Who? The demanding octave-quivering trill queen who only likes to have the left side of her face snapped. After a spell in the wilderness, Mazza is back with a fabulous new album that features more guest stars than a Michael Jackson trial!
How’s it sound? We love Mariah, we really do , and its great to see that after her ‘moments of madness’ (in other words, that ill-advised duet with Westlife) she’s back to doing what she does best- slinky R&B ballads and funky frug-fests that will have fans old and new putting like pampered pet pussy cats.
Verdict: Welcome back, Maz!
Skip to: It’s Like That
Source: Star Magazine | Text: Mariah Connection UK
This is the first album in three years from the superstar who seemed to have the world at her feet-then lost it.
Once she was the sweet young girl from Long Island with the amazing five-octave voice. The she turned into the diva of all divas whose demands include employees who had to provide kittens for her to stroke.
The Emancipation of Mimi- Mimi being her childhood nickname- is Mariah Carey doing things her way. She’s written most of the tracks, dropped the over-demonstrative vocal scales (well a bit), gone all urban and hip-hop and teamed up with the best-well she is at Def Jam Records now. It’s the Neptunes and Snoop Dogg on the slinky sounding Say Something, Jermaine Durpi provides vocals on Get Your Number and It’s Like That features Fatman Scoop. On the highlight of the album, Stay The night, she hooks up with Kanye West. Nelly joins in on To The Floor, and Twista on One and Only.
The change of tempo, image and style prove Mariah is still out there fighting, and has even looked towards current Queen Bee Beyonce as inspiration.
The Emancipation Of Mimi is a record Mariah has taken seriously and you should too.
Rating: 4/5
Source: The Sun | Text: Mariah Connection UK
Rating: The Emancipation of Mimi (4/5)
When you go to hear an artist’s new album and the chairman of the record label (in this case, LA Reid himself) has flown over to meet and greet you know it’s a Big Event. And so it was at the unveiling of The Emancipation of Mimi. For this, which the Def Jam big wig are hailing ‘The Return of The Voice’ is a potentially major turning point for Mimi (the nickname given to her as a kiddie). After all, the noughties have been a tumultuous time for Ms Carey. Her last effort, Charmbracelet,- sandwiched between a Greatest Hits and a Remix album- turned out to be more like a curse, the previous Glitter flick fell arse over tit, and the mess of relentless bad press since then varying on a theme of ‘doolally diva’ would be enough to make most musicians go yodel in a cave for the rest of their years. But after 18 months in the studio she’s back- and working with all the right people.
Take Say Something, produced by the Neptunes and featuring Snoop Dogg. The spankingly up-to-the–minute production and chilled out groove make for a must have on the iPod this Spring.
Equally tomorrow-titled is Get Your number: gifted wrapped fort he gays thanks to its crunky, Daft Punky, electro-funkyopulse as the five-octaved Long Islander taunts:
‘Tell me how many times in your life will you get an opportunity like tonight?’.
She’s back, children, and she’s working it. On duet To The Floor, you can practically hear her pushing her tush up against Nelly as they thrust their way through some dance-floor dynamite. But it is, as ever, the ballads that unleash the bravura vocal performances that made Maz the biggest selling female vocalist of the 90s, and influenced a generation of young American vocal acrobats from Christina Aguilera to Kelly Clarkson.
Future single We Belong Together, stripped down to simple piano and acoustic guitar accompaniment, and Mine Again, with its sumptuous jazz chords and vinyl crackle, both showcase The Voice in all its melismatic glory. Madame Butterfly is back of form. Deal with it.
Source: Attitude Magazine | Text: Mariah Connection UK
The incredibly successful diva has woven pop magic once again with these 14 new tracks. You’ll already have heard It’s Like that, and the rest is a R&B/Hip Hop cocktail as she works with Nelly, Snoop Dogg and Twista.
Rating: 5 Stars
Source: Closer Magazine | Text: Mariah Connection UK
Mariah Carey may be becoming an increasingly ridiculous figure in showbusiness terms, but at least The Emancipation of Mimi restores some professional dignity; a smart, classy record that displays Carey’s awesome vocal range.
With Snoop Dogg, Nelly and Twista on board, the underlying tone is casually cool hip hop, but Carey steals the show with passionate performances that teeter close to diva-esque without toppling into absurdity.
It’s partly due to the subtly jazzy production but it helps that several tracks on this exhausting record- the excellent Circles, the snappy Get Your Number- are good enough to partly explain that recent Capital FM Outstanding Contribution to Music Award.
Rating: 3/5
Source: The Metro | Text: Mariah Connection UK
Ahead of her comeback LP “The Emancipation of Mimi”, which has had its release put back to April by her new label Def Jam, comes the first in a number of R&B production and vocal collaborations which will feature on the album.
“It’s Like That” is co-produced by Mariah & Jermaine Dupri. The track fuses Mariah’s commerical radio-friendiness with catchy dancefloor-aimed beats along with a Dupri intro & fatman Scoop “shout” to produce a commerical winner.
Rating: 4/5 – Serious check out status
Source: Blues & Soul Magazine | Text: Mariah Connection UK
Rating: 2/10
It’s a long time now since the most interesting thing about Mariah was her music, so it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that even the presence of Snoop and Nelly can’t rescue this.
Aside from the genuinely fantastic Imagination-sampling Get your Number, this is saccharine post-Kanye (ad in one case, featuring Kanye) R&B by numbers, devoid of all its vital signs.
It might sell millions in the current climate, but it’s enough to make you long for her barking warble again.
Source: Channel 4 Teletext | Text: Mariah Connection UK
Rating: 4/5
Poor old Mazza has had a rough few years, but we’re glad to say that she’s back with a vengeance-and armed with a tune so good you might just burst into flames with excitement. It’s slinky R&B stuff, but the chorus is a brain-nagger!
Source: Star Magazine | Text: Mariah Connection UK
Rating: 3/5
Mariah’s back and it’s pretty much business as usual with this sweet R&B number. Here’s hoping her forthcoming album, The Emancipation of Mimi has something new to offer.
Source: New Magazine | Text: Mariah Connection UK
The renowned diva bounces back onto the scene with a little help from her pals.
It all kicks off with a distinctive urban vocal twist, and rounds off with the gruff tones of Fatman Scoop.
Fear not-Mariah doesn’t spend the whole record reclining on a sofa. She comes up with the clever harmonies and even stretches her lungs at one point.
But the instrumentation is sparse, with a few tinny beeps making the whole production sound distinctly retro. Not one to get too excited about.
Source: BBC Ceefax | Text: Mariah Connection UK
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
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