Nina West

I promise that I won't forget the milk and cookies G2bx3FzgJ6o 18. Oh Santa (ft Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson) | 8.075 Highest Scores: 10: (JosephStyles, rafik4u), Lowest Scores: 5: (Nina West) We're finally getting to the 8 averages now in at #18 is the 2nd version of Oh Santa. Mariah re-recorded a new version of this song for its 10th anniversary. The new version features vocals from Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson. Released in December 2020 as the lead single from Mariah's second soundtrack album, Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special. Upon release the new remixed version received positive reviews & actually fared better on the charts than the original version did by peaking at #76 on the US Billboard charts, surpassing the original version's peak of #100 & reaching a #50 on the UK singles chart, making this the first time any version of this song has charted there, as well as charting in several other countries such as Canada, Germany & Sweden. I do actually find this version an improvement over the original with the girl group arrangement giving a fresher take on this fun little bop, adding more variety, such as Ariana's soft harmonizing vocals, Jennifer's belting powerhouse vocals set against Mariah's vocal acrobatics. Each of them adds something different which can throw off the dynamics of the song a little bit at times, but there's enough to enjoy here. Don't think this will ever reach the heights of X-Mas classic (since Mariah already has one of those), however its still a good effort & maybe in a couple of years, this could find more love and appreciation.

Santa's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas night Y5zaQ_vIAHE 19. Oh Santa | 7.9 Highest Scores: 10: (Jord), Lowest Scores: 5.5/5: (Nina West, vibe) At #19 is the first version of Oh Santa, released in October 2010 as the lead single from Mariah's 2nd Christmas album & 13th studio album Merry Christmas II You. Mariah wrote and produced the song in collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. Upon release the song received a positive response from music critics, with many praising its composition and style. In the USA it became a record breaking entry on the Billboard Adult Contemporary songs chart by topping the charts in its 2nd week & charted high on most of its component charts. The song finally managed to crack the US Top 100 in January 2011 by peaking at #100, making this Mariah's 40th entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later adapted to be the finale of 'A Christmas Special', a 2015 Hallmark Channel X-Mas movie. Mariah would re-record and re-release the song 10 years after its release, but more on that later... This frantic but rather festive little bop works perfectly as a Christmas song. Brimming with energy, quick fire verses, sassy back up singers and a earworm chanting chorus. While this in no way compares to Mariah's other iconic festive classic or will ever surpass its success, its still a fun little bop, but I wouldn't rank it this high. I do feel that this does try a little too hard to recapture that said song's magic, which obviously failed as this was very overlooked upon its original release, despite the rave reviews. Personally I've never really connected with this, its fine but nothing amazing.

When the shadows are closing in And your spirit diminishing Li6vpAMmfw0 20. Anytime You Need A Friend | 7.833 Highest Scores: 10: (Nina West, Jord), Lowest Scores: 5: (rafik4u) Kicking off the top 20 is Anytime You Need A Friend, released in May 1994 as the 5th and final single from Mariah's 3rd studio album Music Box. The song was written and produced by Mariah and Walter Afanasieff, and is influenced by pop, R&B and gospel genres. The album itself focused heavily on pop oriented and radio friendly material, this song deviated from the formula, finishing as the only gospel-infused song on the album. Upon release the song was well received by contemporary music critics and achieved strong charting positions worldwide. In the USA it reached a #12 peak, her first to miss the top 10 there, but fared much better elsewhere with top 5 peaks in Canada & New Zealand, as well as top 10 peaks in UK, Iceland & Netherlands. This would be one of the very few times that one of Mariah's singles would chart higher in the UK than in the USA. A brilliant track that quite rightfully earned Mariah another much deserved top 10 hit. This has been noted as Mariah's own favourite track of 'Music Box' & its not hard to see why as it's one of the few on there where she really gets to show off her mammoth vocal range without losing sight of the song's meaning. The blend of Mariah's inspirational vocals contrasts beautifully with the gospel choir, allowing her to focus on hitting some incredibly high notes with the strength of the choir behind her. A fitting end to the "Music Box" campaign & talk about ending the era with an almighty bang.

