Mariah Carey’s “The Art of Letting Go” single cover

There once was a diva named Mariah with a career that was hot like fire. Then, she got married and sadly for Ms. Carey, she couldn’t get the hit she desired. Yet, refusing to hear “no,” with Darkchild in tow, the diva is now back with “The Art of Letting Go”.

If you think that intro was a bit wordy then just wait until you hear Carey’s new song, “The Art of Letting Go”. Released just moments ago via her official Facebook page, the song is the long-awaited followup to her summer hit, “#Beautiful (Ft. Miguel)”, but starkly dissimilar from its predecessor.

Instead of being driven but radio-friendly production and a catchy hook, “The Art of Letting Go” is a testament to Carey’s often forgotten vocal ability and love for GRE vocabulary. With a flurry of her famous runs, she sings of a former lover while boasting words such as “dominion,” “reverberating,” “possessions” and “exceedingly hopeful.”

However, despite being an impressive display of her many talents as a singer-songwriter, “The Art of Letting Go” has one glaring flaw: It is not a strong single.

In a time when music fans demand easy-to-remember repetition and singalong melodies, “The Art of Letting Go” sounds cumbersome and far to intense for mainstream audiences. Honestly, the iTunes generation crave fast food hits, not the three-course dinner Carey is serving on this track. With a side of champagne, of course.

Ironically, longtime fans and critics of Carey have been calling for a more “mature” slant to her material and now that she has finally delivered, she may have ruined her chances of scoring a hit single.

“The Art of Letting Go” is a solid effort by a diva transitioning to the next phase of her career but perhaps Carey took the advice of her supporters too literally. Next time, she needs to find that healthy middle ground between Touch My Body with Your Sexy Secret Love and this, its extreme opposite.

Hey, at least Carey’s chances of scoring Grammy Award nominations in the R&B fields just increased. Will she win? Probably not but something is better than nothing.

Trini Trent rating: B (for there Better Be a Better single lined up)

“Hey, I tried.”