[Review] Mariah Carey Gets Slushy (And A Little Repetitive) With "You're Mine (Eternal)"

They're here! Mariah Carey has released the album version and remix- featuring Trey Songz- of You're Mine (Eternal). This is the third song to be lifted from the Diva's May-due album The Art Of Letting Go, and no doubt she's hoping it'll echo, and build upon, the success of her last big hit, Beautiful.

After listening to her performance of the song at the BET Honors [here] I was craving the studio version of the Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins produced You're Mine (Eternal) like a fiend. However, since hearing it in its mastered glory, the similarities it shares with Mimi's biggest hit We Belong Together have become more apparent, leaving me a little bummed. I'm definitely feeling the laid back and "direct" (read: less "whispery") vocal, but lyrically and production-wise, I feel like we've covered this ground with Mariah many, many times before.

The Diva was definitely onto something with the fresher sound she cultivated with Miguel on Beautiful- the positive public reaction attested to that. So it's a shame she decided to look to past hits for inspiration with this track, especially when has so recently been shown Mariah can still be relevant if she chooses to move forward with her music.

Still, I like You're Mine- just not as much as I thought I was going to.

Rating: B

[New Music] Mariah Carey - "You're Mine"

No sooner had Mariah Carey performed her Valentine-due, new single You're Mine at the 2014 BET Honors, no sooner was it leaked onto the internet. Hardly a surprise, but I'm sure Mimi is a little vexed by it happening. But since it's here, we might as well take a listen.

Her new single is Rnb, through and through. It brings to mind Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel's glorious H.A.T.E.U, while simultaneously containing a little motif that had me digging up Alicia Keys' Like You'll Never See Me Again.

This "live" recording of the third single to be lifted from Carey's new album, The Art Of Letting Go, doesn't feature much of the Diva's trademark melisma- which seems to be something of a theme with this project. However, it does have some octave jumping at the song's climax. This starts on a chest note (D5), which transitions up a register to a whistle note (E6). From this high, the diva then drops to a D6, holding it until the track ends. Impressive stuff.

Though quite a good recording of You're Mine, I'm still excited to hear it in its mastered form. Not long to wait now...

[Free For All Friday]

Today I will not be watching the Winter Olympics....

If you don't know the score, here be the rules:

• Try not to get too perverted-this site still needs to basically be "safe for work".
• If somebody starts a controversial subject, try keeping it civil when dealing with it. If things get out of hand please flag the conversation.
• It would be nice if it stuck to music, but it's not a requirement! So talk about news, current events, how you're getting your hair done next time you hit the hairdresser! Whateves, really!
• No nasty comments aimed at other users.

Inappropriate hugs to all y'all, and wishing you an awesome weekend!

[Music Video] Kylie Minogue Saves the Pennies With "Into The Blue" Visuals

Kylie Minogue, the Princess Of Pop, is back with a new song and a new video.

Now, I love Kylie, and I pretty much consider everything she does as genius, but Into the Blue has got to be the Diva's weakest lead single, ever. That's not to say it's bad, as it sure is catchy. However, the Mike Del Rio produced cut is all kinds of generic, which doesn't exactly instil confidence about her first album- entitled Kiss Me Once- under Roc Nation's management.

On the merits of the song alone, I just don't see Into The Blue being a hit for Kylie. Nor does it do her legacy as a musical trendsetter any favours. However, she has something else going for her at the moment, something that will definitely help the song chart- in the UK, anyway- and that thing comes with a big red chair that swivels 180 degrees on the touch of a button:

[Discuss] Who Should Perform @ Next Year's Super Bowl

I don't usually write about male singers, because, you know, "DIVA" devotee and all. However, something is telling me I should post yesterday's Bruno Mars half-time Super Bowl XLVIII showing.

Maybe it's because I've posted on the half-time show two years previously [See past Madonna/ Beyonce performances] and feel like it's become a tradition that should be maintained. Whatever the case, it'll give those who wish to discuss his polished set a forum to do so.

For those who don't want to talk about it, I'll broaden the appeal of this post by asking: who do you want to perform at next year's Super Bowl?

[Watch] Renée Fleming Gives "Star-Spangled Banner" An Operatic Twist @ Super Bowl

Continuing the vanilla theme of this year's Super Bowl, Opera star Renée Fleming sang the annual sporting event's rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner [See how other Divas compared, here].

This was one Diva who was never going to have a problem covering the anthem's notorious one-and-a-half octave range; culminating her own performance with a resonate A5. It was, on paper, an impressive rendition. However, the Diva's voice just wasn't my cup of tea, with the meatier timbre carried throughout the range not sounding particularly beautiful to me. Maybe ya'll feel different.

Take a listen and let me know!

[Say What?!] Queen Latifah SINGS "America The Beautiful" @ Super Bowl XLVIII.

What was Queen Latifah doing attempting America the Beautiful? Since when did she become a singer? Perhaps I'm just out of the loop and she's (successfully) reinvented herself as one- I do vaguely remember her releasing an album of cover songs.