Mariah Carey’s “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)” Single: Review Revue

Robbie Daw | August 3, 2012 9:50 am

Uh oh, Mariah Carey — the Internet has weighed in on your new cleverly-timed single “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)”, and the verdict, for the most part, is not good. Sure, reviewers were eager for the return of the singer following the three-year gap since her last studio album and this new tune. But the fact that Mimi plays third fiddle to her guest rappers Rick Ross and Meek Mill is not sitting well with those yearning to hear more of the whistle-register songbird herself.

Head below for our roundup of what the critics had to say about Carey’s latest jam.

:: The Huffington Post states the case for why Mimi’s new single should be Michael Phelps’ Olympics theme song: “Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 20 medals — 16 of them gold — while Carey has had 18 No. 1 singles and has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists ever.”

:: HitFix notes,  “Carey softly and sweetly tackles her inexplicably short bridge. But, for fans, you’ll get your infamous high note runs as she battles an army of clicks and thumps from the drum machine.”

:: Chart Rigger adds, “In other words, Carey is a guest on her own song, reduced to choral duties and one verse at the end of the thing.”

:: The Prophet Blog takes the criticism a step further: “‘Triumphant’ is a low budget slice of feature-heavy hip-hop with syrupy inspirational lyrics that sound like they were purposely penned just to get the song played in some Olympics commercials. The beat, courtesy of the outdated duo of Jermaine Dupri and B-Cox, wouldn’t even make it onto a Ciara album, sounding more like something you’d find on a a washed-up rapper’s mixtape.”

:: Even MTV’s Buzzworthy Blog is so-so on Mimi’s new one: “Though the song has a strong hook and will undoubtedly tear up the charts, we can’t help but think that Mariah is holding back a little in the vocal department. (Though, in all fairness, I’m sure she is busy with Dem Babies.)”

:: Slant gets this dig in: “…it should come as no surprise that Mariah would follow-up 2009’s Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, which was tellingly both rapper-free and a commercial disappointment, with ‘Triumphant (Get ‘Em),’ a dated hip-hop track produced by Jermaine Dupri in the same manner a sick dog produces a bowel movement.”

:: Spin twirled out this assessment: “But while she’s been known to pop a rapper on a track whenever she needs a little career shake-up, we are a tad disappointed at the inclusion of Rick Ross and Meek Mill. For one thing, they’re not the Lox — Mariah and Jadakiss are a magical pair — and for another, they occupy the first half of the song, forcing us to add nearly two full minutes to the three years (not counting the Xmas album, sorry) we’ve been waiting to hear new music from Mimi the God.”

:: Finally, NewNowNext summed it all up with this: “If you’ll pardon me, I’ll go back to listening to ‘We Belong Together’.”

Let us know your own thoughts on Mariah’s brand new single “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)”  below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!