NEW MARIAH CAREY!!! ARGGHH, ALMOST HOME IS HERE!! (That's an exclamation of excitement, not pain. Just saying!)
Taken from the soundtrack to the film Oz the Great and Powerful, the Stargate produced track maintains Disney's vanilla sound, but sorta contemporises it with the use of synths and urban drum patterns. The effect is that Almost Home sounds like Mariah vocally, but doesn't quite ring true, musically. Perhaps something not so surprising considering the different requirements and pressures recording for a motion picture must bring.
So how 's Mariah's voice doing on the track? The vocals sound strong-if a little thin on the top belts- and it's great to hear the Diva's midrange getting an airing on the verses. But what really caught my attention, and impressed, was the varied tempo and improved intricacy of the melisma she employs here. It's a styling we haven't heard from Mariah before, and the very fact she's trying new things- with her voice- at this stage in her career, makes her next album even more of an exciting prospect.
I need to give Almost Home a few more listens before I really make up my mind. I don't hate it, like I did Triumphant, and I haven't fallen in love with it straightaway like Bring It On Home. It sort of fits in with my feelings on all Disney songs: I love the musical numbers which appear in their films, but the tracks released by major artists to promote those films don't ever seem to float my boat in the same way.
Simply put, Almost Home is good but I don't think it'll be in heavy-or even light- rotation on my MP3 player any time soon.
Rating: B-
Thoughts?
Video has been removed, DD.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about how radio friendly this song is.
ReplyDeleteThe song is niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! Her vocals in the beggining made me think of someone else whom I shall not name....
ReplyDeleteCompared to her previous releases: very.
ReplyDeleteMariah = MAGIC.
ReplyDeleteSee. That's how it's done, Leona Lewes.
Love it! Love it! Love it! Pardon me being rude but I just about wet myself with excitement, Mariah divorce Nick covert me and lets run away into the sunset!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing, but we better not mention her name on here!!!
ReplyDeleteShe sounds heavily edited to be honest. For the majority of the song at least. As for the song- I started off feeling uneasy about it but in the end I really Like it! I dont LOVE it like I do a lot of mimi songs but its really great! I think so at least. Then again im a sucker for bubbly disney tracks. Well not the more current ones- but definitely cheesy classics! XD and this feels like a great "POP" record for Mariah to reintroduce herself. I mean sure theres some elements of R&B in this but c'mon...this is the most Pop Mariah has been since uhh...Butterfly? idk. But anyways She sounds great for the most part but her voice is lacking the ringing reverb it usually retains at the top of the voice. This could either be editing or she just might not have that Stadium demolishing golden belt anymore. HOWEVER it still sounds better than what a lot of her competition can do and shamefully...much better than Celine can do now IMO. Great oppurtunity for Mariah to sell her new record and honestly this makes me more excited for it than Bring it on Home. I mean sure its a good ballad but Mariah also has that golden song to lead her albums with. And this definitely sounds like it.
ReplyDeleteBy her previously releases do you only mean Triumphant?
ReplyDeletewho??? lol
ReplyDeleteYes, it sounds heavily edited to me as well. That's why I find it hard to judge the vocals on this.
ReplyDeleteLoll Stuey, somehow I just can't picture Mariah ever running. Too much Diva.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed more recently that the older she gets- the more she tries to make herself sound younger and "Bright and Light'. It usually ends with her sounding whispery and nasal. So she tends to be choppy. They definitely may have used some sort of filter to clean her up a bit. But then again most if not all pop records are very heavily edited. She at least still sounds like herself in this...
ReplyDeleteEverything after Obsessed.
ReplyDeleteBrain could you please do a vocal profile of Australian singer called "Sia:. DD is taking forever with it. Maybe we could help each other out with this?
ReplyDeleteLol.. didn't she do a light jog in Honey when she was 'escaping'?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3KOowB4k_k
Yeah...I'm gonna go in my corner and draw some pictures like I haven't seen anything...
ReplyDeleteHaha the way it ws filmed.. I suspect even that 'running' to have been done by a stunt double. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, that makes sense. I just hope this reaches the Top 40 at least.
ReplyDeletei like it ? in some parts but it feels these film soundtracks turn out the same time after time. i see them trying to mix it up but i feel it sounds out of place in a film about oz. not the worst but i feel mimi isnt at fault its those producers
ReplyDeleteLol that's how most poprecords sound like to me.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree, she definitely sounds like herself.
Personally, I don't much care about high notes and fancy runs. I would just be real pleased to hear her do a good live version of this. And by good, I mean one fitting her present ability and no back up tracks and stuff. :-)
Actually, Mimi did do this one commercial where she was dancing on a treadmill in heels, iirc.
ReplyDeleteWell, we'll just have to forgive her that one instance of unDivalike behavior. :-)
ReplyDeleteIf her performances in Australia were any indication, she could probably pull off a watered down version of this song.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing what you call ''watered down'' is what I mean with good within her capabillity. But like I say, I'd much prefer that over little tricks with the aid of modern technology. I have faith Mariah could be one of the great singers still if she would go for what I in my oldfashioned view would call ''real singing''. :-)
ReplyDeleteI remember when she first started her camp for inner city kids awhile back they had footage of her playing with the kids including her literally blasting off at full speed racing a few kids. Nowadays...its hard to believe they're the same person.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAWpNQYf7P4
ReplyDeletethis isnt what I remember seeing but heres some more shots of her running...shes such a girl lol.
