Customer Reviews

The Emancipation of Mimi - Ultra Platinum Edition [CD/DVD Combo]

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(148)

 

 

What the Reviewers said:

This CD, when originally released, received 4 star ratings from Blender and Vibe magazine. (Other reviewers gave generally favorable reviews). The re-release contains all of the orginal 14 tracks plus 4 new songs, including Don't Forget About Us.

What I say:

From people I have talked to, everyone has 5 or 6 favorite songs and they are rarely the same. This just proves that there is a song for everyone on this CD. Whether you like Adult contemporary, R&B, or pop, you are guaranteed to find songs you love. In the End, you are bound to enjoy 3/4 of the record (if not the whole CD).

How has the general public responded?

-3.7 million copies sold in the US (6 million worldwide)
-Won awards at the World Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, 4 awards at the Vibe Awards, and a couple at the Lady Soul Train Awards

I'm sure everyone has heard of "The Emancipation of Mimi", and by now you either like it or you don't. So, I won't need to mention that the album is a masterpiece, I'll simply express what a great value this new edition is!

Not only do you get four brand new songs, including the new hit "Don't Forget About Us", you also get all the videos from "The Emancipation of Mimi" era (with a link to the new "Don't Forget About Us" video). If you're still not convinced, they even throw in a great bonus video, where you can see Mariah behind the scenes being herself.

Mariah is back again with the rerelease of The Emancipation of Mimi, the best selling album of 2005. The re-release includes her latest hit, Don't Forget About Us, which is already an AIRPLAY hit already, unlike some unoriginal, repetitive songs that get huge downloads because of the obsessed fan base. Anyway, the album also includes So Lonely, which i think could be a hit if released someday. You all know WBT REmix by now as it was played a lot during this year.
So dont miss the album of 2005, which already sold 4 million copies in US, some artists COULD ONLY DREAM OF these days. Yeah, time goes by so slowly.

"The Emancipation Of Mimi" is arguably the most talked about album of 2005. It features the decade's #1 smash hit, "We Belong Together" which ruled the Hot 100 for a staggering 14 weeks and broke all sorts of records. Another huge hit, "Shake It Off" was the #1 played song in America for a few weeks and one of this year's most popular songs. "It's Like That", the catchy first single off the album is also here of-course. But it's really the new tracks that are supposed to be reviewed here. Well, let me tell you, I would have paid a lot more even just for these 4 songs. They are absolutely brilliant. The best one being "So Lonely"; Mariah decided to name it "One & Only" part 2 but I think it's so much better than that song. The beat is hot and Mariah's bridge just makes the song all the more worthy. "Make It Last" is another winner - Mariah sings in a powerful, full voice and creates a track which is easily one of the best on the whole album. "Don't Forget About Us" is the current single in the US, making big leaps towards the top 10 as I write this review. I don't find it derivative of "We Belong Together" at all. It's a great track. The last song on the album is the remix to "We Belong Together". While I'm not a big fan of remixes, this one just takes the original to the next level. It's a celebration of Mariah's voice and great music. It also received some nice airplay during the song's reign on the charts. There is also a DVD featuring the 4 videos released from MIMI (excluding "Don't Forget"). They are hot as you probably know by now. The #1 selling album of 2005 is a must have in your collection.

Yes , I am one of the people who heard all the tracks but who didn't buy this when it first came out because it is a new trend to re-release a CD months after the first. Usher, 50 Cent anyone?? Duh. So I got this version today. Love it like the original. But the Don't forget about us track triggered the purchase. WOW! A little advice for people out there who bought the first one earlier this year, if you are an absolutely hardcore fan of a certain artist, buy the CD when it's released. To everone else always wait for the longer version (at the same price might i add) because labels always try to milk out the rest of the audiences who didn't purchased the CD the first time. See now?? Good.

Re-Release = Not So Good Stuff;
Mariah = Good Stuff;
Emacipation of Mimi = Phenominal Stuff;

P.S. If you haven't noticed they do this in response to music piracy. So what lesson have we learned. Burn the first version. If you like it. Buy the second that way everyone's happy

Mariah Carey regained her crown with this album. She truly does deserve the 8 Grammy Nominations. People need to stop comparing people. I read a review for Mary J. Blige's "The Breakthrough", which is also an amazing album. The reviewer said "use The Emancipation Of Mimi as a coaster and get The Breakthrough". Is it not possible to have more than one amazing album released in one year. Both of these two women are amazing and both of them released amazing albums. Also, I read something about Mariah Carey fans trying to make Madonna's album flop, which is ridiculous. People always have to compare people. But anyways, back to this album. With this album, you can tell Mariah is in a new place and she's finally free. The title fits very well for the album, because it just sounds like she just let go of everything. The music doesn't like it's being controlled, there's just this strong feel of freedom.

