Search - Mariah Carey :: We Belong Together Pt. 2

Club Mixes Fail To Impress

Rudy Palma | NJ | 08/30/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"A moving vocal performance of a song that has put the ultimate diva of our time back on top of the charts with the biggest hit of her 15 year career, currently in its 13th week at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, "We Belong Together" has forever changed Mariah's career, peoples' opinions of her and has been embraced as the ultimate song of Summer 2005.



It makes it all the more upsetting, then, just how boring and uneventful the official club mixes of the song are. Not to mention the fact that Mariah has a history of excellent remixes for not only the hip-pop/urban radio format but for the clubbers as well.



Although "It's Like That," the already-forgotten Top 20 lead-single from "The Emancipation of Mimi" had remixes that were only just north of lukewarm from club mix guru David Morales, at least those tracks had re-recorded vocals; something Mariah had not done since 2001. The club mixes of "We Belong Together," however, do not, and they suffer extremely greatly as a result.



That is not to say that all club remixes necessitate having re-recording vocals; hardly. The Full Intention Club Mix of her 2002 ballad "Through the Rain" from her underrated "Charmbracelet" album is just one example that proves that original vocals can make ideal groundwork for a fantastic new excursion into a song. With the club mixes of "We Belong Together," on the other hand, Mariah's original vocals sound awkward.



The Reconstruction Radio Mix of the track strikes as simply boring, with the original vocals seemingly simply thrown on top of layers of pretty basic, by-the-numbers dance beats. Although the beats do have potential, they do not work with the original vocals thrust upon them, only altered here and there to speed up the pace of her voice. The full Reconstruction Club Mix only serves to be even more than twice as boring, as it more than twice the length.



The only reason this disc gets more than the standard one star, aside from the fact that you can't complain about the original hit nor her outstanding performance on it, is that the Atlantic Soul Radio Edit and Atlantic Soul Vocal are far better than the Reconstruction Mixes. Although they are far from memorable and not up to Mariah's club mix standard, they do sport frothy production that moves the song along in a saucy frenzy. With her vocals not re-recorded or even significantly altered, these tracks are not particularly special, but they are definitely better than nothing, and are a small saving grace for the disc.



On an endnote to fellow fans and completists, a version of this disc available only in Thailand contains a white rose which pops up when the digipak is opened, much like you'd see in a childrens' pop-up picture book. Definitely a unique item to add to your collection."

We Belong To The Clubs

Dogville | Sunny Island | 07/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With We Belong Together, Mariah returns to form with a classic groovy ballad, striking a perfect balance between being soulful and funky at the same time.



On this UK CD2, the ballad is taken to new heights with some very good remixes including dance meister Peter Rahoufer's take of the song for the clubs. The Reconstruction Club Mix alter the song for the dancefloor and no one leaves disappointed with its stomping beats for over 9 minutes. A very good Mariah remix in a while after the barrage of remixes done by David Morales. The radio edit is essentially a shorter version for airplay.



The Atlantic Soul mixes bascially adds a sassier dimension to the song, giving it a smoky and laidback feel.



And in a long time, I say Mariah most deserves this #1."

Mariah's in the House!!

S. Oslick | 08/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is off the chain!! The Reconstruction Club Mix is amazing!! The rest of the mixes are great as well. This song is destined to be a classic."