Mariah Carey
Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel

THE REVIEW

Mariah Carey, after dominating the charts throughout the '90s without a misstep, started to falter with the beginning of the decade that's about to end. Indeed, it was in 2001 that Carey released 'Glitter', the first flop of her career. The following album 'Charmbracelet' in 2002 was also a flop, and at the same time, the singer's life wasn't exactly rosy due to depression. After a couple of years of crisis, Mariah returned in 2005 with 'The Emancipation Of Mimi', the album that brought her back to prominence with massive sales worldwide and the monopoly of American radio with practically every single released from this album. After the regained success, Mariah returned in 2008 with 'E=MC2', a decidedly commercial album that seemed destined to become a bestseller. But after a fantastic start, it began to plummet in the charts and despite various singles being released, the promotion was stopped by the end of the year.

Despite the unexpected half-flop, Mariah did not get discouraged, and instead immediately started recording a new album with longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, and the established duo The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. In the end, only the latter two appeared in her latest work, 'Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel'. Already from the title, it's clear something has changed, it's no longer about emancipation, but rather it refers to not quite glorious, imperfect memories. It's certainly not easy for someone like Carey, the diva par excellence, to open up by declaring her imperfection while trying to produce hit singles. The album starts surprisingly; you'd expect the strongest track for the opening, but instead, it kicks off with "Betcha Gon’ Know (The Prologue)," a slow and classy piece where Mariah appears determined and introduces us to her life with a "welcome to a day of my life." When still enchanted by the originality of the first track, the overwhelming "Obsessed", the first single from the album, begins. It had a lukewarm debut but turned out to be a good success in America. We find an upset Mariah targeting a man who is stalking her, aided by the arrogant beat of the production. We're only on the third track and we find the gem of the album, "H.A.T.E.U.", a Mariah so refined has never been seen. The song speaks of when, after a love affair ends, one can't wait to stop loving the ex-lover. The production by the fantastic duo The-Dream and Tricky Stewart perfectly suits Carey's sweet and expressive voice, which seems decidedly back in the light after a few uncertainties in the previous album.

Next is "Candy Bling", a delightful and intoxicating love song, leading into the incisive 'Ribbon', which plays on the contrast between Mariah's delicate vocals and the strong yet soothing beat. After five tracks, it's already apparent that in this album, Mariah plays a lot with emotions, hers and those of the listeners. Another ballad is "Inseparable", continuing the intimate atmosphere, giving the impression that Carey is singing just for us in a dimly lit club on an autumn evening. After the ballads, the tempo picks up with an irreverent uptempo 'Standing O', which like "Obsessed", shows us an angry Mariah, determined to express her opinion. Now it's the turn of "It's A Wrap", another example of how this singer manages to be elegant, also thanks to the help of a sober yet surprising production. We are approaching one of the most irreverent moments on the album with 'Up Out My Face', about how to finally end a relationship when the other party doesn't want to let go. With a fun and never cliched lyric supported by music that perfectly follows Carey, this becomes one of the most enjoyable tracks of the entire album. Equally surprising is the reprise of the track with a band. Mariah must have really had fun during the recording of this song. Two more ballads follow; the first is the most moving "More Than Just Friends", the second more ironic in pure Carey style "The Impossible", which continues to carry forward the album's intimate and delicate atmosphere.

For the finale, Mariah leaves the ballads that distinguish her, after the sophisticated and emotional "Angels Cry", preceded by a sweet prelude, we find an "interlude" that is much more valuable than its name suggests. Indeed, the moving "Languishing" could stand as a real song, introducing the piece that will close our journey into Mariah's memories. This piece is the cover of the Foreigner classic "I Want To Know What Love Is", which thanks to Mariah's maximal expressiveness and more than adequate production, breathes new life into this classic, just a pity about the terrible video that accompanies this single. After an hour of productions that manage to be intimate and refined, yet at the same time incisive, one can only be satisfied. Certainly, we are not facing a commercial and immediate album like other works by Carey, but Mariah offers us a lot with this work, a new side of her personality that is a pleasure to discover.