The album jumps off with the first single, "It's Like That". This free-spirited party-starter is produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey. I love the song, but the first verse is definately very shocking to all the long-term Mariah fans, as she makes drug and alcohol references ("I came to have a party, open up the Bacardi....Purple taking me higher, I'm lifted and I" like it). But regardless, the song is still amazing. The second track on the album is the second single, "We Belong Together", which is also produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey. The song is her first number one hit in over five years, and it's an absolutely amazing song. Mariah Carey describes the song as "Anytime You Need A Friend" meets "Breakdown", and Jermaine Dupri describes it as the biggest song of his career. Although I may have heard this song over a million times, since April of 2005, surpringsly, I have never gotten sick of yet. The next track on the album is the third single "Shake It Off", also produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey. Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey definately make the perfect team. Dupri has been each single released from this album so far. This is one of my favorites on the album, the lyrics are awesome. It's just about move on and putting someone behind you and just "shaking them off". Great lyrics! The fourth song on the album is a beautiful ballad called "Mine Again", produced by James Poyser and Mariah Carey. It's an absolutely amazing song that shows you MARIAH STILL HAS THAT AMAZING VOICE. ALthough this song has not been released as a single, I have heard on the radio in Chicago a few times. The next song on the album is a Neptunes-produced track featuring Snoop Dogg, called "Say Somethin'." Mariah Carey and Snoop Dogg colloborated back in 1999 on the song "Crybaby." This song definately isn't as great as "Crybaby" but it's still a pretty good song. The next song is a track produced by Kanye West and Mariah which is another one of my favorites. I have so many favorites on this album that it's ridiculous, I can't even pic a number one favorite. But this is definately one of my favorites. A great colloboration between Mariah and Kanye. Mariah's voice is amazing on this album and again, it's one of those song that just gives you that FREE feeling. Guess what's next, another favorite. "Get Your Number" is another colloboration with Jermaine Dupri, which was a top ten hit in the U.K. For some odd reason, people keep refering to this as one of the worst tracks on the album, but I think it's one of the best on the album. It has a very early '90's feel to it. It's kind of like, what Mariah Carey would do in the early 1990's if she teamed up with Jermaine Dupri earlier. The next track is a song called "One & Only" which features Twista. I think the song might be better without Twista singing along with the melody several times in the middle of his rap, and just had a short rap, instead of the long verse he has. The next song is a ballad called "Circles" in which she produces with James "Big Jim" Wright. It's just a great song with great lyrics. The next song is a more upbeat song called "Your Girl". I can't think of anything to say about it, but it's just a really good song. The next song is a slower track called "I Wish You Knew", the song has a fake live audience at the beginning of it. The song has an old school R&B ballad feel to it. It's a really nice song. Things change up a bit with the next track. Another track produced by The Neptunes called "To The Floor", featuring Nelly. The song is definately a club joint, but definately has an 80's feel to it. This is another one of my favorites. We already knew Nelly and The Neptunes made a good team due to the success of "Hot In Herre". But I also think Mariah and Nelly sound good together. The next song, "Joy Ride", I think might be my least favorite on the album. I just don't think there's anything all that special about it. The final track on the original pressing of the album is "Fly Like A Bird", which is a wonderful song. I love this song because it's like she's going back to the basics. Towards the end of the song a choir comes in singing the chorus. It reminds you of something she would have done in the early or mid 90's.

The new re-released edition of the album features four new bonus tracks, "Don't Forget About Us", "Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do)", "So Lonely (One & Only Part II)" and "We Belong Together Remix". All four tracks are amazing, making the album ten times better. "Don't Forget About Us" is Mariah's latest single, produced by Jermaine Dupri and herself, like her other singles released the album. I love this song, it's reminiscent of "Always Be My Baby", which was also produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah, and was the first collobroation between the two. "Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do)" is another Jermaine Dupri/Mariah colloboration and is absolutely amazing. It's basically just a very sexy upbeat Hip-Hop flavored track. "So Lonely (One & Only Part II)" is 90 billion times better than the original version. I don't even like the original version all that much (compared to the other tracks on the album), but I think this song might have to be my favorite track on the album. The album closes with the "We Belong Together" remix featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. This remix has been getting airplay ever since the summer of 2005, so it's good to finally get it on an album. I don't think I love it as much as the original version but I still love it, and I'm so glad they put it on here. If you don't have this re-released version, stop complaining and GO GET IT! You can sell the original pressing to a used CD store! The four new tracks alone are definately worth the money.

"The Emancipation Of Mimi" is Mariah Carey's best album since... I don't know, since all of her album's are amazing. But this album is definately way better than "Charmbracelet". Mariah Carey definately deserves these 8 Grammy Nominations. She HAS regained her crown!

