"

"Her most soulful intimate record"

 

1. Candy Bling - "Back in the Day"

2. Obsessed - (everyone knew this one and started to talk, how rude)

3. H.A.T.E U - the old musical toybox intro, winner.

4. Standing O - "you're the man of the hour / i might have to buy you some flowers"

5. Impossible - another slow one, backing vocal like a quiet minnie ripperton.

6. I Wanna Know What Love Is - Her voice sounds like a panpipe. There is much excitement in the room. This cover is epic, career changing and clearly going to be massive.

 

I think it's fair to say I've never been this excited for an album...

Wow, it looks like I Wanna Know What Love Is will be massive if it's released. :o

SO EXCITED FOR THIS! I Wanna Know What Love Is is clearly the standout for everybody though... Change of 2nd single perhaps?

SO EXCITED FOR THIS! I Wanna Know What Love Is is clearly the standout for everybody though... Change of 2nd single perhaps?

Perhaps. If not, it sounds like it will be the 3rd.

Despite the numerous listening event reviews ignoring HATE U as a highlight I don't think IDJ will change their minds. They've already done the remix and have probably got a video shoot penned in. Hmmm.

That's probably true. But if they do have a video shoot penned, they could still film the video for HATE U but still release it as third.

I'm oddly not really looking forward to it based on those reviews. When a cover seems to be getting the most praise you have to wonder how good the rest can possibly be.

 

I've never been a huge fan of her whispery jams and it seems like most of the tracks so far are of this type. Seems like she really was trying to give the fans a 90s/"Butterfly" vibe like they wanted and then they rushed "Obsessed" out there. I have a feeling it could stick out like a sore thumb on the album, hopefully the reason she's still writing is to add some songs like "Obsessed".

 

Only half of the tracks have been played though, hopefully they've got some gems left. I really want to love this album, but I'm feeling that I may only like it. :(