Every generation of music has it "Diva", a once in a lifetime talent and voice that is unforgettable. Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross are just some of the names that immediately come to mind when you say "Diva", and most recently, Mariah Carey's name has been added to the list.

Today is Mariah Carey's 48th birthday and while she's not done by a long shot and still continues to tour the world and make new music, I'm going to take some time to pay homage to her by sharing my 5 favorite Mariah songs!

  • 5

    "We Belong Together"

    Simple and bouncy at the same time. Mariah's 2005 hit "We Belong Together" is a great song with its throwback references to Bobby Womack and Babyface, its like 3 songs rolled into one!

  • 4

    "I'll Be There"

    It's known fact in R&B: If you plan to cover Michael Jackson, YOU BETTER GET IT RIGHT. So when Mariah performed MJ's "I'll Be There", no one blinked or asked "We need a studio version", nope, we're fine with the LIVE one take version which was perfection in itself and the "MTV Unplugged" performance gave Mariah another #1 hit.

  • 3

    Fantasy Feat. ODB

    One thing Mariah learned from fellow "Diva" Mary J. Blige, you need a hit for the street and you have to call the man that has MASTERED merging the street with R&B: Diddy. And Puff did just that putting hip-hop's wildest MC The ODB with Mariah's angelic voice for a classic jam we're still dancing to today!

  • 2

    "Love Takes Time"

    We were all blown away by Mariah's debut single "Vision Of Love" but everyone wasn't quite sold until her second single "Love Takes Time" shot to #1 for her second consecutive #1 single. Talk about a debut!

  • 1

    "Dreamlover"

    My favorite Mariah song is "Dreamlover" and its tough to explain why. I just LOVE, its melodic yet aggressive. Hey, I love what I love!

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