Jukebox: Ave Mariah!
Well, hell must have frozen over. My favorite tune in the universe right now is by Mariah Carey. I have no idea why I even listened to “E=MC2” at Borders the other day. I think I had just listened to “Hard Candy” by Madonna, and was so disappointed by it that I figured I’d give anything a shot. By and large, I do not like the Mariah CD either - I haven’t like much of what she’s done this past decade - except for this one song that I played three times in the store before going home and immediately sending my 99 cents to iTunes:
I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time, Mariah Carey. I can’t hate - I must congratulate. This track is bangin’!. It samples “Stay with Me” by DeBarge, so it had me almost instantly. And she actually sings! No vocal corrector or over-producing like in that “Touch My Body” crap (note to Mariah - that is for people like Britney. You don’t need it!). It reminds me of the Mariah of old, and got me feeling nostalgic for her.
Emotions, Mariah Carey. I remember the first time I heard this song: I was driving down Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It was warm out, and this song came on the radio. By the end of the track I’d learned enough of it to be able to sing along to the “Whoa, hoa, YOU!” part of the chorus as I waved my hands out of the open car window. I knew the song totally ripped off paid homage to “Best of My Love” by the Emotions, but it was so great! Loved, loved, loved it. I immediately went to Harmony House and bought the cassingle. That last sentence made me feel really old.
Sent From Up Above, Mariah Carey. We’re going old school, now! This track may be 17 years old, but it totally could be released today and still sound fresh.
Underneath the Stars, Mariah Carey. This is off the last Mariah CD I ever bought, and it reminds me of my very first apartment - a really cool studio in the basement of a Boston brownstone (doesn’t sound cool, but it was!). This track was in heavy rotation in that place.
The Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You, Madonna. Ok, the Mariah retrospective is over. 
I really wanted to love everything about “Hard Candy.” But I don’t. Except for “4 Minutes” and this track, I don’t like it at all (only two Madonna albums exist that I do not love: this and “American Life.” I even loved that that hot mess “Bedtime Stories”!) Thank goodness for iTunes cuz I only forked over $1.98 on it.
Come to Me (Peace), Mary J. Blige. I love her. Mary can do no wrong. This song is unlike the tracks she usually does, but still it is beautiful.
Make You Feel My Love, Adele. Absolutely gorgeous. This is what Amy Winehouse could be but for the crack (allegedly!).
If I Never See Your Face Again, Maroon 5 feat. Rihanna. (No link cuz I can’t find the duet version on Amazon yet) Ok, I am as embarrassed at the fact that I like this song as I was for liking “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado a while back. But there it is. Catchy pop tunes can melt even a heart as steely as mine.
Better in Time, Leona Lewis. Apropos for this rotation because she reminds me a lot of old Mariah. I know this song sounds sorta like something you’d hear on “The Hills” (I picture Audrina staring blankly as Justin Bobby rides away on his motorcycle for the last time). But I like it. I’m in a sappy poppy mood!
Tell Me Where It Hurts, Garbage. Still loving this track. Dying for a new Garbage album.
