As a fan of Mariah Carey since Vision of Love, how nice it is to see that she may have finally found her way. Because, honey, that Honey was lost for a while.

Now with the release of her soulful, reflective Charmbracelet, Mariah has made a return to Mariah of old.

All right, let me drop the code talk:

Mariah of old is a nicey-nice way of saying the Mariah who belted out one heart-pounding ballad after another. The mere slip of a girl with a gaggle of unruly curls who vacillated between denim cutoffs and bejeweled ball gowns, torching the 1990s with one No. 1 song after another.

She was hot and her voice was better than gold. It was platinum. Then something happened, something discordant and foul. The curvy, bubbly super-singer traded her denim for shiny hot pants and traded her torchy love songs for spiky hip-hop inflected street beats.

Mariah the operatic pop princess became Mariah from the projects, hanging out with hard rollers such as Snoop Dogg and getting her life entangled in all sorts of ugly mess.

By the time the new millennium kicked in, Mariah, who had once been “on fire,” felt the dousing effects disinterested fans. Mariah fans didn’t want to see her wobbling around dressed like a porn star and the fans she drew with her scantily clad get-ups were more interested in her freak appeal than her singing.

Well, maybe the bizarreness that led to her taking a much-publicized respite at a hospital has ended. Whether she had a mental breakdown, as many have speculated, or she simply needed rest and time to re-evaluate who she wanted to be, Charmbracelet represents a tinkling, shining gift.

While the album contains a few nods to the prevailing hip-hop machine, featuring such artists as Jay-Z and Cam’ron, Charmbracelet also delivers sweet, tender songs such as I Only Wanted and Clown, with lyrics that feel like Mariah’s personal journal layered over nudging, head-bopping music.

I truly hope the days of the multi-octave diva showing up at TRL on MTV and trying to flash her top just to get attention have passed. My fervent wish is that mature, grown-up singers will once again reclaim their throne and flip the script on the wriggling, simpering bellybutton-baring hot mamas who with the shake of their barely covered butts somehow think they have talent.

Bless you, Mariah. Welcome back!

Kudos for Kelly

Santa delivered another treat this holiday wrapped in the red-streaked chic of Kelly Rowland and her debut solo album, Simply Deep.

Forever shadowed as “the other one” in Destiny’s Child, Kelly gets her chance to shine and she doesn’t mess it up. Once people hear her, perhaps more fans and critics will cut Destiny’s Child lead singer, Beyonce Knowles, some slack. See, the thinking was that Beyonce was a microphone hog.

But listen to the album and you realize that Kelly’s voice is a smooth, strong complement to Beyonce’s and indeed we’ve heard her singing on more tracks than we may have given her credit.

Kelly earned a lot of airplay over the summer with her wildly popular duet with rapper Nelly on Dilemma. Now her song Stole is also gaining respect and climbing the charts.

Kelly has a beautiful voice that doesn’t waver. She is a polished entertainer, yet she delivers her lyrics with a sweetness that borders on curiosity.

Aside from Kelly’s voice, the true strength of the album lies in the songwriting. Simply Deep features lyrics that could have come straight out of a book of poetry. Not since De La Soul or PM Dawn have lyrics felt so rich and evocative.

Go ‘head Miss Kelly and show ’em you’re not just Beyonce’s backup.

Sherri Winston’s column appears on Friday in Showtime; Wednesday in Lifestyle. She can be reached at or 954-356-4108.