“Oz: The Great and Powerful”, Disney’s prequel to the classic “The Wizard of Oz” is one of the most anticipated movies this year. So much so that it made in its opening weekend. A movie this big requires a big name artist to bring hype to its soundtrack. Not just any song, but a rousing ballad that fits the larger than life theme of the movie. Who better to fill those “no place like home” shoes than über diva Mariah Carey? Say what you will about her quirky ways, attitude, and flighty personality, she will always be regarded as one of the premier voices in music, period. It just makes sense to have her sing the track “Almost Home” as the featured soundtrack tune.
So how good is “Almost Home”? It’s nothing to write home about, but you can’t deny that she looks (especially after having twins) and sounds amazing. There’s a hint of studio voice altering that you can pick up in the beginning of the song, but at this point we all know that Mariah Carey can sing circles around 95% of female artists out today. So I won’t hold that against her. I wish the video would have had something more though. The clip takes more of a bare bones approach which is the opposite of the beautiful effects in the movie. Besides the movie scenes scattered throughout the video, it’s just a black and white scene with her singing in a long black dress.
I don’t think “Almost Home” will be the next No. 1 single for the woman who’s obsessed with butterflies. But it just may be the exposure she needs to get back out on the music scene. With her visibility on American Idol, this surely won’t be hard for her. Although many bash the music she’s made since the late 90s, I actually like some of her more recent material. But I will say that “Almost Home is light years beyond the “Triumphant” song she released a while back.
What do you think of her new song? Can she make a comeback and be bigger than ever?
