Mariah Carey Connection

Grand diva Diana Ross had so much to sing about after she left the Supremes that Motown released not one but two solo discs by her in 1970. The first one, an eponymous masterwork that featured mostly Ashford & Simpson compositions, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” remains a career high-point. The second, Everything Is Everything (Motown/Hip-O Select), recently reissued in an expanded edition, didn’t fare as well, as it was a much less focused effort. Still, Beatles covers including “Come Together” and “The Long and Winding Road,” as well as the Bacharach tune “(They Long To Be) Close to You,” are evidence that Ross was able to work outside of her comfort zone and not embarrass herself. Among the bonus material is another Beatles cover (“Something”), a reading of the schmaltzy ballad “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?,” a 1982 remix of “Come Together” from a scrapped collection, and the Phil Chill remix of “I’m Still Waiting.”

Would there be a Mariah Carey without Diana Ross? Carey’s most obvious influences, Madonna, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, might be more closely connected to Ross, but there’s no denying there’s a familiar diva thread stitched into the fabric. On E=MC2 (Island), Carey is pushing 40 but still working the sex-kitten angle that catapulted comeback disc The Emancipation of Mimi to the top of the charts. She’s distancing herself from the mainstream songbird of her early years, while maintaining her status as the voice of the urban diva. Anyone who remembers her first few albums must miss the Carey of old, who used to just open her mouth and sing. The formula for the new album is all about studio trickery and sharing the spotlight with unnecessary male guests, including T-Pain on “Migrate,” Damian Marley on the pseudo-dancehall of “Cruise Control,” Young Jeezy on “Side Effects,” and Jermaine (please shut up) Dupree on “Love Story” and “Last Kiss.” It’s not all a total loss: the retro dance of “I’m That Chick” is a sexy treat that doesn’t have to work too hard to be a delight, and in spite of an unfortunate title and chorus, “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time” virtually glows.

Carey better watch out for UK upstart Estelle and her trailblazing Shine (Atlantic/Homeschool) disc. Estelle is really more in league with Amy Winehouse, especially in the way she comfortably assumes a vintage stance on songs such as “Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)” and the Cee-Lo duet “Pretty Please (Love Me).” Not even egomaniac Kanye West can spoil the pleasurable “American Boy.” Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Estelle can rap with the best of them, something she does with regularity on the disc. This disc doesn’t just shine, it shimmers.

Source: Bay Area Reporter