Ever since the world collectively decided to coronate Mariah Carey as the Queen of Christmas, as usual with women in pop culture, the talk of which hopeful Christmas Princesses could replace her almost immediately followed. However, she’s only grown in her festive ferocity over the decade since embracing her Christmas royal status.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of her Queen-making song, “All I Want For Christmas is You,” and it’s clear that Carey’s Christmas confection has inspired many of her musical daughters to follow in her stiletto steps. In their sonic choices, lyrical themes, or festive holiday promotional campaigns, all of pop’s princesses want a piece of Carey’s Christmas monarchy. While she won’t be relinquishing the throne any time this century, she has blessed a few of these Christmas princesses with her coveted stamp of approval.

In this playlist, I’m ranking Carey’s Christmas princesses holistically based on several factors: the quality of their original songs, how genuine and committed they are to the genre, their cultural impact, and their reverence for the Queen.

12. Sabrina Carpenter, “Santa doesn’t know you like I do”

Fresh off of a breakout year as pop’s latest it-girl, Sabrina Carpenter wasted no time entering the Christmas conversation. In the Best New Artist nominee‘s Christmas variety special on Netflix, “A Nonsense Christmas,” she repackaged her 2023 holiday EP, “fruitcake,” for mass consumption. As sassy and sexy as her latest hits, the set is heavy on humorous innuendo that would make even the sweet-as-“Honey” Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey blush. However, on “santa doesn’t know you like i do” Carpenter tones down the innuendo in favor of cutesy Christmas tidings that make it perfect for holiday playlisting.

11. Katy Perry, “Cozy Little Christmas”

Always good for a throwback, this 2010s hitmaker released her first and only Christmas song, “Cozy Little Christmas,” in 2018. Perry put her pop songwriting sensibilities to good use for this bubbly bop that gives a modern twist to the classic Christmas uptempo sound. While there is nothing particularly fresh about its plodding piano and sleigh bell-adorned production, that’s what makes it so, well… cozy. Considering how tritely unremarkable her latest album was, she might want to go full-throwback and consider a Christmas album.

10. Ava Max, “1 Wish.”

Ava Max made her second Christmas contribution this year with the release of “1 Wish,” a supercharged pop confection that is as catchy as it is cheerful. Wholly wholesome, she opts to celebrate the Christmas season by rattling off as many items on her list of must-haves to say that her “1 Wish” is for every day to be like Christmas. Refreshingly, it is not another rewrite of the “All I Want For Christmas is You” theme in different words. Ava Max could certainly deliver a solid Christmas album one day, perhaps that’s her fans’ “1 Wish.”

9. Leona Lewis, “One More Sleep”

Since her debut as the British X-Factor winner, Leona Lewis has been compared to Mariah Carey due to her immense vocal talent and style. Like Carey, Lewis recorded a Christmas album as her fourth set in 2013. Unlike Carey, her career peaked there. Regardless, “One More Sleep” has endured over the decade-plus since its release as a minor but beloved bop inside and outside her fanbase. She reissued the album in 2021 and toured the UK for Christmas in 2023, slowly and wisely nurturing a Christmas legacy.

8. Tamar Braxton, “No Gift”

Tamar Braxton might have a very famous sibling, but she’s a self-proclaimed Lamb. She’s always shown reverence for the Queen. You can hear the influence all over her work. So, it’s no wonder that Braxton would go on to record a Christmas album… and that it’s heavily Mariah-spired. “No Gift” has the same theme as Carey’s quintessential classic, but is on the opposite end of the sonic spectrum. Braxton serves drama on this slow-building ballad that works in several classic Christmas piano interpolations.

7. Jennifer Hudson, “Santa For Someone”

In 2020, Jennifer Hudson joined the Queen of Christmas on a special “Oh Santa!” remix alongside Ariana Grande for Carey’s Apple TV+ Christmas special. In 2023, the trio had a surprise reunion at Carey’s Madison Square Garden Christmas show. Hudson released her first Christmas album this season, “The Gift of Love.” On one of its original tracks, “Santa For Someone,” Hudson masterfully executes a high-energy, horn-driven groove that’s as bombastic as it is festive. While her non-holiday music hasn’t made much of an impact, she stands a chance to make quite the name for herself in the genre. The Queen of tributes, Hudson at covering songs and making them her own. With a successful daytime talk show and Carey’s co-sign, in time, she’ll find her way.

6. Kelly Rowland, “Love You More at Christmas Time”

Kelly Rowland began her Christmas story in 2000 when Destiny’s Child recorded their first-ever Christmas song for a Rosie O’Donnell Christmas album. For you post-Millennial generation folks, I can’t even explain that for you right now. But it was a thing. Anyway, the trio released a full-length Christmas set the following year, on which Rowland had a solo cover of “Do You Hear What I Hear” heavily inspired by Whitney Houston’s rendition.

Through the years Rowland has continued to flirt with her festive side, recording several more Christmas tracks, the highlight of which is “Love You More at Christmas Time.” This original was recorded for her first Lifetime Christmas film, “Merry Liddle Christmas.” The film went on to have two sequels. With “Love You More at Christmas Time,” Rowland, like Carey, masters the pop crossover sound while maintaining her R&B sensibilities for the upbeat, romantic track. It’s been over a decade since Rowland’s last full-length album, and once she finally follows that up, it’d be nice if she recorded a solo Christmas album one day.

The post Playlist: Mariah Carey and the 12 Princesses of Christmas appeared first on THE 97.

The post 97 Words: “santa doesn’t know you like i do” by Sabrina Carpenter appeared first on THE 97.

Of course, Carey’s place in the music record books is more than secure. She has spent more weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other artist (91) and has more #1 singles than any other solo artist (19). Her albums have been certified for a total of 74 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making her the top-ranking woman, and second to only Michael Jackson among Black artists. It’s only natural that, for most of her career, Carey surely felt pressure to succeed as a hitmaker.

“When ‘Caution’ finally came, at that point in her career there was nothing else for her to prove,” says Princess Gabbara, an entertainment journalist, editor, and author whose writing has appeared in ESSENCE, Vibe, MTV News, and Billboard, where she interviewed Carey.

“She was able to create music for fun again, just for herself and the people who appreciate it most: her fans.”

Released after a tumultuous period both personally and professionally, Carey was a woman liberated on “Caution.” No longer confined by commercial expectations, she commanded the respect she deserved and earned. Carey, seemingly more comfortable and sure of herself than ever, returned to the studio in early 2018 to begin the recording sessions that would compose “Caution.”

“The studio is such a safe place for me, the right environment,” Carey told Rob Markman during her “Genius Level” interview. “I had been outside of that environment for too long and doing too many superfluous things that I really didn’t need to be doing.”

