Album Review: ‘Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse’ by Mariah Carey
Photo from www.mariahcarey.com
There was a time not too long ago when Mariah Carey was ranked the Number 1 diva in the entire world. She not only took the music industry by storm when she gave veterans like Madonna, the late Whitney Houston, and even Janet Jackson competition, she also gave them a run for their money when she burst into the music scene.
With her unique signature style, Mariah managed to make a name for herself even though she was surrounded by the aforementioned tough competition who themselves were soon to become icons like her in the future.
Aside from her stunning looks, especially when she was at the prime of her career starting in the mid-90s, Mariah Carey is an artist that I will always remember for the sheer outstanding quality of her voice which had a 5-octave vocal range and which at the time was so rare and thus, stupendously impressive.
Mariah Carey was a complete package. She had the looks and the charm that captivated her audience. But more importantly, she had the musical chops to back it all up ! Her “angelic sounding” voice soon became a familiar sound in households tuned in to their radios around the world. Each time she had new singles from her albums to promote, her music videos became a regular thing to see on music channels.
Mariah has had so many top charting hits already that I have lost count of them. Plus, the list of recognition and awards given her is so extensive. You name it, she’s had it!
Now to the present day. After a lengthy absence from the music scene to take care of more personal matters ever since she got married to Nick Cannon and gave birth to twins, Mariah Carey is finally back with her 14th studio-release entitled ‘Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse.’.
Don’t be turned off by the rather long album title. Being familiar with her work and having been exposed to her music early on, I believe there is a high probability her latest album will be another solid album from Mariah Carey.
There is only one way to find this out and that is to purchase and listen to Mariah’s album in its entirety.
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Here is my review of the BEST TRACKS of ‘Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse’
Track 1. “Cry.” – The album opener right away throws the listener into some familiar ground if you have been a fan of Mariah Carey since her early days. “Cry” is a kind of ballad that is executed in a unique manner that Mariah has proven she can.
Track 3. “Dedicated” – From the different genres that Mariah Carey has explored over the last twenty plus years of her stellar career, I will always remember when she was strongly associated to the hip-hop genre predominantly from the mid-90’s to early 2000’s.
Dedicated doesn’t fall in the category of being called a “throwback track” but rather you get a sense that she is paying tribute to those hip-hop artists that Mariah got to work with in the past. This sounded sincere to me and felt like it came from a place of gratitude.
Track 6. “Make It Look Good” – Simplicity in the production value can also be a good thing because when you have too much musical tension in a track, it can distract you from the main focus of a song. And in the case of a diva like Mariah Carey, it is her “angelic sounding” voice that still sounds as gracious to the ears after all these many years.
With the notable usage of a harmonica in Make It Look Good you get to hear Mariah Carey’s voice practically in its unfiltered form and with less musical tension surrounding it.
Track 8. “You Don’t Know What To Do” Feat. Wale – Not all piano-driven tracks really need a guest spot but Wale proves his addition to this track blends well with Mariah’s very distinctive vocal work. This collaborative effort is a standout track that proves why so many artists have chosen to work with her to this day–it is because she makes them sound even better than they really do !
Track 9. “Supernatural” – Nothing could be more personal for Mariah than this track. Anytime you are willing to openly sing about your love for your children–and in Mariah Carey’s case, her adorable twins– then you get insights into her personal life. And for longtime fans, Supernatural is a treat to listen to.
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Overall, this is a superb and musically well-balanced 14th studio-release coming from undoubtedly one of the greatest divas of all time in the entire music industry who is none other than Mariah Carey, of course.
For me, after listening to the entire album, I can say Mariah Carey definitely returns to a greater form here compared to her last three studio-releases. And there are some moments in a
Photo from www.mariahcarey.com
couple of the tracks which remind me of the Mariah Carey I remember listening to while I was growing up.
I have to say it is still a delight to hear her “angelic sounding” voice even after two decades. And it is quite obvious that even though Mariah Carey is already in her 40s, she still sounds like someone in her late 20s. Not bad at all, I have to say again !
This proves that even though she took an extended time off to attend to her own personal affairs when she got married to Nick Cannon, she did not forget to take good care of her voice.
“Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse” is a testament to the passion that Mariah Carey still has to continue singing and to giving her fans new music that is familiar to them. And you can even say that this album serves as a “wake-up call” also to her younger competition that Mariah Carey is not done yet by a long shot in her truly remarkable career.
This is the very person whose primary school teacher had slammed her down in class with “You will never make it!” when it was her turn to share with classmates what her dream was… to be a singer…one day.
My Final Verdict: 8/10
