Mariah Carey released her first new music since 2010 at the end of last year with new single Triumphant (Get ‘Em) featuring Rick Ross and Meek Mill. Sadly the song didn’t strike the chord it needed to with fans and failed to chart in the US. In the UK the track peaked at 144 and talk of a new Mariah album seemed to fall off the radar. 6 months on from that track Mariah is back with new single Almost Home, taken from the soundtrack to forthcoming Disney movie Oz the Great and Powerful.
Almost Home is a return to form of sorts. Moving away from the hip-hop and R&B sound that Mariah has found her niche in in recent years, the track is unashamedly poppy with a mid-tempo beat. Lyrically the song is about optimism and believing you can achieve what you want to; a staple of the Mariah ballad. The biggest difference with Almost Home and Mariah’s more recent out-put is that she utilises her mid-range much more adding her breathy falsetto sparingly. The track builds allowing her to unleash her belt for the song’s last 30 seconds and putting to bed any doubts that she doesn’t have the vocal power she once had.
Even though we liked Triumphant (Get ‘Em), we’ll admit that Almost Home is a much better track. It captures the true essence of Mariah and sets the stage for a serious chart comeback in 2013. With her profile riding high at the moment due to her success as a judge on American Idol, we reckon she’s got a good chance of adding another number one to her extensive list of achievements. Fans of classic Mariah will welcome Almost Home with open arms and lap it up with enthusiasm.