Just before the top 20 countdown begins, here's a reminder of what's remaining from each era: Mariah Carey – 1/5 Emotions – 1/3 Music Box – 4/5 Merry Christmas/II You – 2/3 Daydream – 2/6 Butterfly – 2/5 Rainbow – 1/5 Glitter – 0/3 Charmbracelet – 0/4 The Emancipation of Mimi – 2/6 E-MC2 –1/4 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel – 1/5 Me I Am Mariah –1/4 Caution – 0/2 Greatest Hits –1/4 Other – 1/9

Time for another results re-cap 21-30: 21. Big Energy (Remix) (ft Latto & DJ Khaled) - 7.761 22. Butterfly - 7.666 23. Get Your Number (ft Jermaine Dupri) - 7.619 24. Someday - 7.595 25. Make It Happen - 7.571 26. Through The Rain - 7.547 27. Don't Forget About Us - 7.547 28. One Sweet Day (ft Boyz II Men) - 7.425 29. Love Takes Time - 7.38 30. I'll Be There (ft Trey Lorenz) - 7.357

Can't skip foreplay, kill the kitty cold case (Uh-huh) avkjRwVuY3Y 21. Big Energy (Remix) (ft Latto & DJ Khaled) | 7.761 Highest Scores: 11: (Simon, JosephStyles), 10: (JackTheeStallion), Lowest Scores: 5: (Qween) Just outside the top 20 at #21 is Mariah's latest release to date Big Energy, a song by American rapper Latto & was released in September 2021 as the lead single from her second studio album 777. A remixed version featuring Mariah & DJ Khaled was later released in March 2022, with an interpolation of Mariah's song "Fantasy", which also heavily samples "Genius of Love". Latto has stated that she first conceived the idea of having American singer Mariah Carey on the remix back in November 2021. Although she was her first option, she didn't think she'd accept. Upon release the song in both forms became a huge success by reaching a #3 peak on the US Billboard charts, making this Latto's first top 10 hit. It also managed top 10 peaks in Australia & Canada, top 20 in Ireland & New Zealand as well as a top 30 peak in the UK, earning Mariah her 40th top 40 hit there.. The remixed version of the song was nominated for the Song of the Summer Award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, earning Mariah her first nomination at the ceremony in fourteen years since "Touch My Body" in 2008. I'm actually SHOCKED that this has ranked so high on here, given that its so recent & the fact that its beaten so many other great songs. Anyway this is a decent collaboration where Mariah's sample of 'Fantasy' is used effectively here & tastefully upstages Latto's rap verses, but Latto does manage to keep up, thanks to the sparkling production & catchy melodies. DJ Khaled's contribution is rather annoying & barely adds anything to this number. While it was nice for Mariah to be featured on a hit single again, I only wish her part was bigger & a lot more prominent.

Let's get this to another page...

Wild horses run unbridled or their spirit dies stcdNj0SANw 22. Butterfly | 7.666 Highest Scores: 10: (Jay), Lowest Scores: 5: (Bjork, dandy*) At #22 & matching it's UK peak is Butterfly, released in September 1997 as the 2nd single from Mariah's 6th studio album of the same name. The song was written and produced by Mariah & Walter Afanasieff. The track had originally been conceived as a house music record with David Morales titled "Fly Away" (Butterfly Reprise). After it was finished, Marish felt that there was something more she could do with it, as the lyrics were very personal and a perfect fit for a ballad. Mariah decided to re-write "Fly Away" in a ballad form, and incorporated new lyrics and vocals. Resulting in 'Butterfly' and became Mariah's favourite and most heartfelt ballad. Upon release, due to an ongoing conflict with Columbia, the song wasn't issued a commercial release in the USA, which hindered any chances of it making any impact on the charts. Elsewhere it's success was very limited with a top 20 peak in New Zealand, as well as top 40 peaks in Canada, UK, Sweden & Australia. In 2003 Q Magazine ranked "Butterfly" at number 563 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". Yet another underrated gem in Mariah's discography, as it's definitely one of her finest ballads. This seemed like a natural progression from her previous ballads at the time, with that added warm resonance to her tones, conveying sadness & vulnerability, but once she hits that soaring chorus, it gives up that uplifting feeling with lyrics that reflected her maturity as a songwriter. Shame that this ended her run of 12 top 10 hits in the UK, as this should have easily been another smash hit, but got lost in the X-Mas shuffle of that year. This is a beautiful ballad through and through.