Over the four and a half years between “Caution” and 2014’s “Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse,” Carey indeed had a lot going on. She got divorced, engaged, and then broke it off. She changed managers a few times, went on three tours, had two Las Vegas residencies, produced a cringe-worthy reality TV show… and then there was the New Year’s Eve 2017 debacle. However, she kicked off 2018 by returning to the very same stage, vindicating herself with a stellar performance. 

Later that year, she disclosed that she’s battled bipolar disorder since 2001, saying she could no longer “live in constant fear” of someone exposing her (spoiler alert: someone was about to do so). In an exclusive interview with People, Carey admitted, “​​I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music.” Seven months later, she released “Caution.”

“’Caution’ is a return to her creative prowess because all of the negative drama was gone, and she could just create with no distraction,” says Gabbara. 

During her “Genius Level” interview, Carey also spoke on the creative process behind the album: “I really wanted to collaborate. One of my favorite things to do is collaborate and go back and forth…I did a lot of that on this record.”

That she did. “Caution” found Carey collaborating with an array of producers and songwriters, most of whom she had never worked with before. The result was an impressively fresh, modern R&B album. Teaming up with trusted names like Timbaland, No ID, Shea Taylor, Poo Bear, Bibi Bourelly, DJ Mustard, Nineteen85, and The Stereotypes, Carey masterfully combined contemporary R&B styles with her signature, crossover sensibilities. She also worked with less predictable collaborators, such as EDM producer Skrillex and, most notably, Dev Hynes of Blood Orange. Though each of the album’s ten tracks pairs Carey with a different set of co-producers, they mesh perfectly.

“It’s one of her most cohesive albums,” says Taylor Gray, indie R&B artist and playlist curator. “She was able to fuse many different sounds and collaborators and it worked seamlessly. It was very forward-thinking for Mariah … a little more alternative in certain elements.”

One of the album’s most “alternative” sounding tracks is “Giving Me Life.” Penned by Carey and Hynes, with a guest verse from Hip-Hop legend Slick Rick, the track is like nothing Carey has ever recorded, yet still manages to sound unmistakably her own. 

“I think her collaboration with Blood Orange is an indication of the future for her,” says Andrew Chan, author of “Why Mariah Carey Matters,” a book critically examining Carey’s legacy. “The whole weird psychedelic outro that she does, it’s just fantastic.”

Praise for “Caution” is not limited to Gabbara, Chan, or Gray. On Metacritic, a website that creates an aggregate score for albums based on published reviews, the album has a score of 82 based on nine reviews, which they note as “universal acclaim.”

“She started to finally receive a lot of her flowers,” says Gabbara. “It felt like a full-circle moment. Not only the fans, but the critics recognized that too.” 

Critics were definitely impressed. In Entertainment Weekly, Leah Greenblatt wrote, “On … the breezy, pleasingly defiant ‘Caution,’ she finds a freshness that’s been missing from her recent material.” Similarly, in the Pitchfork review by Maura Johnston, she noted that Carey employs “of-the-moment producers to add current touches to her tracks, but the way she uses them on ‘Caution’ results in her fine-tuning her aesthetic, not bending to current playlist-friendly trends.”

For Spin, Winston Cook-Wilson gave Carey, and “Caution,” high praise: “More than just a sound effect, “Mariah Carey”-ness is a style and an attitude, a mode in which so many artists continue to make music. On ‘Caution,’ she is still doing it better than most of her students, and sounds more comfortable than she has in quite a while.”

Chan, too, notes that this album marked a shift in how critics wrote about Carey, but he also attributes that to a change in demographics among critics: “Things change when more people of color start writing about music; when more queer people start writing about music. Much of the music criticism was controlled by a certain type of straight white man who really had no interest in what Mariah or a lot of other black women were bringing to the table musically.” 

“It also says something about how Mariah’s legacy has solidified,“ he adds.

While Carey is famously averse to acknowledging time, the album was released 28 years into her career, on the cusp of her fourth decade in the industry. At 54, Carey is far from retirement but is certainly a veteran, a “legacy act” – which comes with good and bad elements. Due to ageism (and slightly confusing single choices), the album barely made a dent, commercially. However, its critical acclaim and subsequent celebrations of her legacy that followed “Caution” show that Carey is beginning to receive the respect that an artist of her caliber deserves.

“People started to realize we need to appreciate our living legends while we have them,” says Gabbara.

Since “Caution” was released, Carey herself has made several conscious decisions to celebrate her legacy and catalog. While she may opt to refer to them as minutes and not years, she celebrated the 25th Anniversary of iconic albums “Daydream,” and “Butterfly,” the 30th Anniversary of “Music Box,” and her entire career with a campaign called “#MC30.” In 2020, she also released her first memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” alongside an album of unreleased songs “from the vault,” titled “The Rarities.” 

Each of these events was met with celebration from fans and critics alike, perhaps contributing to the snowballing success of Carey’s evergreen classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” which, after notching its first week at #1 in 2019, has only grown more popular. With it, Carey’s profile as the “Queen of Christmas” continues to elevate. 

This year, her “It’s Time” video announcing the start of the holiday Mariah season became the most-watched video on Twitter (X), with over 122 million views. On TikTok, it has over 93 million. Currently, Carey is on tour spreading Christmas cheer with a setlist that includes holiday favorites, as well as some of her biggest hits and fan favorites. Just in time to celebrate its 5th anniversary, there’s even a “Caution” cut included, the Lil’ Kim-sampling gem that should’ve been its lead single: “A No No.” 

As she continues to release (GRAMMY-nominated) special editions of her classic albums and trek around the world each Christmas as obligated by The Crown, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Mariah Carey is no longer shying away from reminding us that while she may be the Queen of Christmas, she is not just the Christmas lady. Following the acclaim she received for “Caution,” Carey has definitely seemed more emboldened and aware of her worth. 

“I think maybe there is something that happens with artists who just don’t get any critical respect,” says Chan. “It’s almost like you feel shy about praising yourself or putting yourself forward as a major musician, maybe because you’ve never been made to feel that by people who have respected positions and can judge that. Once you have a sense of how influential you are and it’s being acknowledged in the press, I can understand how that would make you go back and reflect on what your contribution has been over decades.”

In celebration of the album’s release, Sony Music installed an exhibition called “The Mariah Carey Experience” at Sony Square in New York City. With different photo booths that allowed fans to recreate a couple of her iconic album covers, a museum-style display of her #1 hits and memorable ensembles, and of course a Christmas moment, it simultaneously placed her legacy front and center alongside her then-new album.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey)

Before landing on “Caution,” Carey originally planned to title the album after a different track, the reflective ballad “Portrait.” A tradition at this point, she bares all on the dramatically introspective album closer. She sings, “I won’t let the teardrops spill tonight/ Just conceal myself and hide/ This portrait of my life.” Dripping in insecurity, “Portrait” illustrates a woman fighting to survive, remaining resilient (“down but not demoralized”), but in shame (“how do I disappear?”).

