Mariah Carey, Miguel #Beautiful duet: listen. (AUDIO)

Listen to Mariah Carey’s New Song with Miguel, #Beautiful

Listen to Mariah Carey’s New Song with Miguel, #Beautiful

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Brow Beat
Slate's Culture Blog
May 6 2013 11:04 AM

Mariah Carey and Miguel Deliver One of the First Songs of Summer

mariah-carey-beautiful
The cover for Mariah Carey and Miguel's new single "#Beautiful"

Island Def Jam

The last time we heard new music from Mariah Carey, it was an underwhelming ballad for the soundtrack of Oz the Great and Powerful, released back in February. This arrived on the heels of another middling single, “Triumphant (Get ’Em),” a run-of-the-mill R&B track that showcased its “featured” rap artists more than it did the songstress herself. (That song was originally announced as the lead single for her upcoming album, but, possibly due to its tepid response, it may no longer appear on the new album at all.)

With the release today of “#Beautiful,” though, a breezy duet sung with Miguel, Carey has finally given her fans something to savor—and a tune that could be one of the big hits of summer.

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Granted, she has also contributed to the hideous new trend of including hashtags in the title of songs and albums (see also Will.i.am’s #willpower). Nonetheless, “#Beautiful” is a wonderfully easy listen, with the duo’s voices blending smoothly together, accompanied by lush, almost Wall-of-Sound production. It’s an interesting departure for Carey, whose recordings over the last 15 years or so have veered toward a more modern R&B sound. Here, the production is pure pop, and it sounds great.

Aisha Harris is a Slate culture writer and host of the Slate podcast Represent.