Mariah Carey: 'I Stay In Love'

She's always being trumpeted as the "world's best-selling female artist", and she recently had her own themed week on The X Factor, but truth be told it's sometimes difficult to get excited about new Mariah Carey material. Have things ever been the same since she replaced her wholesome early image with a penchant for riding a Cadillac in a bikini?

Those expecting another 'Hero' or 'Without You' would be better off listening to Leona, but 'I Stay In Love' is about as close as La Carey is likely to get to a "pure" ballad these days. With the obligatory "ooohs", "na na na na"s and 'baby"s, she coos and trills her way through what is essentially a rewrite of her 2005 smash 'We Belong Together'. It may not be the most original of songs, but Carey's emotion-packed vocals make this a pleasant treat after some vacuous recent offerings.


> Click here to read our review of Mariah Carey's E=MC2 album