Mariah Carey doesn't take a page out of anybody else's playbook, especially the Beyoncé one. Though reports last week claimed the chart-topping diva would release her 14th studio album and its details all at once as a surprise, Carey's label Def Jam has now denied those reports.
Though Billboard initially suggested a surprise rollout (à la Beyoncé's self-titled Dec. 13 album) was in the works for Carey's new album, representatives from her label have now said that the formerly titled The Art Of Letting Go will see a traditional release.
"Mariah will announce the date and title in advance of the on-sale date," Def Jam VP-media Laura Swanson said in a statement, also noting that a tracklist and official album cover will also precede the record, which is now aiming for a "late May" due date.
The new scuffle around Carey's 14th album follows a tumultuous release schedule. Originally titled The Art Of Letting Go, the record was originally due for May 2013 before being pushed back to July 23, yet another release date that failed to come to fruition.
After the July date came and went, the album was shelved for quite a long time as Carey simultaneously recovered from a serious shoulder injury and returned to the recording studio.
Eventually, the album was re-planned for a May 6 date, yet another time schedule that is no longer accurate.
The shuffle comes after the planned singles for the album have failed to really resonate with audiences and critics. Though her Miguel-assisted track "#Beautiful" was a relative success, the following two sampler tracks "The Art Of Letting Go" and Valentine's Day single "You're Mine (Eternal)" had little commercial success. The latter spent just one week on the Billboard Hot 100... in the No. 88 position.
Details about Carey's follow-up to 2009's Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel will roll out sometime... whenever her label feels its appropriate.
