Music Review: Mariah Carey - E=MC2
Published April 12, 2008
Mariah Carey is back! And so is the proverbial elephant that looms in the corners of our minds.
It goes without saying that the Emancipation of Mimi allowed Mariah to rise from the ashes, like the mythical phoenix. In fact, the album proved to be her "second coming" — a successful "comeback" that celebrated fifteen years of her long-standing career and garnered GRAMMY awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song. That being said, E=MC2 faced the inevitable task of trying to avoid the label of "Emancipation (Part Two)" or resembling one of its ill-fated predecessors: Charmbracelet, Glitter or Rainbow.
Luckily, E=MC2 is no Rainbow. And while most of the album's songs glitter, they definitely are not all made of gold. By and large, E=MC2 more closely resembles Charmbracelet. And that, dear reader, is not a bad thing.
While Emancipation is the masterpiece etched into the public's conscious, few remember Charmbracelet, Mariah's post-breakdown release, which followed a tumultuous departure from Virgin Records and public move to Island Records. Going back to basics, Charmbracelet showcased the diva's elegance and grace. Unfortunately, "Through the Rain" flopped at radio, and due to poor sales, few were able to hear the raw emotion of "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy," a song spurned by the death of her father.
Although none of Charmbracelet's singles managed to break into Billboard's Hot 100, the album's formula was replicated on the Emancipation of Mimi. And E=MC2 follows in its footsteps—featuring a host of urban radio mainstays like T-Pain ("Migrate"), Damian Marley ("Cruise Control") and Young Jeezy ("Side Effects"). Jermaine Dupri has three unlisted guest spots as well, with ad-libs on "Love Story," "Last Kiss" and "Thanx 4 Nothin'."
While no established artist should ever stifle their creativity, Mariah's genre-bending experimentations consistently prove that she is at her best when standing alone on a track. This diva needs no introduction, let alone a sideshow. Nevertheless, Mariah continues the sonic transition of her Butterfly days, despite the fact that only three of her eighteen number-one hits have featured guest spots in their original form: "One Sweet Day" (featuring Boyz II Men), Heartbreaker (featuring Jay-Z) and "Thank God I Found You" (featuring Joe and 98 Degrees). For better or worse, her repertoire is largely composed of power ballads.
Unfortunately, the contemporary production on E=MC2 makes all of her ballads sound like pop confessionals of love. Even so, lovers of Emancipation will be attracted to "Last Kiss," "For the Record," and "I Stay in Love," because they offer an air of familiarity. A casual listen of "Bye Bye," for example, will evoke fond memories of "We Belong Together." This time around, though, the focus is on the pain of a love that has been lost, instead of a search for an old love's affection.
To be certain, E=MC2 will sell well and fly off the shelves. Unfortunately, the album, like its Einsteinian title, is too formulaic. But that's ok. Science has always been based on observable phenomena. With "Touch My Body" becoming Mariah's eighteenth number one single, we at least have proof that Mimi has not only been emancipated, but will also be around for many years to come.
- Music Review: Mariah Carey - E=MC2
- Published: April 12, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Pop
- Writer: Clayton Perry
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Comments on this articleComments
Man she is so sexy...just the way she sings "you tube" on touch my body makes me want to buy the album.
the album title alone is enough to make me see that this is just commercial meaningless noise. e=mc^2..too bad bimbo mariah carey most likely doesn't know what that equation even means, rendering the title void of any trace of actual art/music. and you tube? cmon, don't you think her or her songwriters could come up with something more, i dunno, more real than that?
I love this album and her voice is so captivating. Mariah will always be around and will always be #1!
has anyone else noticed she always has one hand up on her album covers???????????
She doesn't on her s/t debut, on Emotions, or on Music Box, or on Merry Christmas, or on Daydream. Technically she does on Butterfly, although she's teasing her hair so it's not quite the same thing. On Rainbow, both of her hands are over her head, so that doesn't count either. On Glitter, she's playing with her hair with both hands, so that doesn't count either. I will concede that her last three covers do have her striking what appears to be the same pose, though. On Charmbracelet, it is hard to tell because it's a head shot.
Would have been an interesting theory, though. 3/11 ain't bad.
The album is just amazing. I can/have and will continue to listen to it from start to finish WITHOUT skipping a track. My favorite song is "for the record" all true Mariah Fans will feel that song.
