Mariah Carey Connection

Rating: 3/5

Mariah Carey has been labeled many things during her 20 years in the spotlight: explosively talented newcomer, trophy wife, hip-hop honey, seasoned R&B diva, celebrity basket case, the queen of the comeback, and, most recently, a poster girl for cougars everywhere (famously wedding her baby-faced boy toy, whom she affectionately refers to as DJ Sexy Fingers). But one thing Mimi has never, ever been called is a comedian. With Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, she makes a run at that title.

From start to finish, the soprano unleashes her inner standup comic on her 12th studio album, dropping wacky punch lines that are nothing short of hilarious. Against a backdrop of slickly produced, hip-hop-infused beats from The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, Mrs. Nick Cannon breathlessly disses her former flings in a series of entertaining—if utterly bizarre—digs.

On the radio-friendly lead single “Obsessed”, which is believed to be a shot at Eminem, Carey mocks: “I can see right through you like you are bathing in Windex”. Say what?? Elsewhere, in “Up Out My Face”, the vocal virtuoso scoffs at an ex- (perhaps Luis Migel?): “Not even a nail technician with a whole lot of gel and acrylic can fix this/When I break, I break”. Even funnier, on “It’s a Wrap”, she warns, “It’s all over/Don’t make me go call Maury Povich”.

As off-the-wall as these kiss-offs can be, there’s also something endearing about this side of Mariah. The zany taunts and teases are not meant to be taken seriously. There’s a lighthearted ease, an uninhibited, free vibe to the entire release that’s suggestive of a woman who’s shrugged off the confines of her life and is busy enjoying the ensuing adventure—a woman who has, dare we say, got her groove back.

Download This: “Obsessed”

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is in stores now.  Purchase Mariah’s new album TODAY from: iTunes Canada | Amazon Canada (CD)

Source: Georgia Straight | Vancouver Free Press