After a long (very long) delay, Mariah Carey is finally ready for the world to listen to her 14th studio album.
Genuine, sonically-mesmerizing and maturely balanced, Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse hits all of the right notes and, of course, since it is Mariah, a few extra ones here and there.
Mariah opens with the vulnerable ballad “Cry”. “Til we both break down /Til we both break down and cry”. She sings. Later down the track listing, Hip-Hop-throwback “Dedicated “ featuring rap legend Nas comes on and does not disappoint. It’s an easy head-nodding listen and is easily one of her best Hip-Hop collaboration in some time now.
The genre-blinding “#Beautiful” featuring Miguel is not only different for Mariah, but for music in general. It could fit as R&B, Pop and maybe even Country. Truthfully, it doesn’t even need to be labeled. It’s just really good.
The album has its fair share of ballads like “Cry”, “Camouflage” and “Faded”, but she sings them so genuinely that it makes up for the slow pace and keeps it from being just a boring listen or album filler. The album also has it’s fair share of dance floor anthems like “Meteorite” and “You Don't Know What To Do” featuring Wale.
Mariah’s three year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan Scott Cannon, makes their debut on the song “Supernatural”. Their appearance might be a little overdone and overshadow the song itself. However, Monroe shows her vocals off towards the end and shows her potential to walk in her mother's foot steps one day.
The most dominant instrument on the album is the “Touch My Body” songstress’ vocal pipes. She doesn’t rely on over-produced beats. The beats are simple and let’s Mariah steal the show with her voice, which is one of the best in popular music history.
The title might sound a little silly at first, but after listening to the album it’s spot on.