The last song recorded for the album, “Caution,” became the album’s title track instead. A wise choice, from both a stylistic (the song is more representative of the set, sonically) and marketing (the artwork and other caution-taped theme promo materials were really cool) standpoint. However, maybe unconsciously, “Caution” paints the picture of a much different woman in comparison to “Portrait.” On the slinky, Caribbean-inspired groove, Carey confidently sings, “Proceed with caution, but don’t make me wait/ Before too long, it just might fade away.” 

While yes, the song is about a new relationship, perhaps as an album title it was metaphorical. “Caution,” the album, was a catalyst; it was Mariah Carey putting the world on notice. She demanded respect as an artist, and releasing a damn good body of work was the most effective form of statement to make her case.

Recently, Carey announced that she’s back in the studio working on her next album – the follow-up to “Caution” that fans have been eagerly anticipating. Indeed, “it’s time.”

Revisit “Caution” by Mariah Carey

The post Mariah Carey and the Catalyst of “Caution” appeared first on THE 97.

Throughout the early 90s, Jermaine Dupri established a name for himself as an R&B and Hip-Hop super-producer. In 1998, Dupri pivoted to become a rap artist himself and released his debut studio album, “Life in 1472.” By then, he and Mariah Carey had also developed a strong personal and professional relationship as good friends and musical collaborators. An ever-loyal friend, Carey appeared on the album’s third single, “Sweetheart” (a cover of the 1986 hit by Rainy Davis). Like on many of their mash-up style remixes, the pair transformed the very 80s track, elevating it with a fresh, sexy Hip-Hop spin.

Watch the “Sweetheart” video, stream it, or get “Life in 1472” on CD.

In celebration of summer, the staff at THE 97 has compiled a playlist containing some of our favorite summer songs, from then and now. Each day we will reveal one song, rotating daily between past and present with pairings from 1998 and 2023, for a total of 97 days/songs. Since we love nostalgia, we’re celebrating summer songs from 1998 as they turn 25, alongside new songs that we feel deserve some shine. Pairings could be thematic, sonic, or based connections between the artists.

Check out our full “THE SUMMER 97 (1998 x 2023)” playlist here

The post 97 Words: “Sweetheart” by Jermaine Dupri & Mariah Carey appeared first on THE 97.

When it came to R&B, Carey’s more authentic offerings with less commercial gloss and more bluesy introspection were kept from the spotlight. However, the diva-to-be sure did try.

This playlist is a reimagining of “Music Box,” a supposition of what, based on her later work, Carey might have preferred the album to sound like. Some of its singles have been swapped in favor of a remix or a live version. And, perhaps most controversially, a pair of discarded tracks replace album tracks. This is Mariah’s Version.

Music Box (Mariah’s Version)

1. Dreamlover (Bam Jam Soul) Remix

The story goes that Carey crafted a sparsely produced “Dreamlover” with Dave Hall, using the same sample as Big Daddy Kane’s “Ain’t No Half Steppin’.” However, Carey’s then-husband and label head Tommy Mottola called in her frequent, pop-friendly collaborator Walter Afanasieff to give the song the gloss it needed to become a commercial pop confection. Rumor has it that this remix is a little closer to how it would’ve sounded.

2. Hero (Live at Tokyo Dome)

You’ve probably heard the story: Carey wrote “Hero” with Gloria Estefan in mind for a film of the same name. Mottola heard it, and told her to keep it for herself, and the rest is history. “Hero” is one of Carey’s signature songs, but she’s always expressed her reservations about it, saying that she didn’t appreciate the song until she began performing it live and connecting with fans over its sentiment. For that reason, as well as the warmth that the live arrangement adds to it, I selected a live performance to replace the album version.

3. Anytime You Need a Friend (Soul Convention Remix)

While the album version is a gorgeous ballad complete with gospel-inspired background vocals, the Soul Convention Mix has more dreamy, sparse R&B sensibilities and soulful vocals to match. This mix really complements the lyrics and elevates the song beyond its more adult-contemporary-ready album version.

4. Music Box

The gorgeous title track remains; a chilling song that is likely an ode to Carey’s true soulmate: music. It not only gives the album its title, it also sets the tone sonically. Many of the songs on the album echo its enchanting qualities.

5. Do You Think of Me

Originally released as the b-side to “Dreamlover,” this song deserved to be on the album. A sensual track with all the hallmarks of a classic 90s R&B sound, “Do You Think of Me” was probably Carey’s sexiest song to date at that point. “When you feel the touch of another lover, do you think of me?” she asks, possibly to her then-husband’s dismay.

6. Never For You (Radio Edit)

Co-written with Babyface, the album version is pretty perfect, but the Jermaine Dupri-produced remix gives the song an extra thump. Literally; the heavier bass makes the song fall in line with Carey’s later penchant for a ballad with a beat.

7. All I Live For

Fresh out of the vault, Carey found “All I Live For” in 2020 while assembling her compilation of unreleased or obscure tracks, “The Rarities.” Fitting right in with the other, equally dated (but inferior) up-tempos that follow, Carey rightfully referred to “All I Live For” as “soooo 90s” in the “Rarities” liner notes. It’s puzzling that they left this one on the cutting room floor.

8. Now That I Know
9. I’ve Been Thinking About You

This pair of C&C Music Factory collaborations are fun and energetic, offering a hint at Carey’s soon-apparent love for House music. While Carey’s soaring vocals and C&C’s sizzling production succeed at uplifting an otherwise sleepy album, they are a bit substantively generic. For any other artist, they would be standouts, but after 30 years and 12 more albums… the bar is high for Carey.

10. Dreamlover (Def Club Mix Edit)

On 1995’s “Daydream” and 1997’s “Butterfly,” Carey included the shortened edit of one of her house mixes (“Fantasy” and “Butterfly” respectively) on the album itself. While it probably wasn’t recorded in time for the album’s release in 1993, this game-changing remix deserved to be on a Diamond-selling album.

11. Without You

Carey’s cover of Badfinger’s “Without You” has (debatably) become the definitive version, and one of her biggest hits internationally. While she certainly loves R&B and Hip-Hop, Carey has made it well-known that her knowledge of music is pretty limitless, and was choosing to cover Rock songs long after her musical liberation.

12. Everything Fades Away

On the international edition of “Music Box,” Carey’s worldwide fans were treated to “Everything Fades Away.” On Mariah’s Version, it’d be a non-negotiable, following in her oft-practiced tradition of closing an album with a deeply personal ballad. This haunting tale of a heart that’s breaking could’ve been autobiographical or could’ve been one of Carey’s many successful exercises in showcasing her literary prowess. Either way, its lyrics had more depth than the rest of “Music Box” and her first two albums. More of that would certainly follow.

