Mariah Carey’s latest compilation album “Number 1 to Infinity” was released on May 18. The album consists of 18 of her number one hits in the United States, plus a recording of her newest single ‘Infinity.” I suppose her rationale for collecting her top hits and a recent song was to prove to prove that she’s still got it. But in actuality, she has provided us with cold, hard proof that she lost it a long, long time ago.
Apart from her latest song, the rest of the soundtrack is really good. For instance, the two songs “Don’t Forget About Us” and “We Belong Together” both show up in Carey’s 2005 “Emancipation of Mimi.” In both songs, she uses the themes of young love and heartbreak to express her emotions about an old flame (both about the same guy? We’ll never know).The sadness of these songs combined with her high vocals create two beautiful songs with meaning.
Carey’s 1992 hit “Hero” may be one of the most powerful songs that she has ever recorded throughout her career. Despite rhymy-timey cliché lyrics, such as “when you feel your hope is gone / you inside you and be strong,” the song’s sweet vocals and overall inspirational message are the reasons why this song has become a sensational hit.
Carey really lost her marbles when she recorded “Infinity” in 2015. This R&B tune about her nasty breakup with ex-husband Nick Cannon sparked her motivation to screech — I mean sing about it.
Her lyrics from the first 10 seconds of the song are horrendous: “That’s your bag, yup, that’s too bad / Show is over, you ain’t gotta act / Name hold weight like kilos / Boy, you actin’ so corny like Fritos.” Emphasis on the horrendous. It gets better at the chorus “Close the door, lose the key / Leave my heart on the mat for me / I was yours eternally / There’s an end to infinity / To infinity”.
Here, Carey has really lost her it: her creativity, inspirational message, and most importantly, her vocals. Sorry Mariah, there’s an end to your career. Despite her attempts to slay the Billboard Charts once again with “Infinity” and break the music industry with the rest of her 19 songs, she ultimately failed.
