http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66464,00.html

Wednesday, October 23, 2002
By Roger Friedman

Mariah Does Def Leppard Cover

Yes, that's right -- your eyes are not deceiving you. On Mariah Carey's
new album, Charmbracelet, the sexy chanteuse warbles a cover version of
Def Leppard 's 1993 hit "Bringin' on the Heartbreak."

I know it sounds weird, and that it probably won't work, but guess what?
At last night's listening party for Carey's new disk, this was one of the
many applauded tracks on an album full of potential hits.

Go figure.

They've done everything to Mariah Carey but kill her -- and by "they," you
know who I mean. I have written my own articles critical of her for one
reason or another. She's been accused of plagiarism and bad fashion taste;
she's had a couple of nervous breakdowns and a vindictive ex-husband.

She should have been washed up by now. But somehow, against all the odds,
Mariah Carey is about to stage a huge comeback.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong. American life does have a second act.

Carey told me last night at the Hayden Planetarium, right before her album
was played for fans chosen by lottery and some press and radio people,
that she will tour to promote Charmbracelet . We discussed her new song
"My Saving Grace."

"I hope people will like it," she said. I offered that maybe popular taste
was running back to music that sounded real, not processed. "I hope so,"
she replied, "but I don't know if we'e there yet."

Carey wore a tight black catsuit, revealing her famous cleavage. She
looked healthy and relaxed, and seemed very happy to be among her fans.

During the playback session, which was augmented by a great planetarium
show, she accepted shout-outs from the wildly enthusiastic audience. Naomi
Campbell, Trey Lorenz and Carey's producer Randy Jackson were in the
crowd.

A couple of the songs were new even to me, added since I reported on Oct.
15 about the seven I had heard. We heard a lead-off track that will
eventually have duet vocals by Justin Timberlake .

Another track, Jackson told me later, was recorded with live instruments
in one take. It's a killer R&B song that hearkens back to Earth, Wind &
Fire .

On one song there's an Isley Brothers -like lead guitar solo, à la "Who's
That Lady?" On the Def Leppard number, guitarist Rob Bacon wails away
while Mariah turns in a nifty rock anthem ballad sure to be a hit.

All in all, Charmbracelet -- which will be on Carey's MonarC Records as of
Dec. 10 -- is probably the best thing she's ever done.

Said Jackson, who's quite a nice guy (I didn't know he was an American
Idol judge -- he's in the middle of auditioning the next set of
performers): "It's the most real and honest record she's made. She didn't
care what anyone thought of the lyrics. They were only important to her."

On one song, the half-Irish, half-Puerto Rican Carey sings maybe her most
interesting line ever: "I was stigmatized / for being black and white."

Now we'll sit back and watch Jerry Blair, Cindy Berger and Mariah's
manager pull off what should have been the toughest sell of the year. But
so far they've done everything right, all the T's are crossed and I's
dotted. Charmbracelet is all set for a big launch.