**Just to Hold You Once Again
** All I’ve Ever Wanted

Something had to get cut, dahhlings! While these two songs boast some simply stunning vocals, they are by far the least interesting of the bunch… and the most adult-contemporary leaning. Never fear, “Dreamlover” would still need a b-side, and the album would still need an international bonus track, so do with that what you will. Or, there’s always the vault…

Listen to “Music Box (Mariah’s Version)”

Available on Apple Music, Spotify, and elsewhere.

The post Playlist: Music Box (Mariah’s Version) appeared first on THE 97.

Summertime is for sun, sand, and a So So Def remix. In the 90s, Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri never failed to deliver on the latter, and the “My All/Stay Awhile” remix, is no exception. A sexy summery mash-up of Mariah’s 13th #1 and the R&B classic “Stay a Little While, Child,” the track features Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, a then up-and-coming rap duo from the Bronx, as Carey effortlessly glides between verses from both songs atop the Loose Ends sampled beat. While Carey’s now-classic Latin-inspired ballad was already steamy, this club-ready mix really made it swelter.

Watch the “My All/Stay Awhile” video, stream it, or buy Mariah’s “Butterfly” or “The Remixes” album.

The post 97 Words: “My All/Stay Awhile” by Mariah Carey appeared first on THE 97.

The song, released on June 2, 2003, as the third and final single off of the superstar’s ninth studio album “Charmbracelet,” originally appeared on the British rock band’s 1981 album “High ‘n’ Dry.” Written by band members Steve Clark, Pete Willis, and Joe Elliott, “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” only reached a peak of #61 on the Billboard Hot 100, a stark contrast from a majority of the more successful hits Carey’s chosen to cover on her other albums. Released through Island Def Jam Records and Carey’s own (now defunct) record label, MonarC Entertainment, “Heartbreak” wasn’t any more commercially successful in Carey’s hands, but was well-received by critics and even the song’s creators.

Cover Girl

Lead singer Joe Elliott recounts that he heard Carey became interested in covering the band’s song after she heard it playing during a photoshoot. “I think she did a great version of it,” he told Rolling Stone in 2019. Def Leppard’s guitarist Phil Collen described Carey’s version as “genuine,” stating, “She’s on our side and it’s an honour she’s done it.” Other reviewers were appreciative of Carey’s surprising transformation from pop to rock star. Praising its live instrumentation, Sal Cinquemani of “Slant” labeled the track as “daring.” After all, it’s not every day a diva like Carey trades in her stilettos for a guitar.

“Gypsy, sittin’ looking pretty / A broken rose and laughing eyes…” are the first lines elicited by Carey’s airy but fervent vocals as she swoons over a somber piano and soft guitar strings. While Leppard’s original version begins with an immediate clash of electric guitars and drums, Carey’s version takes you on a journey of suspense – a gentle, almost whispered start, with a ferocious ending. “The record had a crescendo, so we started out in one place and ended up in a really big epic moment,” Carey said about the song during a 2002 promo interview. Though the five-octave crooner, who’s cemented her musical legacy with innumerable pop/R&B hits, surely wouldn’t be first in mind for a rock ‘n’ roll selection, Carey’s rendition of “Heartbreak” further proves that her voice can fit seamlessly within any musical genre. And, her glass-shattering high note towards the song’s finish – the one Elliott said makes “Minnie Riperton sound like Tom Waits” – could actually be mistaken for an electric guitar squeal. The diva’s voice is indeed an instrument. Everything else around it is just background noise.

Punk-riah

Though the 2003 release of “Heartbreak” was the first rock single that the self-proclaimed “elusive chanteuse” publicly took credit for singing, it was not her first foray into the genre. Carey later revealed in her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” that she recorded an alternative rock album during the recording of her 1995 studio album, “Daydream.” The secret album, titled “Someone’s Ugly Daughter,” was released under the band name, Chick. Carey wrote, produced, and sang each track from the album, enlisting her friend Clarissa Dane to sing over her voice as a means of disguising it. Carey, however, has hinted about the album in the past. “I’ve written some alternative things that nobody knows about,” she revealed to Craig Seymour, in 1999, saying, “I’m a musical person.” Unfortunately, “Someone’s Ugly Daughter” is still not available on any music platforms. But honestly Ms. Carey, it’s time for the world to become reacquainted with the much more elusive, “Punk-riah.”

A music video for “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak,” directed by Sanaa Hamri, was shot in Los Angeles in early 2003. Inspired by the 1979 film, “The Rose,” the song’s video chronicles the pressures of a renowned rock star, one who is adored by the world but struggles to find her own inner peace – much like the film’s protagonist Mary Rose Foster, played by the legendary Bette Midler. Dressed like a vampy Stevie Nicks, Carey is draped in headscarves and hippie beads but stays true to character by leaving her enviable physique on full display. Shots of her being swarmed by screaming fans, backed by close-ups of a saddened starlet and clips of a risqué love scene between her and model Damon Willis in the sheets, all lead to the video’s finale, where – much like Rose – Carey is performing onstage for her doting followers, with Randy Jackson on bass and Dave Narravo shredding his guitar. Though the song’s style and video are not on brand of the familiar “Mariah Carey” archetype, they certainly coincide with the tales of this diva’s storied career.

Mimi’s Heartbreak

The song’s parent album, “Charmbracelet,” was released during a rather unsuccessful and complicated period for the music icon. After closing out the ’90s as the best-selling artist of the decade, with at least one number-one single in each year, Carey entered the new millennium with her own personal heartbreak. Freshly divorced from the then-CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola, Carey signed a record-breaking contract deal with Virgin Records ahead of the release of her 2001 motion picture debut, Glitter. Following a series of setbacks and delays brought on by Carey being hospitalized for exhaustion, the film and its accompanying soundtrack were commercial failures and panned by critics. Ultimately, the superstar was bought out of her contract by Virgin Records. It was “a complete and total stress-fest,” according to Carey. “I made a total snap decision which was based on money and I never make decisions based on money. I learned a big lesson from that.”

The following year, the songstress jetted out to Capri, Italy, where she began writing and recording fresh material for a new album before even being signed to a new label (ultimately choosing Island Def Jam). Carey not only found a new home with another record company but also launched her very own record label – MonarC Entertainment (which was abandoned in the summer of 2004). In the wake of commercial blows, critical mockery, and record label confusion, Carey’s father passed away shortly after the two had reconciled after years of not speaking to one another. She honored her late father with the song, “Sunflowers For Alfred Roy,” on “Charmbracelet.”

“Charmbracelet” (released December 3, 2002) was not the commercial comeback Carey had intended it to be, however. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, while all three of its subsequent singles received shockingly poorer chart success than Carey was known for. “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” reached #25 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Chart, but managed to peak at #5 on the Billboard U.S. Dance Club Songs, thanks to its club remixes. The song was performed on several television programs, including “The Today Show” and Mexico’s child fundraiser program “Teletón,” as well as on the album’s supporting tour, “The Charmbracelet World Tour.” Carey’s future, though, was anything but heartbreaking. The Grammy winner returned to her former glory with her 2005 comeback album, “The Emancipation of Mimi,” and eventually broke Elvis Presley’s record for having more number-one hits than any other solo artist in music history. Over the decades, she has completely transformed herself into the quintessential symbol of Christmas. Her years of heartache are certainly long gone.

