The vocal powerhouse Mariah Carey proves that she has staying power in the music industry with her eleventh studio album “E=MC2,” released Tuesday. This album offers fans a totally different sound from her usual soulful ballads. She incorporates a heavy hip-hop influence and does not always allow her golden vocals to shine.
Her first song released off “E=MC2,” “Touch My Body,” became Carey’s 18th number-one single, making her second only to “The Beatles,” who have 20 number-one singles. Although the playful track is number one, it is nowhere near the songstress’s best work. With lyrics such as “If there’s a camera up in here/ Then I’d best not catch this flick on YouTube,” the song shows Carey’s creative writing skills have gone downhill.
“E=MC2” offers listeners a balanced mix of slow and upbeat songs and features artists such as Young Jeezy and Jermaine Dupri, which provides a younger sound. The track “Migrate” with artist T-Pain is truly a club song that again demonstrates a lack of writing talent. She sings the lyrics “Time to roll/ Y’all know I gots to migrate / Speed dial connecting me to Rae-Rae/ Click in Shawntae and Mae-Mae,” which any third-grader could have successfully composed.
Despite the amateur lyrics and weak song content, the 38-year-old singer shows that she can still hang in there with the Beyonces and Christina Aguileras of today. Slower songs such as “I Stay In Love” and “Love Song” reveal stronger vocals and tunes filled with more meaning. The single “For The Record” has variety with a nice beat combined with good vocals. It is a song about someone brokenhearted who is trying to settle the facts regarding the breakup. The one song that captures Carey’s classic sound is “I Wish You Well,” which is reminiscent of former work “Vision of Love” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry.”
“E=MC2” is not a total disappointment, but leaves true-blue fans yearning for the old sound that caused Carey to become the best-selling female artist of all time.
What happened to the curly-haired Mariah who made us fall in love with her five-octave vocal range and had many of us screeching at the top of our lungs desperately trying to sing along?
The innocence and sincerity that was once found on songs such as “Dreamlover” and “Fantasy” is lost in tracks like “Thanx 4 Nothin” where she sounds similar to a rapper in Bone Thugs-n-Harmony with unintelligible words that require a lyric sheet to verify. Of course artists evolve, but Carey has morphed into this carbon-copy type of new artist who lacks originality and personality. Any singer with a stellar and unparalled voice like Carey’s should not have to sell-out or try to match what is popular.
This album indicates that the old Carey is gone – a figment of the 90s. It does not offer an intimate portrayal of her personal experiences as the previous album, “The Emancipation of Mimi,” did. Basically, she is talking to a beat on many of her tracks and is not showing true growth as an artist. Carey is losing credibility and leaves some listeners wondering if she is considering retiring after this album.
Other singers who are also pushing 40 years old are not compromising who they are or their vocals to compete with younger, talented singers.
Carey’s “E=MC2” has a catchy and hip sound, but leaves the listener wanting more out of the equation.
Heather Hope can be reached at [email protected].
