Customer Reviews

Emancipation of Mimi

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

A solid collection of soulful ballads, heady r&b and addictive pop, Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" is by far the most viable release of her career. Her first to hit the summit of the Billboard albums chart since 1997's powerful "Butterfly," each of its fourteen tracks is an undisputed home run, marking new territory for the songbird while keeping true to what she has made her name with.

With the autobiographical "It's Like That" finally losing airplay power, the confessional "We Belong Together" has already usurped its place. However, the potential hits are limitless. Fine examples are "Stay the Night," which will have fans swooning at her pristine vocals, and the Neptunes-produced "Say Somethin'," which floats serenely, save for smart machine gun-style drumming that buoys the melody.

The singer/songwriter also articulates extreme insecurity with the likes of "I Wish You Knew" and "Circles," the latter of which would frighten American Idol contenders:

"Saturday I saw you/Holding hands with someone new/Somehow I kept my composure/Just like everything was cool/But inside I kept repeating/Don't you let them see you cry/So I casually turned my head/As the tears rolled down my eyes."

The bittersweet "Mine Again" finds Carey yearning to rekindle an old flame:

"I just can't accept the possibility/We weren't made for each other's arms/I know you're my destiny."

The ultimate highlight of the album, however, comes with the closing "Fly Like a Bird," an outstanding testament to the artist's faith in God which can be heard on gospel radio:

"Fly like a bird/Take to the sky/I need you now Lord/Carry me high/Don't let the world break me tonight/I need the strength of You by my side/Sometimes this life can be so cold/I pray You'll come and carry me home."

Further highlights include "To the Floor," a sizzling collaboration with Nelly, a humorous jibe at an ex with "Shake It Off," and the fun-loving "Your Girl," where the songstress confirms herself the only who could sing about putting "those naughty thoughts into your mind" and come off sounding absolutely adorable.

With "The Emancipation of Mimi," Carey has the hottest album of her storied career on her hands. For the greatest comeback story of our time, look no further.

The limited edition version includes better artwork, a digipak case and a fold-out poster with lyrics on the opposite side.

***Great Item to Own for Mariah Fans***
Mariah's new CD is out with a bang. There is something for everyone on this CD. Mariah's sounds great and hits all the notes with perfection. One of the only singers these days who sounds as good live as she does on the CD. PLUS she writes most of her songs.

1. It's Like That - The first single of the CD, that's hot and fresh with a great video. "It's a special occasion, Mimi's emancipation...." lyrics prove why this is the first single. The REMIX of this is HOT with Fat Joe, done with a "Lean Back" edge to it.

2. We Belong Together - Second single and one of the most beautiful ballads Mariah has ever made.

3. Shake It Off - A very hip cut, similar to Breakdown with Mariah singing in a uptempo beat. Very catchy hook "...shake shake shake it off" will make you want to Shake it.

4. Mine Again - Another ballad, very soulful. Great vocals, in a style of My All.

5. Say Somethin' featuring Snoop Dogg - Great song, fantastic beats. Snoop is ever-so cool sounding. Should be a single.

6. Stay The Night - A cool, jazzy type of song. Great music, and beutiful words.

7. Get Your Number featuring Jermaine Dupri - One of the hottest songs on the CD. Uptempo, great to dance to. Nelly delivers some great lines from the hook.

8. One And Only featuring Twista - Hot, Hot, Hot. Mariah and Twista make a great duet in this one. Tounge Twistin Mariah.

9. Circles - Very classic Mariah. Beautiful song where Mariah shows off her range. Nice steppin' tempo.

10. Your Girl - Somewhat similar to Boy from Charmbracelet, but also classis Mariah.

11. I Wish You Knew - An uptempo ballad. Mariah sings in a soft but powerful way. Great beat. Classic Mariah.

12. To The Floor featuring Nelly - Produced by the Neptunes. Cool hip beat. Definitely will bring the crowd down at the clubs.

13. Joy Ride - A soft ballad very reminiscent of her Butterfly days.

14. Fly Like A Bird - Similar to Subtle Invitation. Beautiful song. The percussion and the chorus, give it a gospel edge. Mariah hits those wonderful high notes.


***Check out Mariah's beautiful vocals on VH1 at the Save the Music Concert.***

Mariah Carey/MC/Mimi shines on this outstanding album which deserves a Grammy. I have been listening non-stop to The Emancipation of Mimi since I received it and I am not tired of it! Her voice is amazing, the lyrics are catchy and the rhythms enticing. I must say I'm not a fan of many rap collabos but I am enjoying all the collabos on this album. Even the bleeps where the green verbs are on "One and only" have not thrown me off because the song is so emotionally expressive that I just enjoy it completely! MC is at her expressive best on this album, which is also a little bit tongue-in-cheek and funny! And her vocals are just...Wow! I love this album so much it will be another one of MC's album that I buy in duplicate, the first one since Daydream. All but one of the songs are about love, falling in love, being cheated on, being afraid to confess love etc but who cares whether you can relate?! I wish these songs spoke about my life but I'm glad at least some of them don't! I still love to sing them out loud though! Fly Like a Bird is the beautiful exception to all the love songs but you will start loving gospel if you didn't before with MC leading the way to higher heights! Get this album today, it is a keeper!

I purchased this CD the day it was released. The reason it is a limited edition is because it comes with a two-sided poster; one side is the statuesque and beautiful mariah, and the other side has all the lyrics and linear notes. I thought maybe it would have extra songs, since it did say it was a limited edition, but the poster will no doubt be a collector's item one day, and I plan to frame mine soon. I recommend buying both the limited edition and the regular release. That way you can frame the poster or do what you will with it.
Just thought people might want to know why this is a limited edition. I always appreciate it when my fellow amazon.com shoppers leave interesting facts in their reviews.
If you're looking for extra tracks, a new release of Mimi is coming out soon as an import from Japan--it will have two extra tracks titled "Secret Love" and "Sprung." Also, "We Belong Together" will be out this month--make sure you get the right one, though. The one with all the remixes is not the first one that comes up on amazon.com.
Peace out, lambs.