Although Carey’s rendition of “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” didn’t match the success of her most beloved covers, it certainly speaks to her musical diversity. With a song catalog that practically shimmers from catchy pop melodies and honeyed vocals, “Heartbreak” is a rock ‘n’ roll rarity. For both the likeliest and unlikeliest of song choices, a voice like Carey’s is always the perfect fit. But be warned – when Mariah Carey covers your song, it just isn’t your song anymore.

Listen to “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak”

The post Mariah Carey, Master of “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” appeared first on THE 97.

Released on May 6, 2013, as the lead single from Carey’s fourteenth studio album, “Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse,” “#Beautiful” marked a new era for the celebrated songstress. The track was her first release to garner significant traction since the 2009 hit single, “Obsessed.” The inspirational but polar opposite singles “Triumphant (Get ‘Em),” released in the summer of 2012, and “Almost Home” (the theme song to Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful) released just 3 months prior, both failed to chart. Coming out at the tail end of Carey’s rather infamous stint as an American Idol judge, “#Beautiful” had the perfect markings (and marketing) of a summer smash.

Mariah Meets Miguel

Starting off with a sleek guitar lick, the song already paints the five-octave diva in a much different light than her previous singles. There’s a little edge, a little grit, a little rock ‘n’ roll – three ways a casual observer of Carey’s would not even think to use to describe the songbird’s twinkling index of high notes. The song’s featured guest, Miguel, holds the reins for a majority of the song’s opening, while the only offering Carey even makes in the song’s introduction is a repeated “uh, uh, you’re beautiful” and some faint, girl-group-inspired “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.”

In true diva fashion, Carey’s voice comes swinging in, full throttle, and fashionably late to her own song. She seemingly responds to Miguel’s invitation to ride atop his bike, crooning, “I like when you run red lights” at the start of the second verse. The double entendre here is an example of the pair’s playful banter throughout the song. Its surprisingly bawdy yet catchy chorus about admiring each other’s beauty echoes the juvenile feelings of a brewing romance. The chorus also reveals the song’s only defect: the hashtag in its title acts as a placeholder for the f-word. It was an attempt at embracing trends that fell flat.

Though the song served as the lead single from Carey’s then-upcoming album, it was originally conceived by Miguel. He comprised the opening guitar riff before pitching it to Carey. The two then collaborated to complete the song, and as Mariah revealed in an interview with Ryan Seacrest, “We just wanted to do something different that has a texture, that feels fresh.” The result wasn’t just fresh, it was superb. As Carrie Battan wrote in her review for Pitchfork, “#Beautiful” had “the finger-snapping R&B throwback charm that sounds primed for repeat play through the summer.”

The #Beautiful Video

A Joseph Kahn-directed music video premiered on the May 9, 2013, episode of American Idol. In it, the two singers are depicted riding into a summer’s sunset on a motorcycle, with a very James Dean-styled Miguel at the controls, as Mariah sits pretty in the back. It soon becomes nighttime, and they’ve traded in their motorcycle for a vintage, candy apple red Porsche Speedster (which actually belonged to Carey’s father) to set up shop in an old barn that just so happens to be adorned with crystal chandeliers emitting the perfect lighting for Ms. Carey’s approval. The music video really doesn’t serve anything other than some picturesque shots of Mariah twirling around and fluttering her fingers like she’s about to sprinkle some fairy dust from her hands. She’s beautiful, and there’s no denying that.

The Queen of the Remix

“#Beautiful” was further promoted through a series of television performances and remixes, including a re-sung hip-hop remix with Jeezy, a Spanglish version with Miguel, and a version with a rap from A$AP Rocky.  Though the song’s remixes really didn’t match the quality of the original, they are a welcomed addition to Carey’s canon of remixes nonetheless. Two of them even had music videos.

A second music video was filmed a month later for the song’s Spanglish version, “#Hermosa.” Now the two have left the countryside for a more scenic ambiance – Capri, Italy. This time, we catch a glimpse of the pair recording the blended version of the song in the studio, mixed with clips of Miguel cruising about the town and Carey being the bonafide diva that she is – cheers-ing with champagne, frolicking in the water (diamonds on, of course), and teetering to her yacht while being assisted by handlers so she doesn’t fumble over her heeled sandals. If anything, the two videos just give Carey an opportunity to show off her body two years after giving birth to twins.

A third music video for the Jeezy remix was also planned. However, while filming, Carey suffered a shoulder injury after a pretty serious fall. Carey later revealed that the video had been edited, and would presumably be released, but it never was. This unfortunate turn of events also derailed the recording of a planned dance remix and ultimately delayed the release of its parent album until May 2014. Instead, we got served with an array of very stylish arm slings – ranging from leather to feathers to fur – the singer donned while recovering. One word: chic.

The Summer Hit That Got Away

Debacles aside, the song became Carey’s 33^rd Top 20 hit, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It found even more success on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, where it peaked at number three. It also became the superstar’s third-highest debut on the Pop Songs Chart, behind her 1993 smash-hit “Dreamlover” and her 1994 duet with Luther Vandross “Endless Love.” After being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, it later received a platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association and a gold certification from Recorded Music NZ. For an artist who was 23 years into her career at that point, its chart performance was quite impressive.

Although the song garnered critical praise and modest commercial success, “#Beautiful” deserved far more. Having been released right before the official start of the summer season, there’s no doubt that this song could have served as the soundtrack to plenty of summer memories in the making – road trips, beach dates, riding in the car during the warm golden hour, singing along to the song’s effortlessly cool spirit. But summer is right around the corner, and even 10 years later, “#Beautiful” is still just as fresh and current as it was when it first came out – except for the hashtag. TikTok, do your thing.

Listen to “#Beautiful” by Mariah Carey and Miguel

The post “#Beautiful,” Mariah Carey’s Summer Hit That Got Away appeared first on THE 97.

I was recently at a friend’s house for game night, and upon finally finding the lost remote and taking over music (as I regularly do), I found an excuse to descend down a YouTube rabbit hole purely focused on performances from VH1’s Divas concerts. They’re my favorite series of concerts and are responsible for the most formative moments in my music taste.

At the beginning of 1998, a few months shy of my 8th birthday, I discovered Aretha Franklin. My entire world shifted the moment that I consciously heard her voice. As my interest grew, my parents took a blank VHS, labeled the spine with “Aretha Franklin” and began taping Aretha anytime she was on TV. The second entry on the tape took place on April 14, 1998. VH1 staged a benefit concert for their non-profit organization, Save The Music. The organization was formed in 1997 to combat the widespread removal of music programs happening across schools in America.

