“E=MC2″ Album Review

Brace yourselves, Mariah fans. You are probably not going to enjoy this.

I’m a casual Mariah fan. I enjoy her older material. I jumped whole-heartedly onboard the “We Belong Together” train long before it became (debatably) the biggest song of the decade so far. I recognize her unparalleled vocal talents (which is why I was so disappointed around the “Butterfly” era when she stopped using her voice to its full capability).

I cannot, though, help but be disappointed in her latest effort. On “E=MC2″, Mariah tries to capitalize on the gains she made on urban radio during the last era (“The Emancipation of Mimi”). While she may have the street cred, she is sorely lacking in the writing department of this genre. The songs here come of bland and forced, and feature some of the worst lyrics I’ve ever heard in my life.

It’s actually a pretty easy album to review, because despite the back cover’s 14-song tracklisting, there are really only three or four songs on the whole album. The first is the kind I’ve mentioned already – the club-aimed and ghetto-wannabe jams like “Migrate” and “Side Effects.” The second grouping consists of the album’s six dragging and uninspired ballads that include “I Stay in Love,” “Love Story,” and the new single “Bye Bye.” The third category consists of the “Butterfly” album rejects like “I’m That Chick” and the gospel-ish “I Wish You Well,” neither of which could sound more dated even had they actually come from that era.

The only standouts here (at least on the first half-dozen listens) are the lead single “Touch My Body,” which is growing on me the more I hear it (the video is pretty amusing as well), the breezy summer jam “Cruise Control,” and “I’ll Be Lovin’ You Long Time” – one of the only tracks that seems to have an identity of it’s own. Unfortunately, I suspect based on label gossip and fan response, that the latter will be ignored as a potential single in favor of “Migrate” and “I Stay in Love With You.”

Lucky for Mimi, Emancipation’s success will likely carry her through this offering without the press or the industry in general noticing how much of a disappointment the material really is . . . at first. Radio will play the first couple songs. People will buy the album, believing that any Mariah purchase is worth the money. The hardcore fans will rave about it. She’ll end up between 2 or 3 times Platinum in the US. But don’t expect any Grammies or huge tours this time around. And Mariah should start working on new, better material now, because the mediocrity of her single choices here will only last her so long on pop radio (urban might be another story – but I have little faith there). Hopefully, next time, she will stick to a more mainstream-pop-oriented style.

*goes off to listen to Mine Again, Stay the Night, and Circles*

My Rating: C

Other reviews: Margeaux Watson, EW (A-), Caryn Ganz, Rolling Stone (3 Stars)