Shakira - She Wolf

The Saturdays - Just Can't Get Enough

I got a house in Capri and my own G4 and a Benz with the doors that lift up from the floor yvoWWtynalI 23. Get Your Number (ft Jermaine Dupri) | 7.619 Highest Scores: 10: (AaronTM), Lowest Scores: 6: (Bjork, vibe, rafik4u, dandy*) At #23 is Get Your Number, released in October 2005 as the 4th single from Mariah's 10th studio album The Emancipation of Mimi & features American rapper Jermaine Dupri. It was written by Mariah, Jermaine, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by the former two and LRoc. The song is built around a sample of the 1982 song "Just An Illusion" by Imagination. Upon release the song received mixed reviews & was released as the album's 3rd single throughout Europe, where it reached top 10 peaks in Finland, Netherlands & UK, where it was released as a double a-side alongside "Shake It Off". Elsewhere it also managed top 20 peaks in Australia, Switzerland & Ireland as well as top 40 peaks in 7 other countries. A good little club banger from the early 00's & one of my fave tracks from the album with its fun production that uses synthesizers which gives it an almost 80's sounding, catchy hooks & Mariah's confident vocals whose in full diva mode here as she brags about her material possessions in a tongue in cheek way. Even Jermaine's ab-libs adds a nice touch to the track & alongside Mariah proves to be a winning formula. Sure this doesn't quite rank as one of Mariah's all-time best, but not every song has to be & instead its a solid playful little bop that rightfully gave her a UK top 10 hit.

Ready for another....

It's not hard to predict this ending now 4RWfSUWVP2I 24. Someday | 7.595 Highest Scores: 10: (Josh), Lowest Scores: 4/4.5: (Bjork, Herbs) At #24 is Mariah's first ever up-tempo track Someday, released in November 1990 as the 3rd single from Mariah's self-titled debut album Mariah Carey. The song was written and produced by Mariah & Ben Margulies. This song one of Mariah's earliest recordings as it was included on her four-track demo and she reached out to Ric Wake to ask if he would produce the song. The original demo recording was changed during the recording process, most notably replacing the horns with a guitar, which Mariah disapproved of. Upon release the song became Mariah's 3rd consecutive chart topper on the US Billboard charts. Elsewhere it managed a top 5 peaks in Canada & Iceland, top 20 in New Zealand, top 40 peaks in France & UK as well as top 50 peaks in Australia & Belgium. Another fantastic yet underrated bop from Mariah's early days with its amped up new jack swing production and utterly infectious joyous beats, catchy hooks & of course Mariah's vocals which soars over everything with such euphoric passion. Coming after 2 ballads in a row, this was the perfect single choice to fully showcase Mariah's range as an artist & breathed new life into the era. Okay the guitar solo bit may age it a little, but who cares this is a fantastic upbeat bop that deserves a hell of a lot more love.

