"Fantasy" provides the only real transcendent chapter on this album. Reinterpreting Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" with a percolating dance beat, the single emphasizes everything that makes Mariah Carey great. Her voice swoops, squeals, and careens over the seductive rhythm, while the words capture just the right amount of vulnerability and determination. Unfortunately, the thrill is short-lived, as the multiplatinum singer soon falls back into typical adult-contemporary schlock and pointless vocal gymnastics, particularly on "Melt Away" and the bombastic cover of Journey's "Open Arms." --Aidin Vaziri
Performer and songwriter Mariah Carey has set April 15th as the in-store date for the most eagerly anticipated album of the year, E=MC². The 11th studio album of her career, E=MC² is the follow-up to The Emancipation Of Mimi, Mariah's worldwide 10 million selling #1 album, which generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), 2 #1 singles and countless more industry honors during its 18-month stay on the charts. The first single from E=MC² is "Touch My Body," written and produced by Mariah Carey, C. "Tricky" Stewart, and The-Dream, and blasting out worldwide on February 12th. The video for "Touch My Body" was directed by feature filmmaker Brett Ratner - Internet, cable and network premieres for the video will be announced in the weeks ahead. In addition to C. "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, other guest producers joining Mariah on E=MC² will include Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp, Stargate, Will I Am, Bryan Michael Cox, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills and James Poyser.. E=MC² is executive produced by Mariah Carey and Antonio "LA" Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group.
The Emancipation Of Mimi, released April 12, 2005, was an industry phenomenon for the mega-platinum award-winning superstar - Soundscan's biggest-selling album of the year, bringing total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to more than 160 million worldwide, making her the most successful female recording artist in history. Mimi featured "We Belong Together" (winner of the Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song Grammys) and "Don't Forget About Us," Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 career singles respectively. They tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 48 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits.
This limited edition deluxe version of E=MC2 contains the same CD as the regular version and also comes with special packaging, a foldout poster and a custom iPod skin.
Performer and songwriter Mariah Carey has set April 15th as the in-store date for the most eagerly anticipated album of the year, E=MC². The 11th studio album of her career, E=MC² is the follow-up to The Emancipation Of Mimi, Mariah's worldwide 10 million selling #1 album, which generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), 2 #1 singles and countless more industry honors during its 18-month stay on the charts. The first single from E=MC² is "Touch My Body," written and produced by Mariah Carey, C. "Tricky" Stewart, and The-Dream, and blasting out worldwide on February 12th. The video for "Touch My Body" was directed by feature filmmaker Brett Ratner - Internet, cable and network premieres for the video will be announced in the weeks ahead. In addition to C. "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, other guest producers joining Mariah on E=MC² will include Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp, Stargate, Will I Am, Bryan Michael Cox, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills and James Poyser.. E=MC² is executive produced by Mariah Carey and Antonio "LA" Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group.
The Emancipation Of Mimi, released April 12, 2005, was an industry phenomenon for the mega-platinum award-winning superstar - Soundscan's biggest-selling album of the year, bringing total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to more than 160 million worldwide, making her the most successful female recording artist in history. Mimi featured "We Belong Together" (winner of the Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song Grammys) and "Don't Forget About Us," Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 career singles respectively. They tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 48 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits.
Mariah Carey "The Emancipation of Mimi - Platinum Edition"
$6.50
Early buzz on The Emancipation of Mimi predicted that this would be the disc to mark "the return of the voice"--the voice being that glass-shattering instrument that propelled Carey to bestselling female artist of all time status--and mostly it is. But because of the small army of talent involved in its assembly, the album is way more than just a comeback vehicle. For proof, try the straight-ahead, look-out-Beyoncé-Mimi's-still-got-it "Mine Again"; the '70s-soul cuddle-up "Circles," a don't-attempt-on-American Idol love song; or the gospel dazzlers "Fly Like a Bird" and "Stay the Night." But for songs that steer this disc directly into 2005, no looking back, scan the jewel case for tracks followed by the word "featuring": "To the Floor," with Nelly, bumps along to maximum booty-shaking effect, while Twista spins his natural-disaster-force vocals into "One and Only." Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, and Jermaine Dupri also pitch in; between them and the highwire vocals, Emancipation works the kind of pure-pop magic that sets us all free. --Tammy La GorceThis platinum edition features four tracks not found on the original release: "Don't Forget About Us"; "What It Look Like"; "So Lonely (One & Only Part II)"; and a remix of "We Belong Together" featuring Jadakiss and Styles P.
Carey's first post-divorce effort makes passing allusions to her ex-hubby (and label honcho) Tommy Mottola, but it doesn't dwell on them the way many similar projects do. Instead, Carey is right back to her old tricks; cooing trademark melismatic spirals through sexy, beat-heavy hits. Fans will dig the bedroom slink of "Baby Doll," the dripping "Honey" and the infectious title track (reprised, along with a bit of Elton John's "Skyline Pigeon," in "Fly Away"). The highlight is a duet with Dru Hill on Prince's "The Beautiful Ones," which just might be her most pointed commentary on Mottola. --Michael Ruby
Mariah Carey's #1's is as much a time capsule of '90s pop and R&B as a record of one woman's chart toppers: the disc chronicles a shift from the sweet, nearly '50s-style "Vision of Love" to more recent hip-hop-lite grooves featuring heavy input from Puffy Combs ("Honey"), Jermaine Dupri ("Sweetheart"), and O.D.B. ("Fantasy"). Some hit, some miss, but all feature the fluttery swoops that Carey substitutes for expression of feeling. Depth is beside the point, but few of these tracks are even fun. Still, after eight years, there seems to be no stopping her, and this album will hardly break her streak of successes. --Rickey Wright