"The Emancipation of Mimi" is by far the best album released this year (to me, anyway). It marks a tremendous comeback for Miss. Carey (she went from being the laughingstock of the music industry to having the song that spent the most weeks at #1 in this decade, so far at least). Every song bubbles with excellent production and terrific vocals. Highlights include the monster hit single, "We Belong Together" (which y'all have heard a million times on the radio so I don't think I need to describe it), the smooth sexy Kanye-produced "Stay The Night", which features her greatest vocal performance in years, the slick Snoop Dogg collabo "Say Somethin", the old school 70's throwback "Circles", the classy piano ballad "I Wish You Knew", and the final track, the gospel rouser "Fly Like A Bird". The album is by no means perfect (the should've-been-wonderful Nelly collabo "To The Floor" is surprisingly dull) but on the whole it is a superb disc and unquestionably the best thing Carey's released this millenium. This re-release comes with four new songs including the big hit "Don't Forget About Us", the Twista collabo "So Lonely" and the remix of "We Belong Together" feautring Jadakiss and Styles P. It also includes a bonus DVD with four videos and an interview with Miss. Carey. The re-release is a great buy for anyone who missed out on the original edition and also a great stocking-stuffer for a young person just getting into Mariah Carey.
Side Note: Shoppers, please ignore the one-star reviews for this item. The majority of them are written by Madonna and Jennifer Lopez fanatics who have not even heard the album but want to bring Carey down because her success somehow interferes with their respective happiness. It literally makes me sick to the stomach when I think about all that this woman has been through in the past five years and how there are still cold-hearted people trying to bring her down. Please do not let these ignorant reviews change your opinion about purchasing the album.

So we all know Mariah is back, and this CD is more enjoyable the second time around!!

"Don't Forget About Us" falls just short of "We Belong Together" but nonetheless, it's a hit.

"So Lonely". This song has been my favorite song since "The Day After" came out, and she makes it hot for the ladies on here, putting another one of her verses and cutting a Twista verse. I like it more then the original as of now, because it's new material, but although it's a great song, when i listen to it a couple more times, the one on Twista's CD will be more enjoyable for me.

"Makin It Last All Night (What It Do)" Cut the Jermaine Dupri. He ruined "It's Like That" and this sounds the same. She should do more with Twista, he delivers better beats. Although MILAN (WID) has a good beat, the song just doesn't do it for me.

"We Belong Together Remix". Good song, but how old is it? They should of gotten Da Brat and whoever else was in Don't Forget About Us remix together faster, and put that on here. That way it would have been all new material.

The Videos
This is great. You get Mariah's biggest hit to date "We Belong Together" video to keep, which is great. ALSO you will finally be able to put It's Like That and We Belong Together (which are supposed to have a part 1, part 2 effect) and see if it goes. "Shake It Off" was a good video, but I don't like the song. "Get Your Number". If for anything, buy this album for this. The limited edition will run out shortly, and no one will have this video, besides us that purchased it. It won't be anywhere else, will be worth money sometime.

Definetly purchase this, not Confessions On A Dance Floor. I was looking forward to that release, but after listening to it, it wasn't that great.

Think you have heard the best of Mariah with The Emancipation Of Mimi? Think again! This re-release has four brand new tracks. The first one is the incredible ballad "Dont Forget About Us". She goes back to the basics in this song. It sounds like something she would've released back in the early 90's. Very soulful and an incredible beat. "Makin' It Last All Night" is a club hit. It sorta reminds me of a mix of It's Like That and "He Wasnt Man Enough" by Toni Braxton. Its Hot! My favorite is "So Lonely" (One and Only Part 2). This is my song! It is sooooooo HOTT!! I love it. I would buy the entire album for this song alone if I had to. I hope this is the next single. I love the rap she does at the beginning. And the remix to "We Belong Together" is good too. I have heard it on the radio a while back though. If you havent been EMANCIPATED yet, now is the time. Expect BIG things at the Grammys from this album. The music videos are all HOT too. Especially "GEt Your Number".

Why are people saying there are four remixes on the CD? Have you even listened to the re-released? It has the original 14 tracks, plus ONE remix- "We Belong Together"! The others are "Don't Forget About Us", "So Lonely" and "Makin It Last All Night."

I loved this CD the first time it came out, and I love this version even more because of the DVD. The interview is HILARIOUS and we get to see a side of Mariah we never did before. I stood in a line for a total of 16 hours in the past two days to meet her, and it was absolutely worth it. She was amazing, as is the re-release! Madonna fans, don't clutter the reviews up with your inaccurate rantings. If you have something to say about the music, then say it. Don't come in here to promote Madonna- do it on her own CD's review.