Ooh ooh ooh ooh

298. Mariah Carey - "Shake It Off" (Island Def Jam, 2005)

There was a time when I was younger and dumber and Mariah's high pitched vocal blasts (cannonization! ha!) irritated me to no end. "Shrill!" I would say, "Annoying!"

I realized, of course, that Mariah's voice, like a good fireworks display, the oft-used comparison for her singing, was something to be in awe of. She's the chief banshee of the last 20 years, devastating everything in her path with that billion octave range.

But this is not that Mariah. This is Mariah using those high notes like the most improbably, fluffiest pillows in all of R&B. This is music to cure hangovers, aural VW Revive and shit.