Just over a year since releasing platinum selling E=MC2 super diva, Mariah Carey, returns with her 12th studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Memoirs boast productions from The Dream and Tricky Stewart, as well as some production from Los Da Mystro and Big Jim Wright. Described as being a record reminiscent of a diary, the album is almost like a collection of stories from a whole slew of people. Each song giving a different point of view on one of the most universal topics around… Love. The good and the bad. The album opens with the prologue, ‘Betcha Gon’ Know’. A dark song that tells the story of someone catching their lover in infidelity and secretly planning to do to them what they’ve done to their heart. Singing, “But you gonna know this feels, Even if it’s the last thing I ever do.” The song is the perfect opener and very much reflects a lot of people’s situations. Men and Women alike. And it helps that Mariah name checks to even more personalize the song. Songs like ‘H.A.T.E.U.’ meaning “Have(ing) A Typical Emotional Upset” and ‘Angel’s Cry’ highlights Mariah’s ability to still write meaningful songs that tell a story and vocally evoke an emotional chord with the listener. On Memoirs, Mrs. Carey-Cannon takes on a slew of personalities especially in songs like ‘Standing O’ and ‘Up Out My Face’ where she becomes a lover with a very bitter take on a cheating spouse. On one of the records she sings about her spouse who just pretended to care for her and giving him a standing ovation for his performance. “Cheers! Toast! Bravo to you!” And on the song ‘Up Out My Face’ she sings lines like “Where ever you been layin’ you can stay now” and “Oh no, you not gettin’ it, Oh no, you not hittin’ it, No you aint a rapper so you need to stop spittin’ it.” On the songs ‘Candy Bling’ which samples Ahmad’s “Back In The Day” and ‘Inseparable’ which samples Lauper’s “Time After Time”, Mariah shines the most. The songs originality, (although, yes, using samples) are very refreshing. The melodies and catchy bass and “click” heavy bridges make for solid records. Mariah Carey also sheds new light on her new found love with actor/rapper, Nick Cannon on ‘The Impossible’. In the song she sings, “You did the impossible, You rescued my love…. I’d almost given up”.
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is as solid of an R&B record as any one can get. Filled with a great deal of slow jam and a splash of urban tracks, this album makes for a good listen from start to finish. With 70’s throwback records like ‘It’s A Wrap’ and the gospel tinged Foreigner cover ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’. To a closed mind, many may find the album productionally repetitive. But to someone who truly grasps what the album’s concept, the album flows very well from song to song, making it very cohesive. This album was not meant just to provide quality music but to also (like music should) tell a story. Or in this case… stories! Mariah takes us back to her ‘Butterfly’, ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Daydream’ days with interludes and reprises and completely leaves behind the notion of trying to recreate ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’. Call it a more modern Butterfly. Definitely a classic! Be sure to pick up your copy September 29th, 2009!
Standouts: Betcha Gon’ Know, H.A.T.E.U., Candy Bling, Inseparable, It’s A Wrap, The Impossible, Angel’s Cry.
