Mariah Carey is one of the most successful artists ever – man or woman! Her vocals coupled with her looks have made her name household since her self-titled debut in the early nineties. After several incidents and record company moves Ms. Carey is back and is decidedly more aggressive in her lyrics and how she wants to be viewed.  

The product she recently released on the streets: The Emancipation of Mimi is reflective of that.   Featuring the production of people like Kanye West, The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri and co-production by Mariah herself, this album looks to prove Mariah has what it takes to represent in the urban contemporary market and not the pop market she is used to dominate. Will she crash or will she fly high? Check out the review and find out!

ãIt's Like Thatä is the first single and Mariah talks about the going and out and having a good time at the club.   This track is definitely a bumper in the clubs and has the ladies feeling good.

Mariah used old song choruses on the song ãWe Belong Togetherä to express why her and her significant other need to stay and be together after making some mistakes. This song reminds you of Lil Jon's ãLover and Friendsä but it definitely is softer and sweeter than that track.

Jermaine Dupri adds his ad-libs on ãShake It Offä and Mariah adds the commentary about being tired of the games and foul play from her loved one.   Mariah does a good job riding the bouncing beat and uses her high pitch octave to take the song to another level.

ãMine Againä is about getting something or one you want back into your life on a slow tempo track.   Mariah talks about possibilities and dreams and there is a nice horn in the background as she is belting out her lyrics.

ãSay Somethin'ä features Snoop Dogg and Mariah does a nice a job of flowing over this Neptunes beat. The beat sounds like something the mid-80's and Mariah asks the fellas to speak up if they want to get with the ladies.  

ãStay The Nightä uses Kanye's affection with the old school samples and Mariah talks to her honey about why he needs to stop playing games and stay the whole evening and into the morning.   Mariah gets a little sexy in the song but nothing freaky and this while not one of Kanye's absolute heat tracks Mariah does her thing going from riff to riff effortlessly.

Jermaine Dupri returns as an Usher/Nelly sound-alike in ãGet Your Numberä, a track in which the chorus leads the song more than the lyrics. This is one for the late night hustlers trying to get those digits before the end of the night.

Twista brings his fast flow from Chicago to the track ãOne & Onlyä.   This song is about looking to find the one and only significant other we all dream about.   Mariah even sings with a faster pace and she does well but she should stick to her original format.

ãCirclesä is about the runarounds that life brings from both sides but of course in this song from a femaleb perspective.   Mariah uses her vocal box in the song hitting high notes and flexing her muscles on the track.   This track reminds you of that 70's sound!

ãYour Girlä is that I'm grown, sexy and independent song that Mariah wouldn't do so easy ten years ago.   Mimi brings that out of Mariah and while she could have done this style of track on previous albums it's unlikely it would have been her idea.

ãI Wish You Knewä talks about hiding love from someone you really love and not being to tell them.   You actually hear Mariah talk to the crowd in the song. Her background vocals are hot and you could see yourself swaying back and forth to this track.

ãTo The Floorä features Nelly and it's the fast paced track that you would expect from Nelly.   This track borrows elements from the 70's grooves we like to dance to and there is a lot of call and response. Still it feel like it's Nelly the actor with a different co-star in this Neptunes produced movie.

ãJoy Rideä is the classic Mariah cut you'd hear in 2005 or 1995! Mariah uses her voice as an instrument and softly makes you respect the music.

ãFly Like A Birdä is another contemporary groove that uses sounds from the 70's to lure you into her world.   Mariah talks about being wisped away into the sky and loving that special someone. The choir at the end of the track is nice and it's a nice way to end a very nice album.

Mariah shows that she can attract new audiences and not be cheesy in her attempts.   The production is nice and besides a couple of songs that sounded like an Usher or Nelly track because of the company she kept it sounded like Mariah has found a new fan base.

I'll give the album 4 globes.

 
Any comments, suggestions, questions email Clayton at clayton@geoclan.com.

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