The benefit they produced was called VH1 Divas Live. It assembled an array of women from different corners of music, uniting all for a common cause: music. What transpired on that stage, and in the six years of shows that followed represents the most formative moments in my love and interest in music. I even half-jokingly refer to it as my “musical fertile crescent.”

For a decent chunk of time, I had just a fraction of that first VH1 Divas Live show. My parents taped Aretha’s parts only. Months later though, when the show was officially released, my dad got me the CD and I got my ears on the rest of the show. In between, I also caught reruns of the program, and eventually the whole show in the ramp up to VH1 Divas Live ‘99 the following April.

What happened on that stage still feels a little bit like magic, in part because programs like that just don’t take place in this day and age. Even when VH1 resurrected the Divas brand in the late 2000’s and 2010’s, none of their revivals ever matched the immensity of the initial run.

The magic was also in what happened at the show’s conclusion. Yes, there’s much to say about that finale, but for this moment, focus on the presence. All five of the show’s headliners stood shoulder-to-shoulder and sang together for the first (and only) time. Only one other time, at the 2000 show, did every performer from the show unite together on the stage. At every other show, it was fractions and fragments of those who took the stage that night. And at no show aside from 1998’s original did every woman get a moment to shine during the finale.

I had never heard the word ‘diva’ prior to the show, but I became obsessed with it thereafter. I have a few compilation cds from other corners of the world that bear the name. Aretha Franklin’s final studio album, released in 2014, even includes the word in its name.After the show I remember my mom printing out an article that created an acronym for “diva.” It’s been a quarter of a century so the “i” is lost to time, but I do remember “divine” and “virtuoso,” and the reason my mom printed it out for me was what they had for a: Aretha. From then on, when the word “diva” was mentioned, I perked up and paid attention.

What made the first Divas so special is that it sequenced all these formidable performers from different edges of pop and other genres, and then converged them all together for one culminating moment of female unity.

Revisiting the show a quarter of a century later, all of these women were in the midst of a high in their respective careers. Franklin was in a renaissance. Dion and her Titanic theme were ubiquitous. Carey was in a state of liberation. Twain was transcending the barriers between country and pop. And Estefan, perhaps experiencing the least remarkable moment of the group, was still in her own high, dancing her way into her next chapter.

I have a love for Mariah Carey that some believe is first and foremost in my musical palette (it’s the merch. I can go a solid 40 days in nothing but Mariah attire and never repeat a top). But like Mariah, Aretha is “my North star and high bar.” I am only a Mariah fan because I saw her sing with Aretha on Divas Live. And because of what I heard when I got the CD. With that said, when I think of Mariah, I first see her with the big hair and black dress she donned during the show’s closing number.

Mariah opened ‘Divas’ in true diva fashion: with a ballad. “My All” was her current single, slated to be physically released on April 21, the week after ‘Divas’ took place. The Puerto Rico-inspired production was rearranged to include an orchestra, adding a lushness to the dramatic record of longing.

At the end of the record though, instead of simply fading out, a pounding dance beat emerged. Mariah delivered what should have been the final “tonight” as the beat took hold, and tilted her head down and a smirk grew on her face. She couldn’t contain her own excitement as she launched a dance mix of the record, produced by David Morales. The audience loved it. As the dance beat took hold, audience members could be heard screaming in excitement for what was about to unfold. And Mariah delivered some powerhouse vocals over that dance beat, as any good diva should be able to do. Hey, divas gotta dance too!

A few years later when I finally heard the studio version of “My All,” I was dismayed when the ballad simply faded out at the end, no pulsing dance beat to be found. I searched high and low for that dance version. Not long after securing the audio file of one of the dance mixes (thanks Morpheus!), began acquiring the CD singles that held all the mixes. My voracious appetite for CD singles, and undying love for dance remixes can be credited largely to Mariah incorporating that “My All” remix into her performance.

Mariah also served up Diva in her ensemble, which she playfully joked about between songs. “Do you like the ensemble?” To which you can hear an audience member respond with “you’re werkin it!” And she continues with “cause it’s all about the ensemble when you’re a diva.”

Her second song of the evening was a gospel-inspired cut from her 1991 album Emotions. The song, in which Mariah details some of the many perils she endured on her road to stardom, was co-written and produced with C&C Music Factory’s David Cole and Robert Clivilles. It’s a beautiful intersection between gospel and house music, and came accompanied by a gospel choir for this performance. “I know you’re all music industry people, but you can get up,” Mariah playfully shaded to the audience, who willingly obliged. Mariah got so into it that one point she started running back and forth on the stage, a moment that has been endlessly gif’ed in years that followed.

Up next was the incredible Gloria Estefan. It’s unclear how the sets were doled out, but Gloria was the only artist to receive a 3-song slot and not include any guests during her performance. She did however, give a solid history of her catalog, from old, to new.

Gloria was the only artist who’s promoted release wasn’t already in stores. Gloria! wouldn’t arrive until June of 1998, but Gloria still made sure to promote. She opened her set with her hit cover of Vicki Sue Robinson’s disco classic “Turn The Beat Around.” This live performance gives it a heavier emphasis on the Miami Sound Machine percussion. It’s also hysterical to watch Gloria fight with her wrap, which got caught in her heel as she attempted to shed it. Aside from a little laugh as it happened, she didn’t miss a note.

She gave the Divas audience the premiere of gloria!’s lead single. Funny enough, “Heaven’s What I Feel” was originally pitched to another diva on the roster that night: Celine Dion, who passed on it. The song made for a perfect fit for Gloria, with highs and lows.

Finally, Gloria gave the audience some “oldies” as she called them, a 5-song 80’s medley that began with her earliest hit with Miami Sound Machine, “Dr. Beat,” and spanned all the way to 1989’s “Get On Your Feet.” These selections further emphasized Gloria’s dominance over a dance beat, making her announcement of a “dance album, top to bottom” feel formidable for the audience.

Up next was one of country music’s brightest stars, Shania Twain. Shania was riding high by 1998. Her second album, 1995’s The Woman In Me, had recently been certified 11x Platinum (that’s a Diamond certification plus one). Her third album, 1997’s Come On Over was already 3x platinum by the time Divas took place. She opened her set with the now-classic “Man! I Feel Like A Woman.” It’s always been a Shania staple for me because of this show. However, it wasn’t a single when Divas occurred, and the iconic music video was likely not even conceptualized, let alone shot. In fact, it wasn’t even released as a single until almost a year later. It’s one of, if not the, earliest live performance of “Man! I Feel Like A Woman.”

Shania was the only performer who paused in the middle of her set to discuss the subject at hand and emphasized the importance of music education in schools. “If it wasn’t for music class in school, I think I would’ve been a dropout,” she told the audience.

