A Second Opinion

This week, the music world saw new releases from two of its biggest - Paula Abdul and Mariah Carey. While her debut performance of "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" at the Super Bowl was a creative monstrosity, Abdul is back on her game with the release of the single's music video, in which she appears singing in two sets. In the first, she sings solo, with a traditional mic. With bangs, wearing a long red top over jeans, she looks like a knockout. She then appears in a floor set with a background band that includes fellow Idol judge Randy Jackson on electric guitar. In a low-cut black and gray dress accentuated with black leather gloves and high-heeled shoes, Abdul, famous for her VMA fashion mistakes, brings her great style to the video's forefront. What comes next is a choreographic wonder, with Abdul's dance routine exploding on screen, fresh as ever, while keeping to her own unique style. As a dancer, Abdul has not lost her touch; she easily keeps pace with her younger dancers. The one drawback: the unnecessary inclusion of her American Idol costars eliminates Abdul's artistic credibility. Jackson's appearance throughout nullifies Abdul's hip factor. Then, at the video's close the two, along with Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, appear together in a photo. While Abdul is making every use of the Idol juggernaut to increase her popularity, she should certainly rely on her own talents instead of this cheap exploitation.

Also this past week, the first single from Mariah Carey's new album E=MC2, "Touch My Body," hit radio stations. The new single is a reflection of the R&B direction that Carey has taken as pop has gone more urban. "Body" is a single that I wanted to hate from my first listen but found more and more irresistible each time that I heard it. This comes hand-in-hand with the catchy slow beat of the song, a rhythm that really hooks listeners from its beginning, building to a strong climax. The song almost oversteps its boundaries when Carey coos the ridiculous line, "I will hunt you down." But the lyrics represent true pop gold. They have an innate guilty-pleasure factor built in, and while they border on overly erotic, they beautifully walk the line. Still, the track, while sure to be a radio mega-smash, does not play to Carey's strength; it contains mostly smaller vocals until her explosive ending in lieu of accentuating her powerhouse pipes throughout.