Monnie1976's Full Review: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel [Digipak] by Mariah ...
Mariah Carey is definitely at a different place in her career than she was a few years ago. After the explosive and “phoenix from the ashes” comeback The Emancipation of Mimi she seemed to be on top of the world again. Mariah Carey fans (myself included) declared her the diva triumphant and it seemed her days of serving ice cream on TRL and having nervous breakdowns were just a blip on the career radar. I still believe Emancipation of Mimi is one of her best albums and one of the most consistent of her career. She then followed this up with the significantly less successful E=MC2. Although I really liked a good portion of this album I clearly was in the minority. Now we find Mariah Carey once again having to prove that she is relevant. She is once again needing to demonstrate she can keep up with the generation of divas she and fellow diva Whitney Houston have spawned. Does Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel get the job done? I’m not sure yet. The fact is Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel is a completely different album than her most recent efforts. The last two were designed to be an arsenal of potential hits. She jumped around doing a bunch of different styles from being a hood rat diva on “Migrate” to church attending diva on songs like “Fly Like A Bird”. This is more of a concept album. It’s a unified style and sound from beginning to end which has some distinct advantages as well as some disadvantages as well. Produced solely by The Dream, Mariah Carey and Tricky Stewart the album seems much more focused and deliberate than anything she’s done since Butterfly. With every listen this album is getting better and better. The first time I heard it though I was highly disappointed. Yet, I recall feeling the same way about Butterfly when it was released and I now consider it one of her best. The hooks are far more subtle than such contagious fluff like “I’ll Be Loving You Long Time” or the soaring “Stay The Night” from Emancipation of Mimi but when the hooks get in they dig in well. I can’t tell you how many times the line “this is Barbara Walters for real for real” or the hook from “Up Out My Face” boy has popped up in my head. So if E=MC2 was a big sticky sweet pillow of cotton candy then I would say this album is more like cheesecake; still sweet and decadent but having more substance. So basically, it just might be her best work yet. A work that is relying more on subtlety and streamlined concepts than flashy, fluffy hooks to draw in the listener.
The album kicks off with “Betcha’ Gon Know” which is a moody ode to a cheating lover. It’s a very interesting way to open the album as she tells us a story in a fashion not all that different than R. Kelly might. It’s a completely different track than I’ve ever heard from M.C. and her vocals on this one are amazing as she belts out the epicenter of the song. The melody is interesting and even unpredictable at times. Mariah Carey has been around since the dawn of the nineties and its nice to hear she can give us something we haven’t really heard from her before. Of course, Mariah Carey isn’t scared of going back into well traveled territory as well. This is obvious as we lead into the trendy, catchy jam “Obsessed”. Let’s be blunt. This song is as derivative as they come and the only reason anyone has paid attention is because of the fairly mean spirited video featuring Carey dressing up as rapper Eminem. Diva vs. delinquent continues as Mariah Carey continues to obsess about the fact Eminem is obsessed with her.
There is no shortage of gorgeous slices of sound on this album though. Songs such as “H.A.T.E. U” , slated to be the third single from this album, are bonafied winners. Delicate, sensual and romantic this song is absolutely luscious. Dreamy keyboards tinkle as Mariah Carey uses her whispery vocals for perfection. She uses her whole range to her darker alto notes to her trademark whistles in the other direction. “Candy Bling” had a title which increased my skepticism but I have to admit I like this confection as well. It’s soft, sweet and all about reminiscing of love from the past. “Inseperable” is another highlight and I think the melody is dynamite on this one. The piano is elegant against the minimalist beat and Mariah Carey just does her thing on top. “Angels Cry” is a ballad much in the vain of songs like “I Stay In Love” and “We Belong Together”. It’s not quite as good as the later but better than the former. Either way it’s a lovely listen. The interlude “Languishing” is beautiful and reminds me of classic Mariah Carey.
There are several songs on here that take us way back to different eras and even other times in Mariah Carey’s career. “It’s A Wrap” has some strong vocals as she gives us a little sass warning a significant other that “I should crack you right in your forehead”. Definitely a far cry from some of the lyrics on her debut. The song has this doo wop feel that recalls the fifties.
I absolutely love “Up Out Of My Face” which its almost bratty send up. It’s a whole lot of fun as she tells her man to get lost in a variety of creative ways. The brass emphasizes her point as she quips and snips as she cuts him to little pieces. It’s the happiest jam about dumping a loser you will ever hear. This is immediately followed by an interlude where she seemingly gets inspired from Nick Cannon’s past motion picture “Drumline” and emphasizes her point with a marching band.
Not everything is great in this sonic memoir though. “Standing O” is unfortunately a blatant rip off of everything from “Apologize” to “Umbrella” to “Icebox” by Omarion. I do like the beat though on the second verse and I think the song sounds good. Mariah Carey gives us some perfectly likable vocals. The song just screams rehash to me though. “Ribbon”, with its Mike Jones knock off draggy baritone doesn’t do much for me. The song would have much better without that along with Jermaine Dupri and his chipmunk “eh” going off as well. The song does grow on you but the production is just too annoying overall.
I’m not sure what I think about her cover of Foreigner’s “I Want To Love What Is”. In many ways its just as impressive as you would expect once it reaches its pinnacle. Getting there isn’t nearly as impressive though. Given a poppy sheen with finger snaps and a little organ for flavor the whole thing just doesn’t grasp the emotion of the original. The key change at the end though is fantastic as the gospel choir. Once Mariah Carey gets going she delivers. So basically it will just depend on you as the listener. It doesn’t feel nearly as real though as the rest of the album. It’s like she’s in one place and she through this in for old school fans who haven’t accepted this isn’t even what she does anymore. BTW, disc two featuring remixes of Obsessed is pretty much a coaster. If you are into remixes it might be worth your time but I would have preferred other tracks. There is a music video for those who don’t have access to the internet and haven’t discovered the term “you tubing”.
Overall, Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel lives up to its title. There is no doubt that Mariah Carey has a heavenly voice. Yet there are certainly imperfections in the running time of this album. Yet in the end this ends up being another winning album for this consummate diva. I definitely think its worthwhile for your collection. Whether it will end up cracking the top ten female R&B albums in 2009 remains to be.
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is packaged in a beautiful 3-panel softpack. A must-have for all Mariah fans, it will include: The CD A 2nd Enhanced CD ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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