She wasn’t the only one who shared remarks though. Just before Shania’s set, Mariah took to the podium to not only crack a few diva jokes but also emphasize the importance of music education. She then looked to the monitors, where a video package provided more information. It also included a special message from President and First Lady Clinton, who helped kick off the initiative, which included President Clinton presenting his famed saxophone to a budding school-age musician, underscoring just how significant Save The Music was.

After her first song, Shania grabbed her guitar, sat down, and delivered a stellar rendition of her then-current single “You’re Still The One.” It remains one of my favorite tracks on the album. It’s country enough to twang through, but pop enough to satisfy my pop-leaning palette. And Shania’s vocal that night is flawless. Then it was time for the big moment.

The center spot on the show was given to Aretha, who damn near skipped the whole thing. As has been heavily documented, an air conditioning snafu caused Aretha to walk out of rehearsal and leave the entire crew unsure as to whether or not she would actually return for the show. There’s actually rehearsal footage that’s been broadcast where Aretha can be heard recognizing the issue. “The air is on,” she can be heard saying to producer Ken Ehrlich, prior to her departure.

I most enjoy Mariah’s recollection of the situation. Mariah was simply in awe of the fact that she was going to sing with Aretha. It also didn’t help that Aretha initially suggested the two sing a Mariah song that she loved, “Dreamlover,” which Mariah said her heart wouldn’t have been able to take. At Mariah’s suggestion and relief, Aretha “mercifully” agreed to do “Chain of Fools.”. Until she arrived, giddy as a schoolgirl to rehearsal, to find Aretha on her way out. She greeted her with, “Mariah, they’re playing games, and I’m not having the games. So we won’t be rehearsing this evening.” Though she didn’t say it out loud, Mariah’s reaction was “Wait. Who the fuck is playing games?!”

Aretha did return, and the twelve dozen roses the producers sent her ahead of the show as an apology for the air conditioning probably didn’t hurt the situation. Aretha was on fire in 1998. Aretha’s first studio album in 7 years, A Rose Is Still A Rose, had been released just weeks earlier. The lead single, produced by an on-the-cusp-of-superstardom Lauryn Hill was proving to be a surprise hit. And less than 2 months before Divas, Aretha had made her monumental last-minute opera debut stepping in for Pavarotti at the Grammys.

Her set opened and closed with cuts from A Rose Is Still A Rose. She performed the title track and the second single, “Here We Go Again.” The latter was coincidentally produced by Mariah’s friend Jermaine Dupri and co-written by Mariah’s friend/background singer Trey Lorenz. Both performances were curiously left off the official releases of the show. They were the only performances from the broadcast omitted from the releases.

Despite the omissions, Aretha’s label didn’t waste her appearance. The single cover for “Here We Go Again” used a photo taken at Divas. And the song’s music video was built around Aretha’s performance of the song on the show.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t available through other methods. My interest in Aretha prompted my dad to start taking me to then then-abundant record stores in the West Village. The first stop was a spot called Revolver Records on 45 W. 8th St. As I’ve learned in my adult years, they specialized in bootlegs. One such bootleg was of VH1 Divas Live. With a blue cover instead of the standard red, along with some photo editing worse than the actual design, it stood out. What also stood out was that it had both of Aretha’s tracks that were cut from the official release. It took a few trips but I finally convinced my dad to shell out the $24.98 for it (the very faded price sticker is still on it, along with the very faded 10-98, indicating the month it hit the shelves). And I’m glad he did.

The crowning moment of Aretha’s mid-show set came mid-set. After receiving an overwhelming response from the audience (hey, this was the Queen of Soul after all), she launched into a not-untrue story about not being able to rehearse, and how her “newest girlfriend” came and hung out with her in her trailer. That new, unnamed girlfriend would be joining her on stage. As Aretha launched into “Chain Of Fools,” out came Mariah Carey, donning not just a new dress, but also new nail polish. She had three dresses and three polish changes throughout the show “just for laughs.”

The performance garnered a lot of attention for how Aretha performed around Mariah. Whenever Mariah hit a note, Aretha hit a note beyond that, higher or lower. To some, it seemed as though Aretha was asserting dominance or trying to upstage Mariah. Producer Ken Ehrlich didn’t see it as a conscious effort. “I think Aretha just falls in love with those lights, and falls in love with crowd.” Mariah didn’t see it that way, either. Moments after leaving the stage with Aretha, she told VH1 cameras the moment was “an incredible honor.”

Later, she expanded further. “I was there in reverence of the Queen of Soul,” Mariah said in 2001. “I was inconsequential in that moment, That was Aretha’s moment, cause she’s her.” “She’s just a really cool person as well as an amazing idol. But the moment doing “Chain of Fools,” I didn’t know what was gonna happen.” And one of the most amazing things that occurs during this performance neither could have predicted. Mariah begins to follow Aretha’s runs. They hit first notes, second notes, and then on the third and final, they hit the same note. On the right footage, you see a look of satisfaction exchanged between the two.

The final performer of the night was Celine Dion. Forget winning album of the year at the 1997 Grammys, Celine was on fire thanks to a famous shipwreck. “My Heart Will Go On” was absolutely inescapable, to the point where Saturday Night Live even had to get in on the fun, and their parodies of the Divas even made it into 1999’s show.

Celine was the first confirmed booking for the show. While it’s never been suggested, it’s something of a coincidence that the date of the show was the “exact date, 86 years ago, that the mighty Titanic struck that iceberg,” as Celine told the audience. Funny enough, it was the one moment during the show that relied on a backing track. Not a vocal backing track, but the music itself. The band did play along, but the application of the track had something to do with the complexity of the music. Either way, Celine delivered a stellar performance and no one was the wiser.

My sister latched onto Celine, which I’ve always thought was because Celine’s jacket had a pink lining and she loved pink. I’m not entirely sure though. But either way Celine became hers and I became a closet Celine fan as a result. It was something about us both not being able to like her. God knows. I was young. Celine opened her set with another diva’s classic: Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High.” It had been included on her 1996 album Falling Into You, even after the song’s original producer, the now-disgraced (and dead) Phil Spector, refused to produce Celine singing the song. It was a dynamite performance.

One of the other high points of the show, was Celine’s duet with Carole King. Carole had just contributed a song to Celine’s 1997 LP Let’s Talk About Love, and this marked their first live performance of the song together. She was also a late addition to the show, and confirmed her appearance 9 days prior to the show date.

Despite being labeled a “special guest,” Carole King proved to be a crucial element in the show. As the Aretha drama unfolded, it provided an opportunity to add another performance. They came up with an acoustic piano-bar style performance of “You’ve Got A Friend.” Carole took the lead and accompanied on the piano, with Celine, Gloria, and Shania sitting shoulder to shoulder. They rehearsed it for the first time just hours before the show.