I give this a half star more then The Emancipation Of Mimi because it has a beautiful poster of Mimi herself in it!

Like I said on The Emancipation Of Mimi review, every track is great! This is the kind of album you can put on and just listen to from start to finish. I even found myself stopping myself from skipping tracks because I love the song that is playing just has much. It will bring you in and take you to another place and time. You'll get lost in the beautiful music.
So go get The Emancipation Of Mimi!

Mariah Carey has been around since the dawn of the 90's. She entered the decade with a bang, selling over 9 million copies of her debut album in the U.S. alone,spawning 4 number 1 singles, and nabbing two Grammy's at the same time. Since then she's topped the charts multiple times, racking up more accumulative weeks at number one on billboard charts and breaking more records than I have fingers. Yet when 2001 rolled around and she had a few hits that weren't number one, but sold as well as the average artist, and a movie that didn't do as well as the public had expected, she's labeled as a fallen diva? When artists like Madonna have had numerous flops, music and movie wise, and no one labels her as a fallen star. The fact is, Mariah is the number one selling female artist in history and her album "The Emancipation of Mimi" reminds everyone why. Each and every song on this album is timeless and quite a few can be considered classic. Ballads with an old school, 70's feel, such as "Mine Again," "Circles," and " I Wish You Knew," showcase the singer/songwriters powerhouse vocals as well as her soft, sensual falsetto in a controlled yet natural manner that is sure to make you feel like you're going through exactly what she's going through in each piece of music. Other songs that will get your fingers snapping,hips swaying, and send those tingly feelings up your spine; you know the ones Mariah can only make you feel, are tracks like "Say Somethin'," "Get Your Number," "Your Girl," and "Stay the Night" which has Mariah singing in full voice, and in a very high register. Every song on the album is single material and despite the fact that there will be people who criticize this album, saying things like "I'm sick of her hitting those high notes," and "I'm tired of her baby whispers," the fact of the matter is, no other singer can sing with the style that Mariah has crafted to perfection. Wannabe replacements such as Beyonce' and Christina Aguilera may be talented and have attempted to copy the diva's style, but they are both nowhere near the vocal or songwriter level that Mariah is at. The truth is, no one gives Ms. Carey the credit she deserves. She came onto the scene writing all of her own material and still does, unless she does a cover song. She produces, and she sings far superior than any other singer, and with a range that makes the diva's before her, such as Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan, jealous. This album should once and for all silence everyone who has something negative to say about this talented woman who has shaped the history of popular music forever and set a standard that no singer, new or old, will ever be able to surpass. She was never gone from the spotlight, she just decided to share it for a short while. So please, call this album genius, call it a masterpiece, call it whatever you will, but do NOT call it a comeback. She's been here all along.

I REALLY love this CD!!! Since I bought the limited edition, I have the poster hanging up in my room. Anyway, this CD is a mix of everything. My favorite songs on the CD are "It's Like That", "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off", and "Get Your Number". I REALLY recommed this CD. Before I heard that this album was coming out, I didn't even know who Mariah Carey was, basically. Now I'm her #1 fan! This album is so pip! (Pip is a Mariah fan thing LOL!)

It's no surprise that this album is terrific because all of Mariah's albums are (maybe with the exception of "Glitter"). "The Emancipation of Mimi" is more R&B/Hip-Hop than most of her albums, like "Charmbracelet" was. A lot of the songs almost have a 70's R&B type of vibe. Her voice sounds fabulous on this CD. She's not as breathy as she was on "Charmbracelet". My favorite songs on the album are "It's Like That", "We Belong Together" and "Stay The Night". This CD is excellent. There's not one song that's a dud. I highly recommend it.

This is a review from USA today, which I totally agrre with:

With her imitators all over radio and American Idol, it's sometimes hard to recall what pop-soul music sounded like before Carey came along. The diva herself remembers, though, as evidenced by the wistful, old-school vibe on Mine Again, Circles and other endearing new tunes. Breezy, playful tracks such as Say Somethin' (featuring Snoop Dogg) and Get Your Number (with Jermaine Dupri) prove the singer hasn't forsaken her passion for hip-hop. But it's the ballads and midtempo numbers that truly reflect the renewed confidence of a songbird who has taken her shots and kept on flying.

The limited edition also contains an awesome fold-out poster. Worth buying.

First of all, I think that it is my duty as one of Mariah biggest fans to reassure you all that "The Voice", has always been here. Sure the last few projects that she release, (Glitter Soundtrack) and Charmbracelet, didn't do as well as I think they deserved, but listening to each album you will hear that her vocal ability never diminished. Anyhow, I must say that I was extremely excited about the release of The Emancipation of Mimi, and couldn't wait until the 12th of April so that I could run, get the cd and blast it. OH, MY, GOD!!!!!!!!!!!! Her vocals are strong, her production is sparce, and the control that she has over her voice is better than it's ever been!! It's obvious that she's doing exactly what she feels inside and her cool, fun nature is evident. She sounds more confident than she has ever sounded. I think that this album will allow Mariah to recapture her old fanbase as well as garner attention from those that have dismissed her ability and paid little attention to her in recent years. She's grown confident with herself, and she should. She's bigger than ever, and she ain't goin' anywhere so get used to the sound of her amazing voice.