We wrote a couple of weeks ago about the floporific chart performance of Mariah Carey's last single. Mimi was gunning for a 19th US No.1 with 'Bye Bye', a schmaltzy ballad "for my peoples who just lost somebody", but funnily enough it stalled at... wait for it... #19. Over here, it barely scraped into the top 30, becoming Mariah's least successful single since 2001. Ouch!

Anyway, we're presuming "failure" isn't a word in Mariah's vocabulary - or at least one that her stylists/PAs/people reportedly employed to guide drinking straws to her lips are allowed to utter in her presence. Consequently, she's moving swiftly on to single number three from her generally very impressive E=MC2 album.

It's called 'I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time' and it ticks all the boxes for a modern-day Mariah smash. Mid-tempo R&B beat? Check. Gushingly romantic lyrics? You betcha. Guest appearance from a trendy rapper? Yup, here's T.I. for ya! And she's nice and restrained with the old vocals too.

Original it ain't, but 'Long Time' does have that touch of class that 'Bye Bye' seemed to lack. It's also got a definite Kanye West feel to it, which makes sense seeing as it was co-produced by DJ Toomp, who contributed to West's Graduation album. The UK release date is September 1.

The video, which shows us exactly what Mariah's new hubbie gets when he comes home at night, appears below.



What do you think of 'I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time'? Will it restore Mariah's chart fortunes? Use the space below to have your say.