It's been two weeks since Mariah Carey first announced her newly rebranded 13th studio album Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse and the album still has another two weeks until its official release date, so it's only fitting that the chart-topping diva would tease the record with another new single. Today (May 13), Carey dropped the sassy track "Thirsty" in anticipation.
"Thirsty" begins with a playful, bopping beat, not unlike some sort of opening credits to a '90s arcade game. Then, Carey comes in and does her signature Mariah Carey thing over the beat, sort of that hushed whisper full of little vocal flares and teases that prove that she's still one of the strongest chanteuses out there even 20+ years into her game.
It's hard to say whether "Thirsty" is a more modern single or a pure throwback to Carey's heyday, musically. There are extreme 1990s elements in the production of this song, from the slowed down chorus to the bopping beat to, well, even Carey herself. Those dreamlike vocals are something only she can really do perfectly, and there's something just a little old school about that. Despite all that, there's references to Instagram in the lyrics as well as an overwhelming sense that you're listening to a song that dropped in 2014.
"Thirsty" as a new single from Carey is likely to underperform, like "You're Mine (Eternal)" and "The Art Of Letting Go," both of which dropped leading up to the release of Me. I Am Mariah. When more creative songs with newer spins on the retro vibes are dropping left and right (we're looking at you, "Happy" or even mini-Mariah Ariana Grande's "Problem") something this purely #ThrowbackThursday just won't cut it.
Guess when they say everything is cyclical, they're also talking about the music trends and Mariah Carey herself.
Listen to Mariah Carey's new single "Thirsty" below, via Revolt TV:
