After what some fans and music critics would consider to be a disappointing performance on her last studio album, 2008′s E=MC², Mariah Carey is back with her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel, which hits stores today, September 29th, via Island Def Jam Records.
On Mariah’s last album, it seemed as though she tried to recreate the magic of her “comeback,” three years before with Emancipation of Mimi but fell short. However, amid what some saw as mediocre single choices and material, Mariah managed to serve up a gem of a single with “Touch My Body,” which surpassed Elvis Presley for the most #1 singles by a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was immaculately crafted by the dynamic duo, Tricky Stewart and The Dream.
The chemistry created was undeniable, thus Mariah recruiting the two to write and produce her whole album, with additional production from LOS Da Mystro, with whom The Dream crafted J. Holiday’s smash, “Bed,” and Mariah co-writing.
Memoirs is a solid album for what it is. Let’s face the facts: old-school, ’90′s, belting, diva Mariah is gone. She hasn’t been with us since Glitter era. With this new album, Mariah’s mission was clear: She had to put together material that would appeal to a younger audience, but not alienate fans who have loved the Mariah from years ago. So, the first taste that we got of this “new” Mariah was the “unofficial” first single, “♫ Obsessed.” Some would argue it was a cheap shot at Eminem, with it’s blatant Mariah/Eminem drag look-alike in the video, but many fans were impressed with the first effort, albeit it’s under performance on the charts. And she locked down the streets with her remix with Gucci Mane.
The rest of Memoirs is pretty straight forward: catchy hooks, clever metaphors, tricky vocabulary and cute samples (on “Candy Bling,” Mariah samples “Back in the Day” by Ahmad, while “Inseparable” interpolates Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” and “The Impossible” slyly pulls from Jodeci’s “Forever My Lady”) litter the album. Which is mainly why the trio work of Mariah, Tricky and Dream work so well together.
There are points where you notice the writing and productions style get similar to previous collaborations between the two. “Candy Bling” is merely a reworking of “I Luv Ur Girl,” a favorite from The Dream’s debut album, Love/Hate, while some might confuse “It’s A Wrap” with Electrik Red’s sleeper, “9 to 5″ from their first studio album, How to Be A Lady: Volume 1. But Carey and Dream’s pen cleverly masks the recycling process.
And as usually, the album drags ever-so-slightly towards the end, after the reprise of the bouncy rumored next single, “♫ Up Out My Face.” The ballads, minus “The Impossible” (posted above) get a little syrupy for my taste, and Mariah reverts back to her old fantasy world, returning to corny titles like “Angel’s Cry.”
All in all, Mariah churned out a solid effort that will have her fans’ tails wagging and keep people interested enough to wonder what it is that she’ll do next.
♫ OTHER TRACKS YOU’VE GOT TO HEAR: “Betcha Gon’ Know,” “H.A.T.E.U.,” and “Ribbon.”
I’ma MC fan from way back so I’ll definitely cop the album. Loving the 90s look in the photo also.
Imma buy this album…but Imma need her to sit down after this.
I actually like H.A.T.E.U…but all the dreams music is starting to sound “Lullaby-ish” (if that makes sense).
Good luck Mimi…remember Whitney sold over 300,00 copies of that horrible album. LOL. Jokin
Mariah needs a new look and sound for that matter.
Never been first before! Lame I know but whatever!! Anywhoo, I like what i’ve heard so far, can’t wait to buy the album. Hopefully it will be worth it, as Mariah is my girl. Love her
Damn, I thought I was first ahh well maybe next time LOL
I absolutely admire Mariah Carey and adore her, but I love all of her old stuff. She still had it until the E=MC album. “Ribbon” sucks, it sounds too “The Dreamish” “The Impossible” has a very nice R&B beat, but Mariah is singing just a little too high, and “It’s a wrap” is okay. I think Mariah Carey has come to the point where she has ran out of looks and ideas and we should just remember her for what she is… a legend and an icon.
