Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi

Genre r & b Publisher Island Records External Links Official Site Island Records

Superdiva Mariah Carey's back with The Emancipation of Mimi after a disastrous few years in which her biopic became a punch-line and the albums she released to distract attention from it didn't help any. But having perhaps taken time to collect herself, Mariah, with help from some friends, has given the world a mostly enjoyable collection of pop R&B dance songs and ballads.

"It's Like That" is a passable exercise in hip-hop minimalism, with Timbaland-esque spare percussion and a warbly, throatily-whistled hook. Like about half the tracks, it was produced by Jermaine Dupri. The first single (currently at week 11 of number 1 on the Hot 100) is "We Belong Together," a study in post-breakup remorse that succeeds or fails depending on how much the listener identifies with Mariah's everywoman delivery. "Shake It Off" empowers the regretful woman of "We Belong Together," who realizes the time has come to move on: "I gotta shake it off / just like the Calgon commercial / I really gotta get up outta here," with Carey's voice bursting up and out, hinting at the power available from those lungs. Girl sure has a voice, past its prime, perhaps, but still devastating on tracks like "Mine Again" and "Stay the Night." The pitch-correcting vocoder is most obvious on "Circles."

Snoop Dogg guests, barely, on "Say Something," but Jermaine Dupri's contribution as an outclassed but eager young suitor to Carey's, uh, superstar diva ("I gotta house in Capri and my own G4 / and that Benz with the doors that lift up from the floor") on "Get Your Number" is much more memorable, as is his production which makes great use of the slippery bassline from Imagination's "Just An Illusion." On final track "Fly Like A Bird", the album's obligatory religious song, Carey's voice soars around like a sparrow, darting this way and that above a hearty gospel choir to end this fulfilling comeback album on a wholesome note.