Singer wrote, co-produced many tracks herself while recording in Italy,

By Minya Oh

08.06.2002 3:05 PM EDT


Mariah Carey
Photo: Virgin



Pop's butterfly is set to fly again, and this time around she's hoping her new set of wings will prove stronger than the last.

Mariah Carey's first album as a member of Def Jam's predominantly hip-hop roster has been slated for a December 10


release. The as-yet-untitled collection is the result of intense recording sessions Carey recently held in such exotic island locales as Capri, Italy, and Nassau, Bahamas (see "Mariah Carey Records In Bahamas With Live Band, Strips Down With 7").

To shake some of the stigma associated with last year's "Glitter" flops as well as a highly publicized emotional breakdown and split with Virgin Records (see "Mariah Carey And Virgin Part Ways"), Carey has regrouped with some of her favorite producers, such as Jermaine Dupri and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. She has also collaborated with new talent, namely producer 7 Aurelius, who, as part of the ubiquitous Murder Inc. camp, had a hand in recent hits by Ja Rule, Ashanti and Jennifer Lopez.

According to sources close to Carey, despite the diverse contributors, the new album will still be very personal and touch on many of the singer's recent tribulations, since Mariah wrote and co-produced many of the tracks herself. Fans can look forward to a first single off the album in September.

oh goody... i can't wait...

Speaking of fabulous women, Tori Amos has a new album coming out in October called Scarlet's Walk. I can hardly wait. She's ranks right up there with Prince.

Again, rat's ass. Who gives one?

I hope this time the release will help turn her life around with all this suicide, depression, the movie "Glitter" that lost its glitter and bombed. She is so talented.

shygirl said:

u for answering,skimming,viewing.

subyduby said:

you have room to talk, you're the queen of nothingness here moron.

Has anyone ever seen this woman's other cheek?

Good for her! Mariah is one of the best singers in pop music right now.With a kickass album,she will bounce back.But she has alot of competition.In the next few months,there will be new CDs from Whitney Houston,Toni Braxton,and India Arie.

Here's more:

Mariah's New Studio Set Due In December

Mariah Carey will begin climbing the comeback ladder with the Dec. 10 release of her new studio album, the first in a multi-album deal with Island Def Jam. The as-yet-untitled set will be issued on Carey's own MonarC Music imprint and features production work by Irv Gotti, Jermaine Dupri, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, among others. According to the label, 20 tracks have already been recorded; a single is tentatively due in late September.

No other details have yet been released, and it is not known if the artist will attempt to mount a tour in support of the album. In a May interview about the set with the Hollywood Reporter, Carey said she was "going to wherever the creative energy takes me. I'm not trying to sound New Age-y, but it's true. I'm doing a lot of stuff with live musicians, and I'm doing a lot of ballads."

"There are a lot of songs I've done in the past that are very introspective and personal," Carey added. "This album has a lot of those type of songs. But it also has celebratory, fun songs; I'm not going to sit there and dwell. People are always asking, 'Is everything OK?' Look, I was not depressed; I was freaking exhausted."

Carey is referring to her much publicized breakdown in the summer of 2001, which some say contributed to disastrous box-office numbers for her feature film debut, "Glitter," and the Virgin soundtrack of the same name. "Glitter" was the only album Carey issued on Virgin after leaving her long-time home of Columbia Records. In January, she exited a long-term contract with Virgin for a buyout of close to $30 million.

In the meantime, Carey's single "Loverboy" featuring Da Brat and Ludacris is among the finalists for top R&B/hip-hop single - sales at the 2002 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, to be handed out Friday (Aug. 9) in Miami.


-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. Billboard Magazine

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I'm wishing her well...

Novabreaker said:

LOL.