I wish someone else would’ve done the review because Brian keeps ignoring that Mariah co-wrote and co-produced the whole album other than ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’. Plus you call ‘Obsessed’ an under-performance when it got to no.7 on the billboard hot 100 and has sold over 800000 copies? This album is her best in years.
I will be purchasing this album
I’M GONNA NEED MIMI TO SIT DOWN AFTER THIS STINT AND GET HER VOICE BACK…GET VOCAL THERAPY OR SOMETHING
AND WHY DO THESE “THROWBACK MARIAH” PICS WHEN YOU CAN’T BACK IT UP HER YOUR VOICE…GEESH
WHITNEY BEEN ON WEED/COCAINE JOINTS AND STILL SOUNDS GOOD…COME ON MIMI!!!
Eh.. haven’t got with MC in a minute..
@Mimi232 .. lol and unf you still aren’t first, LOL. lmao, best not to disclaim the number until after the comment is posted :\.
ever since Glitter..she lost that super power voice, but her new album is pretty tight
i’m liking her retro look too..blond isn’t a good look on her, at all
This album is boring. I will not buy it.
MARIAH DON GAINED THAT WEIGHT BACK AND LOOKIN GOOD…..GIRL IM SICK OF YOU
She should not have let Dream do the entire cd, his work starts to sound the same after two songs. Mariah is barely singing on the cd, she has a few bright spots(Angels cry, its a wrap and Hate U) but after that it seems like, i dont no. i have every Mariah cd and will get this one too, but No more Dream.
good or bad i know beyonce won’t have a 12th album
@9 WHITNEY DOES NOT SOUND GOOD…STOP FOOLIN YOURSELF
Not really a fan.. but her album is good, way better than that bullshit she released last year.
@ DARKAQUA
You wish Whitney could still sing. She sounded horrible on GMA and Oprah.
I will support The Queen of Soul and buy this new album. Mariah consistently puts out good material, unlike Whitney.
One of the BEST albums of this year…
i wont be copping this album. it’s very lackluster. and this is coming from a mariah fan!
Get it right Brian sweety.
You say the Dream cleverly disguises the similarity between Elektric Red’s “9 to 5″ and “Its A Wrap” but Mariah wrote that one by herself.
Gotta love the shade around here.
The way you purport fact with mere conjecture amazes me on this blog sometimes…
I noticed Mariah’s been wearing a lot of black since she gained al that weight! I aint mad girl! hide it whatever way u can
The album is GREAT! Got my copy at Best Buy this morning (as were the 4 people in line in front of me lol) and I’ve had it on blast ever since!
“It’s a Wrap” is my JAM! “HATE U” is such a raw and emotional track….freakin loved it when Dream demo’ed it and I love it more with Mariah over it! And “Up Out My Face” is the “Shake it Off” of 2009 lol!
All in all I’m really impressed! Only song I”m really not into that much is “Inseperable”, but it’s okay. Good job Mimi, can’t wait to see how well she does her first week!
That’s MC!
Listened to the album and there is nothing special about this album. Her fans ranted and raved as it this album was going to be IT. Maybe better luck next time. I see why she didn’t release the same day as Whitney. Not saying Whitney’s album is better but she has more attention @ the time. Everything is the same with Mariah time for something. For the record Whitney can still sing just not as good as she once was.
I think her ballads make the album better. you can tell the newer young pop fans when they like songs like ribbon, up outta my face (reprise) and candy bling. the cd does it for me after standing O. I think her slow songs are much better than the quality of what we’ve been hearing from the likes of beyonce, rhi-rhi or even ciara.
more than solid album, I would have to say
Love the Album!
whether she can still sing or not, Whitney does have the better cd
maybe she needs to re-marry her husband tommy…somethin because soon as she left him her music started to suck! lol AND SHE NEEDS TO FIRE THE DREAM QUICK!! before he ruin her career. She needs to hire the people who work with her back in the 90′s (idk why she doesn’t get this) or LEONA LEWIS production staff (for ballads only) cuz she (mariah) could add fire power to the songs leona lewis sings and it could put her right back to dominace…this album sounds wack..also, i do think that she needs to take time off to heal her voice or somethin…
Emotions, Daydream, Mariah Carey LP, Music Box > Glitter, Rainbow, E=MC2, Charmbacelet
Get it????
