Encapsulating the essence of 'Classic Mariah' meets 'Urban' Mariah (The Emancipation Of Mimi - Mariah Carey)

Member Name: Starshine_lady

Product:	The Emancipation Of Mimi - Mariah Carey
Date:	07/11/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The album contains something for everyone spanning generations & genre preferences

Disadvantages: If you are a staunch fan of 'classic Mariah' from the early 90's the Hip Hop/R&B infusion may deter.

The release of The Emancipation of Mimi marks the pivotal point which resurrected Mariah Carey's lapsing music career after the release of Glitter (2001) and Charmbracelet (2002) which both failed to impact and impress upon on the music charts in the fashion which you would expect of a global world class musician.

Indeed the title of the album points to Mariah's struggle to break free of the grey whirlwind of media reports speculating on her personal wellbeing and panning her two previous studio albums and their lacklustre sales. The Emancipation of Mimi may very well be the biggest musical comeback within the R&B and Pop worlds respectively of this decade. The fact that comeback would be uttered at all in the same sentence as Mariah Carey however, points to just how thickle the music industry is. After all she is the best selling female singer who has accumulated more number 1's than any other in history and other than two arguably disappointing albums has never creatively faltered otherwise. Not at all bad for a singer with a career spanning twenty years.


The Emancipation of Mimi is what can be classed as a traditional Mariah-like blend of goose-pimple raising power ballads and the huge slices of current R&B productions which have served to keep Mariah 'hot' and 'relevant' in comparison to some of her waning contemporaries. The album also has a soulful edge which pays homage to her vocal and musical origins emanating from albums such as Mariah Carey (1990) and Emotions (1991).

So does it live up to its hype? YES.

The album can be played back to back without detecting as much as a 'filler' track. Every record is single worthy and indeed a large number of the songs made it to single format offering us the glossy, fantasy filled visuals of Mariah that we are accustomed to.

'It's Like That' the leading single of the album helped to create a buzz and excitement for the new album with it's strong R&B and Hip Hop tinged production which was on par with and could easily rival the music of 2004's urban music cohort. It's like that is what 'Honey' is to the Album 'butterfly' (1997) or what 'Fantasy' is to the album
'Daydream' (1995).

We Belong together is an International power ballad which showcases her extensive vocal range and gives what many of her older fans have been missing in recent years. The following singles 'Say Something' 'Shake it Off' and 'Get Your Number' which are produced by Jermaine Dupri and The Neptunes are very R&B orientated with pop inspired formats to engage Mariah's younger fan base. On the Contrary 'Mine Again', 'Stay the Night' and 'Fly Like a Bird' all encompass a 'grown' vibe and feel to them, their composition centred around a live band. These songs are inspired by soul music from the 70's era and Mariah's capacity as a flexible vocalist melodically and powerfully spills onto these tracks like sunshine.

Overall the album contains all of the vital ingredients that were necessary to bring her back into the musical foreground: The poppy R&B sound so prominent on her leading singles which keep her relevant to a younger generation, and the range, soul, raw emotion and vocal power which keeps her endeared to her older fans.

Summary: This album collects on the various sounds and styles of Mariah throughout the years.