The lead single from Mariah Carey’s highly anticipated ‘Angels Advocate’ remix LP has finally surfaced. The ‘Angels Cry (Remix)’, which was supposed to have impacted radio on January 4th, features R&B crooner Ne-Yo. ‘Angels Advocate’ hits stores on February 23rd.

Although the track features identical productions to the original, Ne-Yo weaved his vocals and lyrics expertly into the arrangement and actually enhanced the already brilliant song. However, I would be lying if I said that I was not expecting them to recompose the entire track. As two of the industry’s premier songwriters, they had the opportunity to create some epic material. Either way, having had the experience of working with each other on this song, it would be interesting to hear what they might come up with in future ventures. Good stuff.

Hit or Miss?

According to our friends over at the uber reliable Mariah Daily Journal, Mariah Carey is set to release ‘Angel’s Cry’ (Remix) featuring label mate Ne-Yo as the first single from her ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’ remix LP. The song is set to go for adds on US radio on January 4th 2010.

Hmm…I’ll reserve judgement until hearing the actual song, however it goes without saying that there is a lot riding on this ‘remix’ (aka saving face) project – not least Mimi’s relevancy. Yes, she has a dedicated fan-base, yet as the sales-to-date of ‘Memoirs’ show, sometimes that just isn’t enough. Also worth mentioning, is the hilarity that is any suggestion that Mimi is beyond needing to sell anything or prove anything to anyone – which I’ve heard from a few. I’m afraid when you’re one of the world’s biggest stars and signed to a MAJOR label, you’re expected to bring in profit from your sales. Simple as. I strongly doubt Def Jam would be pumping money into her videos and promo, and not expect anything back. “C’mon son”! The industry doesn’t work like that.

Anyway, feeling I’ve slightly drifted off topic, I imagine this track will ‘surface’ any time from now. Mariah and Ne-Yo sure sounds like a great collaboration on paper. Here’s hoping it translates well on track.

Your thoughts?

Today saw the premiere of Ne-Yo’s video for ‘Never Knew I Needed’, his contribution to Disney’s animated movie ‘The Princess & The Frog: Tiana and Her Princess Friends’. Though I doubt this will be setting charts alight anywhere, hats off to Ne-Yo for expanding his market. The video itself is pretty cool too.

What do you think of the song / video?

With R&B star Ne-Yo gearing up for the release of his third studio album ‘Year of The Gentleman’ (due August 5th), the LP’s second official single -‘Miss Independent’- has surfaced. While ‘Closer’ exhibited a more Euro-Pop sound, ‘Miss Independent’ is, no doubt, familiar territory for the singer/songwriter musically. The mid-tempo cut sounds like a progression of the sound Ne-Yo championed on his first (and IMO best) LP. Good stuff.

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With R&B star Ne-Yo’s ‘Closer’ burning up the airwaves in the US, it’s apt that the song’s video made its debut today. Evidently, someone’s been watching more than a few Michael Jackson videos, but it’s all good. I’m really liking the song and feel the video compliments it well. ‘Closer’ is featured on Ne-Yo’s third studio album ‘Year of The Gentleman’, which will be released on June 24th.

What do you think of the video?