Mariah without a doubt has an amazing voice and will always capitivate her true fans and even new ones! Every album has songs ur gonna like and some that ur not feelin. Either way, shes a show stopper! Shes almost 40! still sexy/beautiful kickin ass and lookin good! I've always enjoyed more than 1/2 of her songs on every album.
E=Mc2 is better than Emancipation in my opinion and I think it deserves the same (if not more) success.. Aside from lead single 'Touch My Body' and the retro sounding 'Im That Chick, I've gotta say the album is full of potential hits for Mimi including my personal favorites 'Side Effects' and 'I Wish You Well'. This is Mariah at her best!
Who else can open thier album with that famous high pitched singing she is famous for, she is imperious and i think everyone can pick one of her tracks and relate to it. Her albums are getting better and better!
this album is contains familiarity like emancipation of mimi. this makes me enjoying her r&b voice which isn't not same as butterfly or emotions
the album might actually be a disappointment for long-time fans. they started loving mariah when she was doing power ballads or mellow jazz. i'm sure they'd want mariah to at least include one track of that sort in every album although mainstream music is slowly turning into a hotpot of r&bs and fast paced beats. i do know she's gotta hop in on the bandwagon, business is business. the closest to what a long-time fan could get addicted to is I Stay In Love and I Wish You Well. and hey, it's too much to expect they're low tempo tracks. they're closer to rap music, really. another disappointment might be the seeming lack of power vocals, not because she doesn't and can't belt out anymore as most critics would point out. with so many going-ons in her music lately, it's easy to lose focus and miss out on the strong power notes. here's a simple advice: listen. that's her on the background. the trend in singing lately is doing it without the aid of dynamic echo and unlike other singers of her caliber, mariah can prove she's still got it. and in this album, she's got a new vocal style for a long note. as it is with the fusion of hip hop and r&b, she's always the pioneer in mainstream music. my personal favorites are Side Effects, Thanx 4 Nothin' and I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time. i've got nothing against the beats but after the loudness of Emancipation, i would've wanted to hear her go solo on a slow power song. as it is, from three to a hundred mariahs overlapping in a complex orchestration and experimentation of music and notes, her genius never fades. amidst all those instruments, it really is still her.
As a long-time fan of Mariah, I am very dissapointed with her her album...
I have noticed that I really missed her ballad tracks...
It seems like that her music is going younger (up tempo, r&b, hiphop, more commercial) while her age is getting older... :(
I am still trying to find the reason why I download E=MC2.
Personally, I find this album is pretty lame nothing to brag about for my taste. I expect more from Mariah and Touch My Body is pretty juvenile to begin with. Emancipation is her best album this decade.
2 out of 5
As a long-time Mariah fan, I generally agree with the reviewer's comments. This is very much a weaker collection of songs, like Rainbow or Charmbracelet. The lyrics and melodies just are not here. It's like she singing just the hook on 9 tracks. The soaring ballads are sorely missed.
I think the disc will do well because these are modern club dancing tunes, the kids will be happy with them.
My biggest question is what's up with the album title?!?!? I can see that MC = Mariah Carey, but what's the title supposed to mean: Entertainment = Mariah Carey^2 ???
Wouldn't it make more sense that: Mariah Carey = Entertainment^2, emphasizing the entertainment factor?
Oh, well, I was just surprised the title wasn't like her previous ones {Fantasy, Butterfly, Rainbow, Glitter, Charmbracelet, etc.} so I expected a title like Unicorn, Giggles(LOL), Scrapbook, Rhinestones....what happened??
Response to Borge: her voice may sound a little different and that's natural with age. but the girl can still do vocal belting. she may not have showcased that in this album, but she did in Emancipation (song: Stay The Night, which required a lot of belting because of the complex key signature). proof that the voice is still there in e-mc2? Migrate, For The Record, I Wish You Well.
Response to Dub: Do you even know what YouTube is?
Response to Dani: As a longtime fan, I agree that For The Record is a standout. It's very reminiscent of early Mariah, but updated. I actually feel that she's singing it to us and the roll call of past hits, genius! "You'll always be a part of me, no matter what you do...Can't nobody said I didn't give my all to you..."
This album is just too extreme.
Few songs are excellent and few others are just cheesy. It aims to please the fans.
"I'll Be Loving You for Long Time" 3rd single is just another lame single. Not sure why they want to release a song which similar to Ciara, Pussy Cat Dolls or Brady would make.
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E=MC2, Mariah at her best, a must buy!