I remember very well when Mariah Carey released her ninth studio album back in 2005. Mariah Carey’s illustrious career seemed to have peaked with Butterfly and declined rapidly thereafter. She had a nervous breakdown after her movie and soundtrack for Glitter tanked and was basically let go from Virgin Records. She was then signed to Island Records and recorded her eighth studio album Charmbracelet. This album failed as well and there were no signs of her returning to the top of the charts anytime soon. The album was fantastic and enjoyable from start to finish….quite possibly one of the more consistent ones in her catalog. When she hit number one with “We Belong Together” it seemed Mariah Carey was once again top diva.
This is the tour she did supporting this career resuscitating album.

The first set begins with “It’s Like That”, the first single from the album that catapulted her back to the top of the charts. Wearing a sultry pair of black, glittery boy shorts and a equally sparkly bra Mariah Carey clearly has no problems showing off how fantastic her figure is. She tops all of this off with a sheer flowing black robe and a pair of stilts. Well actually they are high heel shoes but I think stilts may be a more accurate description. Her vocals are slightly raspy and her runs aren’t nearly as smooth or precise as they used to be. She then goes into a medley of the two versions of “Heartbreaker”, the one I like best featuring Da Brat and Missy Elliot as well as the main version featuring Jay-Z. It’s clear the high notes she’s known for are still well within her scope as she launches into one of my favorite songs “Dreamlover”. The more familiar version morphs into a tricked out version sampling Notorious B.I.G. After a disco version of “My All” she follows with “Shake It Off” as she preens in front of a gigantic light display stating Mimi.

Before I continue let me qualify something. The fact is that if you are a hard core Mariah Carey fan the difference in her voice can’t be ignored. You would have to be delusional to truly think her voice is as good as it was back in the day. This doesn’t necessarily stop her from giving a good show in the vocals department. If you can get rid of your expectation of what Mariah Carey used to be and just simply enjoy the voice she has now she’s still better than many. This fact is showcased when she does a rendition of her breakout single “Vision of Love”. The vocals on this have definitely slipped over the years and she definitely lacks the muscle she used to put into this star making song. The end of this song is painfully way under the bar she set those many years ago. She tries to draw it out and make it dramatic but it makes very clear those days are gone forever for her.
Anyway, after the first set she opens the second dressed like a beautiful sparkling banana. She begins by performing the aforementioned “Vision of Love” and then immediately take it to the church again with “Fly Like A Bird”. This one goes considerably better even though she’s a bit raspy. Mainly the reason is this one is built around her current abilities so she doesn’t sound like a poor imitator of her glorious vocal past. In fact, in the end I am clearly reminded about why I ever loved her in the first place. Then we get a cameo from Trey Lorenz as he joins Mariah on “I’ll Be There”. She does a crowd sing along to disguise she can’t pull this one off anymore. She changes the melody but I’m not sure all the changes were really rehearsed. Sometimes the melody is a bit off. He sounds pretty good though. One thing I like is when Lorenz comes on stage it’s the first time I really feel like Mariah the person was in the house. The rest of the time she has this fake smile that reminds me of the smile cheerleaders give school nerds when they need help with their homework.

Costume change number three occurs and then we have set number three which opens with the buoyant “Fantasy”. I forgot how much I love this song. Unfortunately she gives us the ODB version which annoys the crap out of me. She’s dressed like a cross between Showgirls and Million Dollar Baby with plenty of bling bling draped across her ample cleavage. This is one of her better performances of the show along with her second song of this set “Don’t Forget About Us”. Long time fans will feel instant Nostalgia as she pulls “Always Be My Baby” from the back catalog. She sounds good on this one and it doesn’t feel like 2009 anymore as I listen to her riff on this happy, innocent little song. Then we have another favorite of mine “Honey”. This set is the best so far because she seems like she’s having a good time. Her vocals are damn near perfect as well which helps also.
Here is costume change number four. She’s wearing this flowing, seventies inspired dress I don’t find all that attractive. The sleeves are strange and billowing and well….its just odd. Yet she does sing a quick excerpt of “I Wish You Knew” and kills it. She shows everyone why Mariah Carey is a household name. She gives some girl named Jennifer a hug from the audiences, whistles some notes from “Can’t Let Go” and then preps us for some special guest stars. She also thanks everyone involved for the “specularity” of the show and her backup singers for not showing her up. Then she announces Boys II Men. Of course, any lamb is going to know its time for “One Sweet Day”. Mariah’s vocals aren’t quite there but good enough and she can’t quite hang with the way she used to do it but its still a good listen. She then goes on to do “Hero” and the tears in the audience are flowing like crazy. Friends are hugging and the only thing missing was the glow of Bic lighters in the audience. “Make It Happen” follows and its rousing with a big choir booming in the background and she does a great job adapting it to the hear and now and you can tell she’s feeling this one and I love the ad-libs she’s got going on. This is the official end of the show.

Of course, there is going to be an encore. The show wouldn’t be complete without a performance of the song that single handedly rejuventated her career. “We Belong Together” closes the show on a high note and no matter how you feel about Mariah you can’t deny the radio friendly power of this number one hit. It’s a great finale and no matter how much her voice has changed Mariah Carey still clearly can hold her own.

Overall, The Adventures of Mimi is a pretty good concert DVD. Although I would have liked to see a little more from the new album such as “Stay The Night” and “One and Only” when you have recorded as many hits as she has it would be very hard to keep everyone happy. I do think someone needs to give Mariah some serious dance lessons. Her movements on the stage and her stage presence at times seems a bit forced and lacking. She often prances and preens around mistaking modeling and posing for performing. Yet in the end this is a concert DVD worth the time and money if you are a Mariah Carey fan.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older