Mariah Carey's Me. I am. Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse: Track By Track Review
In a few days Mariah Carey will be dropping her fourteenth album "Me. I.Am. Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse" and we were able to get a first listen. Below is my track by track analysis of the album.
1.Cry: Mariah aims to please her long term fans right out the gate. Just the voice and piano. As the title suggest, it is an emotional song and quite frankly I would prefer one of the other songs to start of the track-listing. That being said she is in fine vocal form here making it clear that there is still one and only one Mariah Carey. Despite the recent comparisons to current chart toppers she remains often imitated but never duplicated.
2.Faded: Mike Will Made It! When the track dropped and I heard his ubiquitous intro I was like "OK, Mariah don't do nothing crazy". I say that because we all know she can get a little carried away when it comes to the hip-hop tracks. Instead, this track ends up being pretty solid. Mariah rides the beats pretty well it might make for a good single.
3.Dedicated featuring Nas: Not only is this song perfect for hanging with your someone special at the same times you also feel like your are chilling with Mariah herself in the studio. This isn't Nas and Mariah's first time working together. They first collaborated on ""Thank God I Found You" the remix.
4.#Beautiful: Y'all already know this song. I'm not doing this again sorry.
5.Thirsty: When the track was first released last week the reviews where mixed with some claiming that the song sounds too much like "Niggas In Paris" I disagree but I still can't help but wondering who's she's talking about. Besides that I love this song and think the album would of been well suited to start off with this track. It's perfect for today's radio I hope they pick it up cause I can see people in the club rocking to it. Actually it's one of my ringtones. The song is literally filled with rapper like punchlines but you know Mariah
6.Make It Look Good: This album has a a throwback doo-wop vibe. It's also enhanced by the one and only Stevie Wonder on the harmonica, a trend first made popular by Drake on his Nothing Was The Same LP. Of course this comes off a little more authentic considering that Mariah and Stevie share more music sensibilities.
7.You're Mine (Eternal): Unfortunately this song underperformed on the charts and kind of set the tone for the entire "How is this album going to be received?" narrative. Surprisingly within the context of this album it actually shines more. Translation, it's a wonderful track album but perhaps didn't need to be a single. It definitely is a continuation of the "We Belong Together" aesthetic.
8.You Don't Know What To Do (featuring Wale): Every since this song debuted last week around the same time as "Thirsty" but unlike any of the previous singles this song actually received mostly positive reviews mainly because it follow in the popular disco revival that's taking place in music now. Think Daft Punk and Pharrell. Wale's verses aren't as exceptional as they usually are but his presence make the track current. Otherwise it could easily be mistaken as an unreleased cut from Glitter.
9.Supernatural: Mariah's a mom now so when she said that her daughter Monroe can sing I had to roll my eyes but the girl has a nice tone and despite comparison to Beyonce's inclusion of Blue Ivy on her cd. Mariah's daughter actually "carey's" a note. (see what I did there?)
10.Meteorite:Personally my appreciation for dance music is a work in progress so I can't really say much on this track.
11.Camouflage: More Classic Mariah. Think "Close My Eyes" from Butterfly
12.Money (featuring Fabolous): If you were one of the first listeners of the Itunes stream then you may have noted that this song was missing from the playlist but it's up there now and I'm so glad because without the album begins to drag at this point. Some fans may complain that Mariah mostly plays hook girl on this track.
13.One More Try: On this George Michael cover Mariah really really delivers the good. In case you are keeping count this is another #classic Mariah ballad for all you people nostalgic for the curly brunette era.
14.Heavenly (No Ways Tired/Can't Give Up Now): Anyone that's grew up in African-American church will automatically recognize this Mary Mary cover. It was already one of my favorite songs and with the exception of the hip hop drum kit she does the song justice.
Bonus Tracks: Unfortunately I don't have access to the Bonus Materials at the moment but they are mostly out takes from Memoirs featuring Mary J. Blige and R.Kelly.