Mariah Carey gets nostalgic on "Me. I Am Mariah"
It's hard to blame Mariah Carey for being a bit nostalgic after all these years. In fact, her new album will make you thankful for it. "Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse" finds Carey revisiting days gone by, both in terms of musical styles and collaborators like Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Rodney Jerkins. The result is a refreshing rebound from 2009's so-so "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel".
"Me. I Am Mariah..." opens with "Cry", a gospel tune that puts Carey's voice front and center. It's the kind of song you would find on one of her early 1990s albums and proves she's still got the vocal chops to wow us. Likewise, "Faded", a luscious R&B song produced by Mike Will Made It, climaxes with Carey's unmatched vocal gymnastics. Carey's ability to straddle the line between R&B/hip-hop and pop has been her bread and butter over the past decade and a half.
When Carey falters, it's usually because she's stepped too far on one side of that line. For instance, "Dedicated" suffers from a misplaced hip-hop beat and a half-hearted verse from Nas ("Eric B. or Master P, some see it differently." - Really?). Meanwhile, songs like "Meteorite" and "Thirsty" come off as mediocre attempts at current radio trends. The latter sounds like something Beyonce would do if she were bored.
However, those kinds of missteps are mostly the exception on "Me. I Am Mariah..." Carey's hip-hop influences fare better on the upbeat "You Don't' Know What to Do" and the smooth-sounding "Money", each featuring standout guest verses from Wale and Fabolous, respectively.
Of course, Carey's at her best when she's doing radio friendly R&B. "Beautiful", her duet with Miguel, is pure bliss with electronic drums and guitars that give it a raw feel. And "You're Mine", with pitch perfect production by Rodney Jerkins, is arguably the best song Carey has released since "We Belong Together".
Even at just 15 tracks (the non-deluxe version), "Me. I Am Mariah..." seems a bit long as it crawls to a whimper towards the end. However, at its high points, the album finds a diva in her 40s who still knows how to choose the right collaborators. Or at least they still know how to choose her. Either way, we're all winning. (Cleveland.com)
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