ROTFL @ 9 with the whitney houston comment!!!!
I LOVEEEEE DIS ALBUM EVEN THO MOST OF DA SONGS R TALKIN BOUT GETTIN BACK WIT SUM ONE …WHICH THATS WUT IM TRYNA 2 DO HAHAHAHHA MIGHT B Y I LIKE IT SO MUCH…GR8 JOB MC!!!!!
I need my Mimi back. I miss her and this MC just seems like a bad copy of her. I’m still buying the album but… Ribbon is nice.
@ WhereISMARIAHSVOICE
I co-sign with everything you said.
I don’t think I have ever listened to or liked an MC album all the way through, but she puts out solid singles so if it aint broke then don’t fix it
UUH…AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS “TOUCH MY BODY” WAS NEVER REALLY THAAAAT GREAT OF A SONG??????
AND FOR IT TO GO TO #1 LIKE IT DID WAS NOTHING MORE THAN LUCK AND A GOOD FANBASE. THE SONG HAD NO SUBSTANCE AND THE FLOW OF IT WAS JUST OOOKKKKKAAAYYY.
Mariah always writes her material…unless it’s a remake. So go read about what you want to write before making these kind of stupid reviews.
I really enjoy this album. That’s what matters to me after all
I LOVE this album. I copped it a week early and have it on eternal repeat. I’m a buy 2 copies today!!
Yeah, it’s a different look for Mariah working with The Dream & Tricky, but they make an incredible team. The combination of Mariah’s and The Dream’s pen skills are catchy, whimsical and clever. I give it up to Mariah for stepping outside her normal J.D. heavy songs and trying something new.
H.A.T.E.U., Candy Bling, Up Out My Face, Inseperable and Ribbon are all stand out tracks.
I can’t wait to see her in Vegas next weekend. Holla!
Mariah can do no wrong in my eyes. Love Ribbon!, The Impossible love the lyrics. Laying in the bed bumping Jodeci, Go Mariah show these young chicks how it’s done.
“….IF WE WERE TWO LEGO BLOCKS, EVEN THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATING CLASS OF 2010 COULN’T PUT US BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!”
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!
There is nothing corny about the title “Angel’s Cry” it piqued my curiosity. I hope its a beautiful ballad:)
i love this album. it had to grow on me a little. but i’m not sure the younger kids are gonna appreciate it.
Love, Love,Love MC and I can’t wait to get this one!
Ppl keep saying they want the old Mariah back…but she do have to keep up with the current unfortunately…but I will applaud her because to me this is better than what we’ve heard in a while…Love “It’s a wrap” and ” The Impossible….my favs
I like the lyrics of her songs on this album. They are clever and funny, however, Mariah is a shell of her former self. She has the right to change but this is too drastic a change considering her lack of vocals. We all know she is capable of a powerful voice. She should get better, not worse IMO.
I like the album. I reviewed it at my site http://www.basemagazineon...-r-with-modern-twist.html
I think we need to stop asking our favorite artists to repeat what they’ve already done. The Mariah, Janet and Whitney’s of the90′s cannot succeed in the 00′s, especially not when what’s selling now is so different than what they use to do. Mariah knows this that’s why she changes with the industry while keeping the staples of her act that made her the legend she is in the game today. I think this album does that quite successfully, merge what we loved about Mariah back in the day, with the R&B that is popular today.
Mariah Carey needs accept that fact that she is not 20 anymore. I admire both Whitney and Mariah, but the two divas voices sound chopped and smashed on live performances. Mariah sucked on Oprah and Whitney did so-so. Let me not mention the GMA performance, didn’t tickle my fancy at all.
but, I will have to agree with #9 and#14, Whitney’s album is on constant rotation on the ipod but I don’t know about Mariah. I am feeling “Obsessed”, The second single that everyone is saying that they love, “H.A.T.E.U”, I wasn’t really feeling that one, but it has the potential to grow on me. I won’t totally give up on her, but I would rather the artist be able to tap into my emotions than for them to appeal to my age demographic.
