Stop the presses: Aerosmith is not over, by a long shot.
Also, Mariah Carey has some news about her next recordings.
At Clive Davis’s wild over the top A list pre-Grammy dinner, I had a cheerful chat with Ms. Carey. She never looked better and was happy to be in a music crowd.
I thought what was interesting about Mariah this past weekend is that she seemed a lot more like a team player. Not only did she bask in the camaraderie of Clive’s gang, but she also presented at the Grammys. With age, comes wisdom!
When I ran into her on the red carpet Saturday night, we talked about what she might be working on. I suggested maybe doing an album of classic songs that would show off her voice — which seems to be better than ever.
“It’s funny that you say that,” Mariah said. “There are going to be some things like that. You’ll see. You’ll like it.” I asked about some classic R&B, too. After all, the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” and Harry Nilsson’s “Without You” are two of her best recordings. Mariah agreed, and gave some hope that she’ll put aside scatting through hip hop songs at least once for a knock out pure vocal album!
I also connected with one of my best sources of info about Steven Tyler and Aerosmith. I’ve been concerned about Tyler. Last year he was in rehab. Then later in the year he had to cancel the rest of the group’s farewell tour because of vocal damage.
So what happened? “Steven really did have problems with his throat,” my source said. “The doctor said he had to stop singing and do nothing for at least six to 12 months. So he’s halfway through it and improving well. He will be back.”
And an album? “The group is planning an album of rap collaborations, just like they did with Walk this Way,” I was told. In the 80’s, Aerosmith joined Run DMC and a classic hit adapting their original record with those beloved rappers. Aerosmith is funky enough to do that with a bunch more of their songs.
It would make sense and also revitalize interest in their catalog that includes “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “Crazy,” “Dream On,” “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” and so on. There are plenty of new rappers whose talents would take to this project seamlessly. Maybe we’ll hear all this by the end of the year or early 2025.
