Yes, you read that post title correctly. I’ve made a lot of jokes about Mariah Carey over the years, but the fact is she is damn good at what she does. I and many others thought for sure she was going to be a flash in the pan when she hit big back in the early ’90s, but at this point I have to admit that she’s built a legitimate career for herself.

With the imminent release of Mariah’s next album, E=MC² (itself a clever name that means (E)mancipation = (MC²) [Mariah Carey to the second power]), I thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the music of one of the greatest and yet unappreciated performers of the last 20 years. So here’s a list of my five favorite Mariah songs (my own Fave 5 if you will).

• “Fantasy” – C’mon, how can you not love a song that makes liberal use of a sample from the great ’80s song “Genius of Love”? And the video, which features Mariah in an amusement park, is beautiful.
• “Honey” – This song marks a crucial turning point in Mariah’s career, as it shows her as not afraid to explore her more sexy side. Grrrrrrrrrrrowl! The Bad Boy remix of this track is smokin’.
• “Hero” – If you can listen to this song and not feel inspired, I just don’t know what to say. “Lord knows dreams are hard to follow / But don’t let anyone tear them away / Hold on, there will be tomorrow / In time you’ll find the way.” *sigh*
• “Emotions” – This is the song that first made me sit up and take notice of Mariah. In addition to being one of her more ebullient songs, the lyrics really show her depth. The Wikipedia entry on the song says it better than I ever could: This disco-influenced dance song has its protagonist going through a variety of emotions, from high to low, up to the point where she declares “you got me feeling emotions” and sings high notes.
• “Touch My Body” – This is Mariah’s newest single, the first from her upcoming album. I think it’s great that as she nears 40 years old, she can still be sexy and subtle. Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean!

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