I held on to my faith, I struggled and I prayed -Q6xx0JfMBI 25. Make It Happen | 7.571 Highest Scores: 11: (Qween), 10: (Davidson, elgornio), Lowest Scores: 3.5: (Bjork) At #25 is Make It Happen, released in April 1992 as the 3rd and final single from Mariah's 2nd studio album Emotions. The song was written and produced by Mariah and C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivillés. Lyrically it tells of her personal struggles prior to her rise to fame, and how her faith in God helped sustain her. Upon release the song received critical praise & despite a strong promotional boost it could only manage a #5 peak on the US Billboard charts, which was seen as a slight underperformance at the time, given that all of her previous singles went top 2 & did very little to help sales of the album, which was why no other singles were released. "And You Don't Remember" was considered as the next single, but was scrapped. Elsewhere it charted weakly by reaching top 10 in Canada, top 40 peaks in UK & Australia, but failed to reach the top 50 in Netherlands & Germany. This was a great single choice from 'Emotions' a firm highlight, with its upbeat inspirational lyrics & gorgeous gospel arrangements that injects a high dose of energy into the album itself & succeeds far better with its message than 'There's Got To Be A Way' (which had a similar vibe) did from the first album. The wandering basslines, elegant grooves and soaring melodies really sells the narrative without being too in your face or wordy. The gospel influences and heavenly backing vocals really elevates the production and makes this a firm highlight from Mariah's early days.

I can stand up once again RRNdmkH8zrI 26. Through The Rain | 7.547 Highest Scores: 11: (Lukuzz, Herbs), 10: (Nina West, elgornio, Josh, AaronTM), Lowest Scores: 4: (Jade, vibe) At #26 is Through The Rain, released in September 2002 as the lead single from Mariah's 9th studio album Charmbracelet. Written by Mariah and Lionel Cole, and produced by the former and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song was meant to be an insight into Carey personal struggles throughout 2001, and lyrically talks about encouraging others. This was also her first release under new label Island Def Jam after parting ways with Columbia Records & then getting dropped by Virgin Records after many personal troubles & the lack of success for her previous album 'Glitter'. Mariah chose this track as the lead single a contemporary pop ballad as a way to recapture her audience throughout the earlier stages of her career. Upon release the song was well received by music critics, but commercially, it was her lowest charting lead single on the US Billboard charts at the time by stalling at #81. However it gained much stronger charting internationally by topping the charts in Spain & hitting top 10 peaks in Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland & UK. Actually quite shocked at the low #26 ranking on here, but a couple of middling scores caused it plummet. Now I really like the more back to basics approach to this song & if there was one thing to takeaway from the disasterous 'Glitter' era was that things needed to come down a notch and shift the focus back onto the music. I like how Mariah takes back control of the narrative with this shimmering ballad and directly acknowledging the struggles she’d faced. The gentle piano melodies, soft beats and music box synths all sounds fantastic along with Mariah's more restrained vocal delivery before that big key change where her voice soars beautifully over the production. Okay this wasn't quite the big comeback that Mariah had hoped for, its really more of a transitional moment & showed that she could still make great music. The big comeback moment would have to wait for a couple of years, as this was maybe a bit too soon & just needed more time to let the dust settle.

Details don't matter, we both paid the price 8tZkzL4j3BU 27. Don't Forget About Us | 7.547 Highest Scores: 10: (rafik4u), Lowest Scores: 6: (Nina West, Davidson, Bjork, vibe, Liam.k.) At #27 is Don't Forget About Us, released in October 2005 as the 5th single from Mariah's 10th studio album The Emancipation of Mimi. It was written by Mariah, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin, and produced by Mariah, Dupri and Cox. The song was one of the 4 new tracks that featured on the rei-released edition of the album subtitled Ultra Platinum Edition. During a writing session with Jermaine she considered keeping the song for her next album, but after L.A. Reid the CEO of Island Records heard the unfinished version of the track, he convinced Mariah to keep working on new songs & suggested on releasing a deluxe version of the album, which had already sold 4 Million copies by that point & Mariah agreed to the idea & feeling eager to release the song, instead of making her fans wait for a brand new album. Upon release the song became Mariah's 17th #1 hit in the USA, and capping off a successful comeback year for the artist. Worldwide it achieved moderate success by reaching top 20 peaks in UK, Italy, Australia, New Zealand & Switzerland as well as top 40 peaks in several other countries. In 2007 the song was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, but lost out in both categories. This track has never been a favourite of mine, always found it a bit unmemorable & felt too similar to the far better "We Belong Together". Now don't get me wrong I don't find the song terrible or anything, its just not something I go back to very often. The laidback tempo gives the song a seductive vibe with its lilting chorus combined with her breathy harmonies plays to Mariah's strengths really well. Especially as it builds throughout with the vocals becoming more intense before she hits those high notes at the end. I remember being very happy to see Mariah make a successful comeback after a rough couple of years & by scoring 2 chart toppers in one year, she silenced all those naysayers who said that her career was over.