And then, it was time for the grand finale. As the audience cheered the immensity of the acoustic performance, Carole King emphatically told them, “this is why we write songs, so you get people like this to sing them… and this!” Aretha took the stage mid-sentence for the grand finale.

It wasn’t a guarantee that it was going to happen though. Wayne Isaak, VH1 Divas co-producer and EVP of Music & Talent Relations at VH1 (and the author of the album’s liner notes) said on a 2001 VH1 All Access episode about the Divas shows that there was no plan set in stone for the finale to actually happen with all six women. They had asked everyone to participate, but there were no guarantees, especially concerning Aretha.

A Page Six item the day of the show also helped compel participation. It implied that Mariah didn’t want to be on the same stage as Celine Dion. As the producers recalled though, Mariah saw the article and effectively said, “to hell with that, I’m going to blow that whole notion out of the water.” Shania Twain even recalled everyone doing a run-through of the finale in her bus before the show.

The Divas all lined up, and after Aretha not only credited Clive Davis and VH1 for her appearance at the show, she acknowledged that she’d never performed “ (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” with Carole King, and that the song had been associated with her for “almost *ahem* 20 years,” a little time joke that didn’t seem to land. And away they went.

As it began, Aretha sang “would you forgive me? If I didn’t sing this song tonight? I don’t think so,” naturally nodding to her near-absence after the air-conditioning fiasco. The plan was for Carole to start it off, and in the live audio you can hear Carole begin, but Aretha took the reins instead. Aretha thanked her and continued on, and after Carole made one more failed attempt to get a verse in (Celine took over instead), she stuck to the chorus. Each Diva got their line in, with Aretha adding some authoritative melisma after, and they delivered a once-in-a-lifetime rendition of the classic.

At the end of the song, Aretha took charge, acknowledged her background singers, and delivered a stunning finish that reaffirmed her title of Queen of Soul. Celine inserted a few runs that have been deemed “competitive,” but Aretha maintained her dominance over the moment, which only extended as she immediately cut into Rev. Clay Evans’ “I’ve Got A Testimony,” which was retitled “Testimony.”

For nearly 10 minutes, Aretha took the Divas and the audience to church. Though the full footage has either never been released or is sitting in a vault somewhere, watching the other women attempt to keep up is amazing. They truly had no idea what to do, short of Mariah Carey, who has endlessly recalled slipping back towards the background singers and giving Aretha room to run the show.

This of course, is that big “diva moment” that is seen as a competition. Out came Celine, seemingly attempting to compete with Aretha again. And yet, it was a simple cultural gap. Celine didn’t understand gospel and what was happening, she saw it as an opportunity to have her moment with Aretha, and has said as much in years that have followed. Aretha on the other hand, was, as Mariah put it, the equivalent of a jazz bandleader. She ran the show, and was going to make sure you knew it.

Eventually, Aretha had delivered an adequate testimony, and the surprise gospel performance wound down as the women said their goodnights. They posed for a group photo backstage, and VH1’s first installment of Divas came to a close. At the time, it became VH1’s highest rated program in the network’s 13-year history, with over 20 million tuning into the initial broadcasts. It also helped raise significant awareness for Save The Music, which has done tremendous work in its 25+ year history.

I have worn out the audio of that show. The CD and booklet are a little beat-up, and I love that it shows the life it’s lived since I got it nearly a quarter century ago. The performances I staged in front of my tv and in my bedroom as a child, pretending to be each of these incredible women, have long informed the person I am today. And I can go riff-for-riff lip-syncing nearly every performance of this show. Try me sometime.

With the exception of Aretha, my first exposure to so many of these great women began on that stage, and the stages the show occupied in the years that followed: Mariah Carey. Gloria Estefan. Shania Twain. Celine Dion. Carole King. Tina Turner. Mary J. Blige. Whitney Houston. Brandy. Faith Hill. Diana Ross. Destiny’s Child. RuPaul. Jill Scott. Celia Cruz. I learned all of their names and became fans of many of them because of VH1’s Divas series. That’s the power of music, and of a solid concept.

25 years later, I’m still waiting for a lot on the Divas front. Right now, only Mariah’s solo performances, and her duet with Aretha have made it into the streaming age. The show is in desperate need of a reissue on vinyl. It’s also long been time that not only Aretha’s solo tracks, but also Carole King’s performance of “It’s Too Late” (which happened before “You’ve Got A Friend”), all see the light of day. Plus all the years that followed. These shows were formative to so many, not just me. It’s long been time that they be made available for the world to enjoy and marvel over. The network had no problem officially uploading “Chain Of Fools” to YouTube in the wake of Aretha’s 2018 passing. Now it’s time to do the rest. And that’s my testimony.

The post VH1 Divas Live: A Life-Changing Show appeared first on THE 97.

In all its cheery glory, that 4-minute-long song has unequivocally become the starting point for season’s greetings. But unlike Carey’s coveted holiday anthem, a darker side to the most wonderful time of the year looms over the heads of many who are in desperate need of some yuletide spirit. A side that is, in fact, the complete opposite of the star’s jubilant number-one hit, and best voiced by another cut from the Mariah Carey Christmas catalog, “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time).”

“Miss You Most” serves as one of the three tracks written and performed by the songstress from her first holiday album, Merry Christmas. A stark contrast from the jingling grandeur that decorates “All I Want For Christmas Is You” from start to finish, “Miss You Most” is a lot less merry and bright, and a lot more teary and dim. As Carey’s voice soars over a quiet, piano-driven backdrop, the song’s agonizing lyrics are a painful reminder of how the season of merriment could also be the most devastating when there’s no one to share it with. “Every other season / Comes along and I’m alright / But then I miss you most at Christmas time,” she sings. Be it a lost love, a former friend, or even death, “Miss You Most” carries the painful sentiments to these kinds of adversities that so many are forced to face in the midst of gift giving and tree trimming – regardless of how much of it they try to avoid. In a 2019 interview, Carey opened up about the song during a Q&A session in support of the 25^th anniversary of Merry Christmas. “People tell me it’s a really, brutally sad song,” she said. “Some people get depressed around the holidays, and I totally understand that, that’s why there has to be something for everyone.”

Despite not joining the ranks of becoming yet another holiday classic, Mariah Carey fans have continuously shown “Miss You Most” some much needed love with each passing Christmas. And, even though we’ve never gotten a full live performance of the song by the chanteuse herself (except for a tiny excerpt in 2018), the Christmas ballad has begun to trickle into musical memory in recent years, having been covered by singer-songwriter JoJo and even comedian Billy Eichner on “The Late Late Show” last year. But this isn’t enough for Carey’s army of #lambs, who await and pray that each coming holiday season will be the year that “Miss You Most” earns a spot in any of the star’s seasonal projects. Now, that would really make all of our wishes come true.

The post “Miss You Most,” Mariah Carey’s Searing Seasonal Offering appeared first on THE 97.