Mariah Carey Online
Vibe magazine wrote that "Mariah gets back to her winning formula with Mimi.
The Emancipation of Mimi hit stores last April and has enjoyed several weeks at the top of Billboard Charts. Mimi is the nickname that friends of the superstar use to greet the 8 octave diva. Mariah states in the liner notes for her album that: "emancipation" is "to free from restraint, control, oppression, or the power of another" or "to free from any controlling influence" or "to free somebody from restrictions or conventions."
It's clear that whatever shackles held Mariah back in the past have been broken. Critics that doubted her and said her career could never bounce back from the mistakes that were Glitter and Charmbracelet are eating their words as Mariah enjoys her first hit album in years.
Mariah works with several high-profile producers on this album including, Jermaine Dupri, the Neptunes, Kanye West, and R. Kelly. The lead single, "It's Like That" is a club banger that has ladies shaking it on the dance floor. With lyrics like, "We came to have a party/Open off the Barcardi/Feeling so Hot Tamales/Boy I know your watching me so what's it gonna be," Mariah lets everyone know that she still knows how to have fun and make a record for the pure joy of it.
Of course Mimi includes ballads that can only be sang like MC can sing them. Tracks like "We Belong Together," "Mine Again," and the Kanye West produced "Stay the Night" are signature Mariah, taking the listener to an emotional place with sultry lyrics and soothing rhythms.
Nelly and Snoop drop by to help Mimi keep the party going on "To The Floor" and "Say Something" respectively. Twister even tries to help the single diva find her "One and Only."
It's clear with this album that Mariah is free to sing and write whatever she desires and obviously she knows what she is doing. The album has enough of the old Mariah to satisfy the legions of fans who grew up with her, as well as enough of the that new sound to introduce the pop diva to a younger audience who maybe knows her name, but didn't quite understand who she is. Mariah is the highest selling female artist of the '90s and with this album she is making it known that she is still a force to be reckoned with. All other pop "divas" should be ware and take cover.
-TA
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