Hi Gary,
I was wondering why Mariah Carey's latest album, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," wasn't able to gain traction in the U.S. Several good singles have been released, including some great remixes, but only one barely cracked the top 10 on Adult Contemporary. What happened?
--Johnathon P. Atwood, San Jose, California


Ask Billboard's Gary Trust replies:
While her latest album may pale in comparison to some of her earlier sets that yielded multiple No. 1s on the Hot 100, Carey is still going strong two weeks after turning 40.
"Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," which has sold 470,000 copies to date, has actually produced a pair of top 10s. "Obsessed" peaked at No. 1 on Dance/Club Play Songs, Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Videoclips, No. 7 on the Hot 100 and No. 8 on Pop Songs. Her remake of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" reached No. 2 on Dance/Club Play Songs and No. 10 on Adult Contemporary.

And, "H.A.T.E.U.," "Angels Cry" and "Up Out My Face" followed those cuts onto R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

I agree that the album's single releases have been strong, especially the Seamus Haji and Paul Emanuel remix of "Obsessed" and the Donnie Hotwheel uptempo mix of "I Want to Know What Love Is."

(My favorite song on the album hasn't been released as a single, and is subtitled an "interlude," for that matter: the melodic "Languishing").

While radio hasn't been as open to Carey's recent singles as they were throughout the '90s, when she notched the first 14 of her 18 Hot 100 No. 1s, her 14-week No. 1 "We Belong Together" in 2005 proves that a monster radio comeback is always possible. On Pop Songs, that track began a run of five top 10s for Carey in the last five years after posting one between 1998 and 2004.

Remember, too, that current-driven radio formats, such as top 40 and R&B/hip-hop, often tend to favor younger artists, such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Ke$ha.

Thus, it's always a notable achievement when veteran performers continue to reach the top 10 at those formats. In addition to Carey, Monica, 15 years after her first chart appearance, sits atop R&B/Hip-Hop Songs this week with "Everything to Me" and Mary J. Blige ranks at No. 9 on the list with "I Am," her 22nd top 10 dating to her first 18 years ago.

Source: Billboard