Mariah Carey & Miguel’s ‘#Beautiful’: Review Revue

Thanks to the influence of Twitter, hashtags have become inescapable — but Mariah Carey uses it to her advantage with her new single “#Beautiful,” featuring R&B crooner Miguel. The song is an nod to old-school R&B, and blends the two singers’ vocals into a sticky-sweet ballad.

With the single quickly making waves on the Internet, the critics have weighed in on their thoughts about “#Beautiful.” What do they have to say about Carey’s love of hashtags? Check after the jump to find out.

:: Billboard praised the production: “The creeping guitar line, crackling percussion and simple, gooey center all scream ‘Motown,’ and Carey has smartly teamed with another vocalist who can effectively synthesize that frozen-in-time sound.”

:: Also offering up their approval was The Los Angeles Times, who wrote: “The track is gritty and vital, filled with a crawling, dirty bass line, a seductive, immediately embeddable guitar melody and just enough tambourine to get the engine running.”

:: MTV raved that the song “seamlessly combines her signature vocals with Miguel’s groovy, sexy R&B style.”

:: Our friends at SPIN were none too pleased with how Carey served as a near-afterthought on the track, but lauded it anyway: “Carey is almost an accent on her own song, but that’s besides the point; at just three minutes and 22 seconds, ‘Beautiful’ is what summer is made of.”

:: Under the Gun Review found the song pleasant but forgettable, criticizing that hashtag-happy title: “Do you really crave flash in the pan press so much that you’ll title a song that will long outlive the likes of Twitter something as momentarily popular as hashtagging? C’mon Mariah, you’re better than Will.i.am.”

:: For their part, tech blog Mashable agreed: “Hashtag. Hashtag. Hashtag. It’s like the Marcia Brady of symbols for musicians.”

:: Our very own MuuMuse complimented the song’s, uh, aromatic quality: “The combination of that lazy strum and honey-sweet croonage is a total breath of fresh, feel-good air (like a spritz of Mariah Carey’s Dreams, available now at Kohl’s), and also perfectly suited for the approaching season.”

:: Slate wrapped it up nicely: “It’s an interesting departure for Carey, whose recordings over the last 15 years or so have veered toward a more modern R&B sound. Here, the production is pure pop, and it sounds great.”

Do you think Mariah Carey & Miguel’s new single “Beautiful” will be the song of the summer? Let us know in the comments below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!