Newton Faulkner - Dream Catch Me

Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For?

Time for another era's re-cap: Mariah Carey – 2/5 Emotions – 2/3 Music Box – 4/5 Merry Christmas/II You – 2/3 Daydream – 2/6 Butterfly – 3/5 Rainbow – 1/5 Glitter – 0/3 Charmbracelet –1/4 The Emancipation of Mimi – 4/6 E=MC2 –1/4 Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel – 1/5 Me I Am Mariah –1/4 Caution – 0/2 Greatest Hits –1/4 Others – 2/9

Like so many friends we've lost along the way UXxRyNvTPr8 28. One Sweet Day (ft Boyz II Men) | 7.452 Highest Scores: 10: (Simon, Jord, vibe, Herbs, rafik4u), Lowest Scores: 0: (Jessie Where) At #28 is the massive collaboration between Mariah & Boyz II Men One Sweet Day, released in November 1995 as the 2nd single from Mariah's 5th studio album Daydream. The artists co-wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff, who co-produced it with Mariah. Lyrically the song speaks about the death of a loved one & the artists wrote the song about [specific people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic, which was globally prevalent at the time. Upon release it was met with universal acclaim & became a massive success on the US Billboard charts by debuting at #1 and staying there for a record breaking 16 weeks & held the record for longest running single until 2017 & then bettered in 2019. This was Mariah's 10th & Boyz II Men's 4th US chart topper. Worldwide it wasn't quite as successful but did to reach top 10 peaks in 13 countries, including #1 peaks in Canada & New Zealand. The song would also go onto win many awards throughout 1996 including a BMI award, ASCAP award & together with the 'Daydream' album would be nominated for 6 Grammy awards, however they lost all nominations. I've always found it fascinating that this was such an iconic event in the USA & yet everywhere else it was basically just another standard decent sized hit. Now this is a great Mariah song & love the sentiment behind it, however I wouldn't rank this one of her best, now don't get me wrong its good solid ballad, but there's far better songs in Mariah's discography than this. This is a gorgeous ballad full of genuine emotion, that is swathed in Boyz II Men's doo-wop vocals & Mariah's stunning emotive singing. The melancholy, vulnerability and hope all melded together into that soaring chorus gives everything a warm & rather comforting feel to the production. I've never been a fan of Boyz II Men, find a lot of their stuff a slog to listen to & given the overly long runtime, makes this feel rather saccharine & can be quite nauseating at times. This song isn't something I go back to very often, hell before this review I hadn't listened to it in over 10 years & in no rush to listen to it again. I don't dislike it by any means, its just an okay moment for me.

Taylor Swift: Our Song Fearless: Fearless Speak Now: Enchanted Red: All Too Well 1989: Blank Space Reputation: Getaway Car Lover: Cruel Summer Folklore: The Last Great American Dynasty Evermore: Champagne Problems Midnights: Snow On The Beach

Another US chart topping ballad from the 90's will drop next, just a little hint.

