MARIAH CAREY - "THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI" (Platinum Edition [CD + DVD] Special Edition) - £12.99 in the high street & from around £8.99 + postage new from Amazon.
I paid £8.32 (Including delivery) from Amazon, but you can purchase it cheaper used or shop around on other websites.
The Emanicpation of Mimi is Mariah Carey's 14th album release (released in 2005), since her debut self titled album release in 1990. Her 15 year career has endured many ups and downs from her intitial rise on the scene as a shy but stunning "girl next door" to her divorce from Columbia records producer Tommy Motolla, and her - almost - immediate "emancipation", which saw a complete image change to a much more sexy provocative woman, before a very public downward spiral complete with bouts of depression and suicidal tendencies. Mariah has recovered from this last phase of her life and following a couple of unsuccessful album releases has come back strong with "The Emancipation of Mimi". The one thing I feel Mariah has badly let herself down with is the image, as it is obvious she has had some work done and - to me - looks much more plastic these days, which spoils her natural beauty. Spoilt her looks may be, but the music has come back as strong as ever.
Mariah is described by some as a bit of a "screamer" ... I haven't been that fortunate to actually meet her and subsequently spend a night with her, so I wouldn't know !!! However, my most recently ex-girlfiriend had a look of Mariah in her early days and ...... anyway ... off-track. But seriously, Mariah Carey rose to superstardom on the strength of her stunning five-octave voice, which for some sounds a little like she can be screaming. I just believe she has an incredible talent with a stunning range, which is often encapsulated in several songs on her albums. Her style has changed a little from her beginnings, when there was a mix of gospel music and strong ballads. Her style, whilst remaining true to the core in terms of ballads, has become influenced by hip-hop-inspired dance-pop, earning her frequent comparisons to rivals Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, but has gained more recognition by composing all of her own material - not just a pretty face !!
Born in Long Island, New York, on March 27, 1970, Carey moved to New York City just one day after graduating high school at the tender age of 17, committed to pursuing a music career. As I say, she has come a long way since her big break and "The Emancipation of Mimi" is the latest edition to her lengthy discography, involving a number of record labels, from Columbia, to Virgin Records, to the latest, "The Island Def Jam Music Group".
The album itself as very different to her beginnings and could be contrasted to the style of the latest great Diva "Beyonce". The style of the album is very much R&B / soul, with a heavy hip-hop / rap influence, demonstrated no less by the collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Jermain Dupri, Twista, and Nelly.
THE ALBUM;
The Album sleeve design provides a very classy feel to the album ... Black background, with a photograph of Mariah Carey posing in a silver cocktail dress, complete with Mariah Carey boldly printed in silver across the middle of the cover.
Inside the sleeve are one or two pictures of the singer, along with instructions on how to join the Mariah Carey fan club, an explanantion of the meaning of "Emancipation", along with the words to each of the songs featured on the album.
1. It's Like That - Heavy Rap influence ... With the inclusion of the one and only Fat Man Scoop (8/10).
2. We Belong Together - Slow Ballad and very typical of Mariah's earlier work, with beautiful mixture of piano, vocal and bass (10/10).
3. Shake It Off - A track that reminds me more of Beyonce more than typical Mariah, but a good slow R&B track (8/10).
4.Mine Again - Another slow ballad typical of Mariah's historic style (7/10).
5. Say Somethin' [Featuring Snoop Dog] - Excellent R&B track, smooth and chilled, with Snoop as typical Snoop.... cool (8/10).
6. Stay The Night - A little more up-tempo track, with heavy play on vocal and percussion, with piano in the background. Good demonstration of Mariah's vocal range (7/10).
7. Get Your Number [Featuring Jermaine Dupri] - Starts with Jermaine rapping and Mariah enters the scene just under the 40 second mark. Up-tempo and funky (7/10).
8. One And Only [Featuring Twista] - Mid-tempo R&B track (7/10).
9. Circles - Slow-tempo soul track (6/10).
10. Your Girl - Mid-tempo soul track (7/10).
11. I Wish You Knew - Slow ballad, very typical of Mariah's earlier work (7/10).
12. To The Floor [Featuring Nelly] - Influence of Nelly is quite clear on this track, which is very R&B in flavour (8/10).
13. Joy Ride - Ballad, with a soulful mix of vocals and piano (7/10).
14. Fly Like A Bird - Slow chilled soulful track (7/10).
16. Don't Forget About Us - Slow-tempo soulful track, which almost passes as a ballad (6/10).
17. Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do) [Featuring Jermaine Dupri] - Slow-tempo R&B track (7/10).
18. So Lonely (One & Only Part II) [Mariah Carey & Twista] - R&B Rap track, slow to mid-tempo musically, but Twista's lyrics certainly raise the tempo of the track (8/10).
19. We Belong Together Remix [Featuring Jadakiss & Styles P) - Up-tempo remix of ballad, with heavier emphasis on rap and hip-hop (9/10).
EXCLUSIVE DVD INCLUDES;
Video - We Belong Together
Video - It's Like That
Video - Shake It Off
Video - Get Your Number
DVD Options:
1. Play All; 2. Chapters; 3. Web Link - Provides bonus material, which can be accessed by installing software from the DVD on your PC, but I haven't bothered.
More details
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Good
How does it rate alongside the competition
Good
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Good
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