She's gorgeous now, but back then, she was unreal <3333333
ReplyDeleteReally? I thought she was prettiest at her debut. She was cute and genuine then.
ReplyDeleteSecond, for me anyway, was the IBLYLT video. She was GOEGEOUS.
Ironically ,according to her, her older persona was the fake pop one and the one she portrays now is the "real" her.
ReplyDeleteI know, I just felt like she came across as genuine.
ReplyDeleteI was never a big fan of her curly hair. I thought she was the most beautiful woman on earth during the Daydream/Butterfly/Rainbow era. Her golden hair and her flawless skin tone, phewwwwwwww.
ReplyDeleteAnd I never noticed how gorgeous she was, not only in that video, but the E=MC2 era.
Lol I'm sure she can run and has done so many times in her life. I was just joking on Divas with a capital D and behavior befitting such a Diva. Divas don't run, they have people run for them. And Mariah for sure is a capital D type of diva.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExbqpiXb-c&feature=youtube_gdata_player
She was so shy back then, it was caaaaayute.
ReplyDeleteThe cover for #1's was everything, lol. I'm soooooo jealous of her legs.
ReplyDeleteHer vocals sound ridiculously edited. Nnice melody and the lyrics are typical Mariah but the song itself is overproduced.
ReplyDeleteAm i the only one that thinks her vocals aren't really edited in terms of melisma? Aside from the Almost HOOO-OOOO-OOOME. I thought they might be, but, I also thought her vocals were edited for Oh Santa!'s whistle note which she pulled of completely live.
ReplyDeleteI feel like she could perform this song, including the gear change live. The outro might be difficult since her voice is lowered and I feel like she might lower some of the notes but that's acceptable since I wouldn't want to belt for two straight minutes either.
Also that gear change is just exhausting. It's one of the most audacious ones I heard. I hope the actual release of it will be so much cleaner cause it just sounds like a hot mess production wise.
This is kinda out of context. Her older persona was very restricted, but it was definitely still "her". However, she wasn't allowed to express herself with the freedom she wanted. She wanted to be more sultry and larger than life, and, as a result, when she left Tommy she immediately became that. Kinda.
ReplyDeleteAs detailed in the song side effects, Tommy's abuse and control has definitely left an impact in Mariah where she just appears fake most of the time, but this, along with how she exaggerates the Divaness for the lulz, doesn't help her image. I was reading someone that detailed her coming in and working with BET and, whilst the items on her rider were definitely ridiculous, she was actually a total sweetheart off the camera. She allowed people to take pictures with her, remembered names of even the people that got her water, gave out gifts, and was apparently really sweet and cordial but the moment the camera went on it was just over the top diva antics.
I think she's still the same person at heart as she was when she first started but there have been some significant changes to what's real. Now that she has actual children, I can't imagine her refusing to play with children either. She still runs, and, financially supports, camp Mariah.
I think she can perform this live (but will have to modify the bridge and some of the more obvious vocal edits), but she'll sound different and significantly less nasal. I wanna hear this with better production, it'll probably sound a lot more cleaner and less ....production weirdness.
ReplyDeleteShe can sing this live. She has done E5s in the past few months with resonance. She can pull this off. I'm impressed by it. And I'm completely addicted to the bridge. It's great to see some agility out there.
ReplyDeleteIt is very radio friendly. If it isn't. Then I don't know what is xD
ReplyDeleteAgreed, it's quite of a nice song but it doesn't have something for you to keep the song on repeat.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely muuuuuuuuuuch better than the funny Triumphant.
What about the I Still Believe video? I love her hair that way, and that dress was fabulousssssss.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, when was the last time you heard a ballad do well on the charts?
ReplyDeleteOh wait, I think I know. Does her last name start with a G? haha
ReplyDeleteWho!!!
ReplyDeleteupdated ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's not a ballad lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pop ballad.
ReplyDeleteIDK, sounds more like an uptempo to me :)
ReplyDeleteTBH I could never appreciate that attempt at the Marilyn look. But yes, her hair was very beautiful,
ReplyDeleteI must say, I always think songs with big vocals are ballads. I could be wrong :b
ReplyDeleteEmotions had big vocals, and it wasn't a ballad ;)
ReplyDeleteHA, big vocals for Emotions is an understatement! But yeah, now that I hear it, it doesn't sound like a straight up ballad to me.
ReplyDeleteIMHO, lol, she reminded me of RIhanna on the LOVE Song......don't kill me yall....it was because of the more nassily approach and the interesting runs structure in the beginning when she was in the middle third octave....
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of Selena Gomez, LOL cakes.
ReplyDeleteEverything about this video is cringe-worthy. The acting, the dancing, and the spanish, especially the spanish LOL. I liked Mariah most at her debut too, not only in terms of her image but her music as well. The fame and money definitely made her into the Diva we all know and love today haha.
ReplyDeleteno it stated with a B
ReplyDeleteI was hearing brandy, with the layering in the beginning
ReplyDeleteYes, but then you heard the belting at the end... and then no more, right? RIGHT?
ReplyDeleteNo, just NO.
ReplyDeleteNot even her mid range in the first verse? It reminded me of Selena.
ReplyDeleteSlenea's voice is much, much lighter. I get what you're saying, but I just don't hear her. At all.
ReplyDeleteWell it's more like the first sentence, "I see the light, in the sky, in the sky like fire flies." It sounds darker than Selena, but it's smoky like her.
ReplyDeleteI am totally in love with the song since its release, seriously <3
ReplyDelete