I love the CD personally.After a couple listens I think its better than what I’m hearing today.What most fail to realize Mariah has to keep up with the times since the music industry is not about true artistry.Been a Mariah Carey fan since her first album when I was young and loved all her albums (even the ones that people pass on).I was skeptical about The Dream/Tricky producing her record because their sound does sound recycled, but somehow it works in her favor.The comparison to Electrik Red–like they relevant was stupid because Dream gave them some shitty music.
@#9, What in the world are you going on, and on about? Have you seen Mariah’s performance on Oprah, and read the professional reviews for her two Vegas shows? They stated that Mariah STILL has that amazing voice.
Whitney puts on ONE good vocal performance in damn near a decade, and you are all (referring to the Whit fans) now thinking that she has done so much better vocally than Mariah.
Give me a break. Whit has yet to prove that she can STILL sing. You can’t really count Oprah.
I can’t compare Mariah’s album to Whit’s, because I haven’t heard Whit’s album. So, that would be an unfair comparison. All I know is that mariah created a GREAT album. And at least she writes, and producers her own material, wheares to Whit who always sits back like a puppet, and let others pin her shit for her.
You guys need to get the “F” over the whole old Mariah bullshit, because old Mariah is history. And she still has power in her voice, just not the way she used to.
And how is Brian gonna call “Angel’s Cry” a corny title? WTF?? I would like to see somebody else do the reviews for a change. And Obsessed not doing well on the charts? It peaked at #7, and has over 80 million impressions. Very close to 90.
The dumb things some people say these days. *Sigh*
You have to be a true Mariah fan to like anything she does like this boring ass album! The last album that was hot was “The Constipation of MOO MOO” after that boring cheesy ass white girl trying to be black songs! Girl bye! Not a straight up wack album its just boring.
I had this cd since last week and its solid. I agree she didnt need the dremm so much but the 2 of them work some ditties. Mariah Still has her voice btw. WHitney sounds good but she is no where her old self . Good songs. and u can listen to it all the way through. SHe need to come and sing live on tv and let all u hatin knots know it.
@ the man i agree with you
I LOOK TO YOU IS FAR BETTER VOCALLY!….WHITNEY NEW ALBUM IS SOOOOO MUCH BETTER!
OFFICIAL GRADE
I LOOK TO YOU A++++
-MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL F-
Don’t Come for me Girls! You Don’t Want it Ms. Thing
TONI BRAXTON WILL SOON SLAY MARIAH, WHITNEY AND MARY!!!!!!
oh plz stop hating on brian, he gave his review from a music journalist point of view, as a fellow journalist myself you cant and you wont please everyone with the words you publish. I enjoy your reviews brian!!!
BETCHA GON KNOW GOEZ!!
I AM CONVINCED I AM THE LAST LAMB AROUND WITH WORKING EARS. All these fans are defending this album, but I can’t. Its a mess. She doesnt sing a damn thing on it. She went back to CHARMBRACELETE where she talked/whispered the entire album. E=MC2 was better than this. At least she sang on it. I mean this is bad. Im on my 2nd week of having this album, and I’m not rushing to buy it. FOR WHAT its not worth the $10. Sadly enough I combined some songs from E=’s and this one and sadly enough my own creation sounds better than both LPs. I hope this wakes her up. This is like Alicia Key’s doing her next album sounding like Ciara, just doesnt make sense to me
NOT impressed!
I don’t get it, if she came out with the songs of today , like some Beyonce or Rihanna type tracks she would be trying to be too young, Biggest fan of Mariah C.C, and she has an adult album, that still make the kids rock. “Put on your shoes in the elevator, it’s about to go down like a denomenatior”. Gotta love it, well I do.
This album is AMAZING!!!!!!
Every song is a hit and the lyrics are so clever and catchy.
This has to be the BEST FEMALE R&B album in a long time.
Nothing this year so far can touch this album.
E=mc2 was a slapper cd.
I can still bump that, y’all trippin’!