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Mariah Carey
E=MC2
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Review - Mariah Carey
Reviewer: Kim Langcake
Rating:
Mariah Carey often seems like an easy target, so in the spirit of disclosure, I will out myself now as being a great fan of her out-there ramblings, risky fashion choices, and particularly to her lately-displayed non-cookie cutter approach to pop divadom.
The anticipated release of Carey's latest offering E=MC2 caused some tension for those of us who felt that delivery had finally matched promise with the 2005 multi-Grammy award-winning album The Emancipation of Mimi. After the earlier new millennium disappointments of Glitter and Charmbracelet, would the hip-hop diva reinvention continue?
Luckily from the club grind of opener "Migrate", followed in sharp contrast by the wonderfully girly "Touch My Body" — first single and Carey's 18th #1 hit — it quickly becomes apparent that Emancipation has a more than worthy successor. This is sharp, swaggering, slickly-produced pop with a hip-hop edge, but with all tracks being co-written and co-produced by Carey, it has an inherent warmth and sense of fun that could easily have been lost if she'd been a mere mouthpiece for the songs and style of external hit-makers.
Never is this more noticeable than on the slinky dance vibe of "I'm That Chick" — sampling Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall", just try to sit still — which sees Carey firmly heading along the hip-hop/pop road she started down a couple of years back. "OCC" also stands out with its infectious looping disco track and lyrics that are multilingual, fun, and quite mad (but in a good way, as an ex-boyfriend once said to me whilst carefully backing away).
In a tribute to Carey's vocal versatility, these tracks sit comfortably among other more contemplative moments, which manage to pack a powerful emotional punch.
The album closer "I Wish You Well" is a stunning, big-finish gospel outing backed by full choir and lone piano, which somehow avoids sounding preachy because you get the feeling that the redemption being sought is for the singer rather than the wayward ex-love being sung to. "Side Effects" is a not-so-subtle synth-backed diatribe to a former abusive love, and one can't help but think back to a 2006 Rolling Stone interview where Carey described her relationship with former husband Tommy Mottola as one that "purposely preyed on every insecurity I have." The lyrics "keepin' me there under your thumb/Cos you were scared that I'd become/much more than you could handle/Shining like a chandelier/That decorated every room inside the private Hell we built" makes you realize what a long way she's come.
Which brings us back to Mariah being an easy target. The trashy mag profiles of OTT (read: mad as a hatter) artists can tend to eclipse their actual performances, and no doubt this has worked in the past in the favour of Carey's often mediocre back-catalogue. However, as she releases the best work of her career, it's time to let the music speak for itself. And if Mariah Carey has the nerve to begin her new CD by sending up her famed five octave range and can get away with wearing nothing but a feather boa on the album cover, then we can probably assume that Mimi isn't only emancipated, she is also having the last laugh.
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