Mariah Carey – Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel [Review]

September 23, 2009 in Reviews

Mariah Carey – Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Island Records

Alright, let’s get this out of the way first. Mariah Carey is probably the biggest diva not named Beyonce and Whitney Houston in music today. After watching Whitney’s comeback (and selling 540,000 copies of her latest CD to date), obviously Mariah went back to the drawing board.

The last time I’ve had a chance to try and digest a Mariah album in full; it was a trip to Huntsville with a group of women in high school. The Emancipation of Mimi practically drove me to trying to walk away from liking Mariah period (so thank you Jess, Ms. Malvo & Travia!). What makes this even weirder that before Hurricane Ike took a toll on my house (and my room especially), I had a giant poster of Mariah during her crazy Glitter phase. So after coming with a follow up to Mimi with E=MC², less than a year later were back with another helping of high octaves and glowing bronze hair.

Carey followed the tried and true formula of grabbing probably the best writer in the R&B game in The-Dream and his co-hort Tricky Stewart and join forces to make what could possibly be a return to Mariah’s R&B roots and contend for R&B album of the year. That title, oh by the way is held by the main songwriter on the album. What happens is a win-win, both for Carey and another one for The-Dream in trying to beat Ne-Yo as the best R&B singer in the game, period.

Her first single from this album, “Obsessed” makes a turn for the terrible when you understand its message is aimed at Eminem and shows that while Carey can make a catchy record like T-Pain can kiss his autotune machine, it just doesn’t work for everybody.

When her career was resuscitated after the Emancipation of Mimi album, it seemed as if she was ready to keep churning out machine like teeny-bopping R&B songs and that this would be number three in a row. Thankfully, the only other time she comes close to being well-un Mariah like besides the aforementioned Obsessed would be “Up Out My Face” which more than likely is going to steal some of Beyonce’s “independent woman” thunder with it’s silly chorus and thumping production.

In a sense, Carey showcases not only Mr. Nash’s songwriting abilities but flexes how much traditional R&B suits her just as well as her pop tendencies which have shown up and taken over her past two releases. If any R&B song has enough power and sends a clear message about relationships ending than “H.A.T.E.U” than it has to be near perfect. It’s a slow ballad that questions how long should you go after breaking up with someone before coming through with your full-fledge range of unethical emotions.

Fittingly, the next track “Candy Bling” (man, those song titles are weird these days) reminisces about love lost, complete with interpolation from the classic Ahmad track “Back in the Day”, which isn’t even the best case of sample on the album. That honor belongs to “The Impossible” with its slow drum and piano composition fitting alongside the already heavy built ideas of Jodeci’s “Forever My Lady”.

Carey even finds herself returning to her singing the songs of others roots with Foreigner on the album’s closer, “I Want to Know What Love Is”. At first, I wanted to dislike the song just because I hate the original so much but Mariah does it better. Now, it’s not as great as her rendition of “I’ll Be There” (the Michael Jackson Memorial did no justice) but it’s another serviceable song to her lengthy career.

Thanks to Tricky & The-Dream, Mariah continues to be battling clear and focused when it comes to her album making process. I don’t want to say Nick Cannon had a hand in making this album sound like this but at least I know pretty well that Mariah can still make a great R&B album, nothing like the plain-jane pop albums she’s come through with these last few years.

It’s still not enough for me to put that Glitter poster back up in my room though.

Standouts: Betcha Gon Know, H.A.T.EU., The Impossible, Angels Cry, Candy Bling, Inseperable, Ribbon

Duds: Obsessed

Final Score: 8.7