E=MC^2 from Mariah Carey has some really good tracks. The album consists primarily of R&B music, although there are a few songs with a heavy touch of hip-hop. Mariah's voice in itself is a treat to listen to and I enjoyed the overall tone of the album. However, I do not think highly of MC^2 as it sounds very similar to Mariah's last album - The Emancipation of Mimi - equaling a lack of originality, consideration, and thought. And after a while, majority of the songs here began to sound repetitiously similar, almost seeming to mush together into one long, monotonous song that is indistinguishable.
Mariah's feminine voice is incredibly range-full, able to reach both the highest of highs and the lowest of low notes. That is my biggest appeal to her music, how I can expect deeply sung music from her and know that my expectations will be met. Yet, Mariah tends to over sing quite a bit, throwing her vocal talent in your face, which is dramatic and not exactly unpleasant. But typically her over singing is unnecessary and gives her songs an overdone, overworked feel that I don't like and sometimes comes across as sounding tired and forced.
Migrate featuring T-Pain is the first track. It begins with Mariah's wordless, exceedingly high pitched singing that is high pitched enough to be reminiscent to screeching, save for that Mariah sings smoothly, shifting through various high notes. The short singing stint is a clear example of Mariah's vocal talent, although it is a bit much.....a dramatic beginning that becomes increasingly obnoxious sounding with each listen. The song as a whole sounds good enough, but is nothing great: an R&B tune with a steady beat, periodic finger snapping played over the musical background.
Touch My Body is my favorite song of the album, as well as the second track. It is a sultry track, one of the few songs that stands apart from the majority, its R&B base featuring soft strums of guitar.
I know that you've been waiting for it, I'm waiting too/ In my imagination I be all up on you
Cruise Control featuring Damian Marley is fantastic; although it follows the streamline sound of the album, it has a wonderful tinge of reggae flavor, which sounds very neat, interesting. I like how this one was sung strongly without being over sung and had just enough softness to it to keep it from sounding hard - it actually sounds very smooth with a nice melody. Unfortunately, the remaining majority of MC^2 is on the other side of the spectrum and is characteristically weak. The next track for instance, I Stay in Love, is composed of piano and has no spark about it whatsoever. It is sung softly, which sounded nice, but, besides that, I can remember nothing of the song or even how it goes.
I admit that I did enjoy a few more of the songs included on the album despite the mediocrity and lack of personality and distinctiveness. Side Effects, a smooth R&B song with an intense hip-hop undercurrent is a perfect example; there is nothing interesting or never before heard about it, but I like the feel and sound of it anyways.
Overall, save for the handful of decent tracks, everything on E=MC^2 is blah. There is a mundane flow in the musicality, leaving everything with similar, recycled feelings, sounds, and tones. Mariah's habit of over singing is obnoxious and does little to redeem her unmemorable album. Also, when attempting to listen to the album in entirety, my mind continually wandered; I was never intrigued by new sounds and the strong transparency of the music seemed to subtract from the magnificence of Mariah's voice. As I cannot even halfheartedly recommend anything so unpleasantly mediocre, I do not recommend E=MC^2 in the slightest.
Track List
1. Migrate featuring T-Pain ** ½
2. Touch My Body ****
3. Cruise Control featuring Damien Marley ***
4. I Stay In Love **
5. Side Effects featuring Young Jeezy ***
6. I'm That Chick ***
7. Love Story ***
8. I'll Be Lovin U Long Time ***
9. Last Kiss ***
10. Thanx 4 Nothin' ***
11. O.O.C. ***
12. For The Record ***
13. Bye Bye ***
14. I Wish You Well **
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