I had it all but I let it slip away FkDpwF6-QiA 29. Love Takes Time | 7.38 Highest Scores: 11: (Bjork, rafik4u), Lowest Scores: 3.5 (elgornio) #29 is Love Takes Time, released in August 1990 as the 2nd single from Mariah's self-titled debut album Mariah Carey. Written by Mariah and Ben Margulies, while produced by Walter Afanasieff, The song was quickly recorded at the last minute due to the album already being completed and being processed for release. Mariah played the song's demo to former Columbia CEO Don Ienner while on an airplane. Don and other officials immediately insisted the song be included on the album, despite the album being in its final stages of completion and Mariah even considered saving it for her next album. Eventually the song made it onto the album as the closing track, however due to its late addition, it wasn't listed on album's early pressings. But subsequent pressings corrected that mistake. Upon release the song was another success for Mariah in the USA where it became her 2nd #1 hit. However worldwide it wasn't quite as a successful as her previous single but did manage a #2 peak in Canada & top 10 peaks Iceland & New Zealand, but elsewhere it didn't make much of an impact with a top 20 peak in Australia, top 40 peaks in UK & Netherlands & a minor peak in Germany. The track also went onto to win a BMI R&B Award for Song of the Year and Songwriter Award, as well as a Soul Train award for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist in 1991. Despite managing two 11's, strangely enough it didn't gain any 10's in this countdown. This is a beautiful yet breathtaking ballad that pulls you in instantly right until the very last note. Definitely more restrained and subtle when compared to some of her later ballads, but still no less infused with raw emotion, shimmering passion and insightful vocal performance where she makes you experience the utter despair of a break up with such devastating honesty. The gentle bass and twinkling keyboards really adds a nice touch to the production and gives this stunning ballad a timeless quality to it. This deserved far more than the mere #37 peak that it got here in the UK, but at least the USA gave it the full appreciation it deserved.

I'll build my world of dreams around you UIt3dx4an9c 30. I'll Be There (ft Trey Lorenz) | 7.357 Highest Scores: 9: (Bjork, JackTheeStallion, vibe, Herbs), Lowest Scores: 4: (Jessie Where) At #30 is Mariah's cover of the Jackson 5 hit I'll Be There, which was performed as a duet alongside American R&B singer Trey Lorenz. Released in March 1992 as the lead single from Mariah's live EP MTV Unplugged. The song was a last minute addition to her setlist, after she had been informed that most acts on the show commonly perform at least one cover. The "MTV Unplugged" special was a huge success & Mariah's label, Columbia Records, received many requests to release the track as a single, which had not been planned. A radio edit of the song was created which removed dialogue portions of the performance. Upon release the song received critical acclaim & went onto become a commercial success by becoming her 6th chart topper in the USA & to date this is the only 'MTV Unplugged' single to hit #1. Worldwide it became her breakthrough hit outside the USA by topping the charts in Canada, Netherlands & New Zealand, as well as a #2 peak in the UK (her most successful at the time) & top 10 in Australia as well as hitting top 20 peaks in most of Europe, where her success had previously limited. In 1993 the song also received 2 Grammy nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song, losing both categories to Boyz II Men's "End of the Road". Mariah & Trey Lorenz performed their rendition of the song as a tribute to Michael Jackson's memorial service in 2009, 17 years after their first performance together. Honestly thought that this would been top 20 at least, but the couple of middling scores really brought it down & the fact that it didn't gain any 10's or 11's is quite surprising. I remember watching that MTV live performance back in the day & this performance was a firm highlight & as soon as it came out my mum rushed out to buy the single & became a fan ever since. This helped establish Mariah as a live performer as at the time many thought she was a studio artist, but boy she proved them all wrong & silenced them with her almighty talent. Mariah's raw and soulful version of this track really elevates it from being just another standard cover version. Everything about this is breath-taking down to the string quartet, rhythm sections, simple piano beats & the gospel choir backing singers, and of course the smooth vocals of Trey Lorenz intertwined with Mariah's astounding vocals perfectly & brings a romantic melancholy to it. A firm classic in Mariah's discography & one of the most iconic live performances of all-time.

The rest of the results will be in 1's