She's sold over 200 million albums worldwide and ranks as the best-selling American artist of the Nielsen Soundscan-era, yet it's still so easy to heckle her 2001 commercial/critical failure Glitter. Many of her critics claim that she is an artist who has failed to ever truly reinvent herself. Mariah Carey's latest effort Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel from Island/Def Jam, is best described as an updated version of her 1997 Butterfly album. In contrast to some of her older work where Carey's big and beyond vocals were placed front and center, her newer material focuses more on detailed production. She has pulled back a bit, instead becoming more a part of the complete song rather than just delivering a song. Her melodies are more fast-paced, the rhythms are more complex and her lyrics are more urban-centric, with heaps of commercially-referencing similes (i.e. "We fly like United... love you like Duncan Hines Yellow Cake").Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is not Carey's finest work. What she is showing us though is that she is growing as an artist on her own terms, even if it means abandoning some of the fans she worked so hard to win back with her outstanding 2005 Grammy-winning album The Emancipation of Mimi. She takes a few creative risks here and she is dead-set on remaining relevant with the Rhythmic R&B/Top 40 demographic. The album overall is on the down-tempo and there are nuanced moments by the plenty with an excessive four reprises/preludes.
Highlights include the moody opener Betcha Gon Know, which sets the tone of the album. The track recounts betrayal I assume, by her former manager Mark Sudack, whom Carey was romantically linked to. His name has very suddenly disappeared from the credits this time around, fueling further speculation. The-Dream (Rihanna's Umbrella) production H.A.T.E.U. is absolutely gorgeous and ranks among one of Carey's best ballads this past decade. Click here to sample a short snippet of the chorus. Candy Bling has a nostalgic feel to it driven by finger snaps and a Rhodes keyboard padding. Inseparable subtly and tastefully interpolates Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time. The middle of the album is doused with hip-hop inspired R&B which isn't my cup of tea, but as the album reaches its end, we are rewarded again with some more of what Carey delivers best: balladry.
Angels Cry is lovely and piano-centric Languishing reminds us that vintage Carey has not escaped us altogether. The album's crowning moment is saved for last - a cover version of Foreigner's 1985 hit I Want To Know What Love Is. The track is a masterpiece brought to a climax with Carey's signature whistle and a gospel choir. Breathtaking. The Top 40 market has become fickle and it will be interesting to see how this track fares as the album's second single being a power ballad. The public seems to be responding to lackluster first single Obsessed which has already peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
I am not convinced still that Carey is at her best being molded into contemporary Top 40/R&B. As a long-time fan of hers, I would prefer still to see her doing more live-sounding material where her vocals would have an opportunity to shine. Her singing seems to be in perpetual whisper mode, with the occasional belt and an instrument as fine as hers should be showcased at its finest.
Preview H.A.T.E.U. in full below (courtesy of Universal Music Canada):
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is in stores next Tuesday, September 29th in North America and Monday, October 5th in Europe. For more of Carey, visit her official site, where you can stream a full-length version of her new single. Grade: B-
Duncan Hines Yellow Cake.. LOL
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Will.
ReplyDeleteFor me, she really sounds like she's completely run out of ideas on this album. The whole thing meanders along aimlessly without cohesion (what does Obsessed have to do with the rest of the album?), the majority of the songs run together (can anyone but the hardcore fans easily distinguish these tracks from each other?), and the We Belong Together backbeat pops up in every other track, as if she and The-Dream are hoping to recreate the magic of Mimi.
Speaking of The-Dream, maybe Mariah would benefit from some fresh songwriting and producing collabos, because he clearly isn't capable of bringing out the best in her.
As Mariah's resistance to taking risks (and palpable fear of being left without a viable hit - heaven forbid) becomes further entrenched in her music, I become increasingly unwilling to take a risk by purchasing her new material. I thought she might be willing to let go of some of her commercial clout in favour of establishing a more mature artistic viewpoint once she hit 40, but I don't think that's in the cards, anymore. It's a pity, because she doesn't need to compete with the artists of today - she's better than that.
At the very least, the rent-a-rappers were saved for the remix.
Wow - Great comments, Josh! I'm with you completely that she is competing needlessly with the new tier of talent and I really don't know what for. The magic of Mimi was that it was fresh, yet I still felt it was Mariah. On this album, I feel like I don't know Mariah anymore. And I've been with her from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is a bad album at all; it's just not what I wanted to hear.
I'm sure she'll get a couple hits out of it though still.
Did you like any of the tracks?
Will, i have to be honest: I'm not going to be buying this one. I may download H.A.T.E.U., though.
ReplyDeleteOverall, there is a lot of boring, repetitive, outdated, pointless, and rather laughable material on this album. If I want to hear these songs, I'll go listen to the infinitely superior versions that appear on her previous albums. I swear she just recorded 948 different interpolations of Bliss and Yours along with Obsessed and another cover and threw them on this CD. L.A.Z.E.
As she is hitting 40, Mariah is now focusing her efforts on courting the Urban and Urban A/C formats, and I think that's where they're going to find the most success with the remaining (slim) single choices that they have.
As a note, I was rather amused that The Impossible (Reprise) samples Janet Jackson's Any Time, Any Place.