2005 was a wonderful time to be a Mariah Carey fan. After a few years in the pop culture doghouse, the legendary songbird finally put it all together. Once the target of jokes concerning Glitter and her expanding waistline, Carey put together a year that many artists can only dream about. Not only did she gain her reputation back as one of music's premiere vocalists, but her chart success was astounding. Carey delivered the song of the decade (We Belong Together) and the biggest selling album of the year (The Emancipation of Mimi, considered one of her best albums), all the while looking as polished, put together, and in control as she had in several years. Once the album finally ran out of steam, there was only a question of what she would do next.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be "try to copy everything that happened in 2005 and pray that lightning strikes twice", an approach that is as foolhardy as it is condescending. Instead of pushing herself even further than she did the previous go around, it seems as if Carey and her handlers simply took the tracklist of her last album and tried to remake it song-for-song. While a lot of the material here isn't that bad, it's just stale and a disappointing follow-up to such a powerful record.
Cruise Control sounds like Shake It Off sped up just a bit, there are worse songs it could ape, but still, it has that same type of laidback bounce. The only things that separate the two songs are Mariah's curious use of a (surprisingly not painful) Jamaican accent for a few lines and an all-too-short cameo from Damian Marley, interesting choices from Carey that could be explored and expanded upon in future albums. I'm sure there were wonderful intentions behind Bye Bye, but when you're responsible for the longest running number one in hot 100 history, you don't make a song remotely resembling it in the future. This just plays like an awkwardly written, lifeless (ha) sequel to One Sweet Day; Carey has done other "tribute" songs since Day but they've been more personal (i.e. Sunflowers for Alfred Roy). I think my main problem is how manipulative it is, using Carey's father to kind of set up the "this is for my people who lost somebody" refrain. I Wish You Well is probably the most eloquent "hater" song I've ever heard; instead of being combative and aggressive, Carey is calm, thoughtful, and understanding. It loses a lot of points for following Fly Like a Bird as being the quasi-religious end-of-the-album song, as well as the slightly patronizing quoting of bible verses, but this is as much a showcase for her voice as just about anything she's done in years. With just a piano, you hear that while her voice may not be flawless anymore, it's got more character behind it and makes for a more interesting instrument.
Mariah decided not to work with Jermaine Dupri on her most recent album and after his work on E=Mc2, I'm elated at that fact. While he and Carey have always had strong chemistry and the ability to make timeless hits, things have grown stale, judging by Love Story and Last Kiss. They're extremely interchangeable ballads that have next to no personality and melodies that just meander around. The first is the better of the two, its noticeable knock a little more interesting than whatever the heck Last Kiss is doing. It needed another few edits and a Red Bull injection because it's such a flat song, though, as said knock is truly squandered. The second sounds like a track from someone who listened to We Belong Together obsessively for months and decided to make a track of their own like that. It's as faceless as it is motionless, busily produced and extremely bland.
First heard in a commercial for one of Carey's perfumes, For the Record makes my list as one of her greatest songs ever. A lush, unorthodox ballad that finally shows some growth, it's lyrically sublime, containing some references to her past material, and wholly emotional. Some choppy strings and twinkling keys help to set the ambiance and Carey's pensive vocal drives everything home. I should hate Migrate. I really should. It's got touches of autotune, a T-Pain feature, and some really vapid lyrics. But my goodness, it is ear candy of the highest order. Oozing personality and confidence, it's the song that really should have been released as a single, its infectious hook and thudding bass perfect summertime fun. Carey may not blow you away vocally but she glides through the track pretty effortlessly. If you ask me what track on the record sounds most like a Mariah record, I'd say the disco-fied I'm That Chick, only due to how carefree it is and how lyrically "her" it is. Seemingly custom made for a hot night of rollerskating, this glittery uptempo manages to capture Carey's youthful exuberance without being cloying. It sashays and twirls with the best of ‘em, a bit of breezy energy that feels strangely authentic.
E=Mc2 isn't a total lost cause, as there are several moments that show impressive artistic growth for Carey. Sadly, they're surrounded by carbon copy attempts at past songs, lots of autotune/truly unnecessary guests that detract from the song they're on, and some of the most boring, melodically stagnant material of her career. Despite the criticism that Carey seems to accrue with each passing year, her creativity and generally strong songwriting are some of her biggest strengths, so if she's not utilizing it to the fullest extent, things go downhill quickly. She's just capable of so much more than she presents on the album, several minor examples not withstanding. As it appears, this is the worst album that Mariah Carey has ever presented, a sinkhole in between two mighty mountains (Mimi and Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel) in her mid-career renaissance. But hey, at least we got a clever title out of it, right?
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