While Mariah Carey has remained in the media-scrape by way of babies, weight-loss, and live shows, the diva of divas has been on a musical hiatus for more than two years.

That all looks set to change, for it appears the 42 year old is gearing up for a return to the charts.

Details after the jump…

The ‘We Belong Together’ songstress has been on social media over-drive this week, touting the image above. Taking to Twitter today, she also wrote:

So.. Summer 2012.. Been in the lab, mixing up some concoctions for you, hope you like it!! #MCSummer2012

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Needless to say, we’re cautiously amped for this one. Mariah has seemed musically lost since 2005′s ‘Emancipation of Mimi’; however as that very album proved, a “comeback” is wholly plausible if the material is on-point.

We have our cups at the ready; here’s hoping Mariah pours out that qualitative goodness. No nursery rhymes about being ‘Obsessed’, getting ‘Up Out My Face’, or wanting folk to ‘Touch My Body’. No, no.

The industry age bias, as well as the point-blank “need” for Mimi to return to solid and image-appropriate material, means she has to do away with the aforementioned. Put simply, the industry is a very different place to what is was during the periods of her last releases. No longer can artists throw out a generic Pop hit and hope for album sales (just ask Usher). There exists a clear division between the acts selling singles (Rihanna, Flo Rida, and the like) and those who shift albums (Adele, Beyonce, and Lady GaGa). Mariah’s best bet at renewed relevancy is ensuring she stick to the latter group. As such, a re-branding of sorts is a must.

That said, bring on the summer!

http://thatgrapejuice.net...er-return/

HAPPYPERSON said:

Mariah’s best bet at renewed relevancy is ensuring she stick to the latter group. As such, a re-branding of sorts is a must.

That said, bring on the summer!

http://thatgrapejuice.net...er-return/

Oh god not the word "relevant" again

Just cut the bullshit, stop singing through your teeth, leave the smurf(JD) alone, stop competing with these young knucklehead because her legacy is waaay beyond that foolishness.

I just hope its better than that mess called Meoirs of an Imperfect Angel

HAPPYPERSON said:

here’s hoping Mariah pours out that qualitative goodness. No nursery rhymes about being ‘Obsessed’, getting ‘Up Out My Face’, or wanting folk to ‘Touch My Body’. No, no.

The industry age bias, as well as the point-blank “need” for Mimi to return to solid and image-appropriate material, means she has to do away with the aforementioned. Put simply, the industry is a very different place to what is was during the periods of her last releases. No longer can artists throw out a generic Pop hit and hope for album sales (just ask Usher). There exists a clear division between the acts selling singles (Rihanna, Flo Rida, and the like) and those who shift albums (Adele, Beyonce, and Lady GaGa). Mariah’s best bet at renewed relevancy is ensuring she stick to the latter group. As such, a re-branding of sorts is a must.

YES can't wait for Mariah to come back

While I agree she needs to be more mature this time around, I did love her "Obsessed" song I'm glad someone had the balls to diss Eminem and even have his look-alike get hit by a bus in the video That punk always bothered me and her song was perfect for trash like him.

.

I need for her to keep her clothes on. She's too old to be scantily clad.

scriptgirl said:

I need for her to keep her clothes on. She's too old to be scantily clad.

You take your clothes off in the summer time...

I hope we can get some good house remixes, please David Morales call up Mariah

I'm ready. I actually loved her albums since Mimi, but I can't bust out her Christmas album like that, I needed something new!

OldFriends4Sale said:

scriptgirl said:

I need for her to keep her clothes on. She's too old to be scantily clad.

You take your clothes off in the summer time...

Well that wasn't creepy at all.

loving her music more than ever these days

NeonCraxx said:

I'm a fan, so I'm ready for it.

Me too-love me some Mimi

It's not the 90s anymore so I doubt she'll make an album I will enjoy.

She'll make "Touch My Body" part 2 and it'll be her 19th number 1.

OldFriends4Sale said:

scriptgirl said:

I need for her to keep her clothes on. She's too old to be scantily clad.

You take your clothes off in the summer time...

But script isnt an middle age woman trying to be 20 either.

Hopefully Mariah goes back to a mature sound, her 90s music is dope. The last good song she came out with was We Belong Together.

There's a lot of agism here. I don't understand the thinking that someone should act a certain way because of numerical age.

MickyDolenz said:

There's a lot of agism here. I don't understand the thinking that someone should act a certain way because of numerical age.

Because it sounds a bit silly for a 40-something year old woman to be singing songs more fitting for a 25 year old girl. It's like if Aretha's next album is mostly Euro-Dance-Pop. Most people would think the old gal has gone mad!

Someone stated earlier that she is going to be reuniting with Walter Afanasieff to collaborate on some tracks for the new album. I hope that's true. I love Mariah and even purchased her last two albums, even though I thought they were terrible. But, I don't know if I can continue to buy her products if she keeps recording silly, teeny-bopper songs.

I'm ready for Mimi's return. I hope it's along the lines of The Emacipation album which in my opinion was her last great album! Why isn't she allowed to be sexy? At 40 are you supposed to shrivel up and die or start dressing like Ma from little House On the Prairie? WTF?!

UPDATE MIMI FANS: Mariah is working with Walter A again. His daughter Isabella tweeted it! I'm sooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

roseypink56 said:

UPDATE MIMI FANS: Mariah is working with Walter A again. His daughter Isabella tweeted it! I'm sooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully this will sound like the earlier Mariah albums.

roseypink56 said:

UPDATE MIMI FANS: Mariah is working with Walter A again. His daughter Isabella tweeted it! I'm sooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is welcome news for fans who have grown tired of her forays into R &B Hip-Hop. 2009's Memoirs was a critical disaster and I found it difficult to listen to.

Identity said:

roseypink56 said:

UPDATE MIMI FANS: Mariah is working with Walter A again. His daughter Isabella tweeted it! I'm sooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is welcome news for fans who have grown tired of her forays into R &B Hip-Hop. 2009's Memoirs was a critical disaster and I found it difficult to listen to.

I've loved Mariah since she first burst onto the scene but her Memoirs album is the only one I don't even bother to listen to. I had no issue with her doing hip-hop and R&B, but she got stuck in a pattern and didn't really grow out of it with the exception of The Emancipation of Mimi.

Memoirs actually sounds current if you listen to it now. That type of production, I know you probably weren't ready for it, but years after Drake and The Weeknd, you might like it!

I needed a new album because I played Memoirs so much!

Cinny said:

Memoirs actually sounds current if you listen to it now. That type of production, I know you probably weren't ready for it, but years after Drake and The Weeknd, you might like it!

I needed a new album because I played Memoirs so much!

it does sound very current! Love me some MC can't wait!

I played the Memoirs album out once on Monday and Tuesday.