For all of you music snobs who refuse to admit they like Mariah... skip past this post. For the rest of you, read on.
This is something my friend
J and I do for one another. Truly, I've never met another person on this planet that loves music the way that I do... until Joanna. She gets excited over the sound of someone's voice, the right words being strung together and palpable emotion emitting through the speakers. I can't explain it but the closest I've ever come to defining the feeling is that when certain notes are hit or certain words are sung by anyone, not just Jon or Mariah, but certain notes come through and suddenly goosebumps appear all over your arms. It's that feeling for me when a new Mariah or Bon Jovi record comes out. And truthfully, I know people who have lost that excitement over music as they age and I just don't EVER want to lose it. My mother still feels that way about music and I love that I inherited it from her.
So September 29th is the day that Mariah Carey's released her new collection Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. My first impressions of the collection as whole can be summed up by one word: intimate. This is an intimate collection of songs by an artist who traditionally doesn't let the listener enter her world too much. As a listener we're getting a better feeling for the true Mariah. Fun, flirty, sexy, spunky - the new Mariah is at ease with herself.
Each song tells a little story and creates a string for the next to pick up on. And accordingly, Mariah's voice is deep, intimate and almost conversational. There are moments where you feel like she's speaking directly to you, at times cooing, laughing and joking and other times, scolding. While some fans of Mariah's are not keen on the spoken feeling of some of the verses, Mariah definitely pleases all taking many songs over the top at just the right time. Onto the songs (not in order of the playlist):
Candy Bling
From the first notes, I truly fell into this groove. Mariah's sound is low, intimate and let's the groove of the melody and the "Back in the Day" sample by Ahmad take center stage. There are many highlights for me lyrically as well.
"I wish I could go back and make time stop... and I would take this love throw back from the top"
"My sweet baby, my sweet thing like candy, felt like real love not play play"
"I'm the same mimi, fame didn't change me, butterfly floating like Muhammad Ali"
"Thinking about the world, just me you and Jack."
Wow. I love how the bridge becomes personal, mentioning her late dog Jack. I love the reference to Butterfly and I love how her voice becomes strong at the end, letting her strength accommodate the melody without completely overpowering it. The feel of this song reminds of a favorite, The Roof, and I can have this on a loop and not get tired of it.
Standing O
At first, this song didn't excite me. I was so excited about other tracks that this is one that kind of got lost in the shuffle. The music is kinda simple. Strong drums with piano during the stronger parts of the song. Very hip hop inspired but I like hip hop so that's not such a bad thing. When I started to really listen to the lyrics, this part stood out:
"Cheers, a toast, bravo to you, cause you're the man of the hour, you played the one that loved you the most..."
I like the independent spirit, the strength behind the words. "Boy I gave you all of me, parts of affection you couldn't see...", "When you had nothing I gave, when you were weak, I made you brave." I just love the angry intimacy of it. What woman hasn't felt like this? And yet, how personal is this? Even the smaller voice that she sings, Parts of affection you couldn't see with draws you into the world and suddenly you're O, O, O'ing all over the place. Love it. But it was a grower.
Angel's Cry
Oh. My. God. When I first listened to this song, I was driving. By the end of it, my thought process was: should I be crying and driving at the same time? maybe I should pull over.
I wish I was kidding.
Not since We Belong Together has a song infected me this much. Classic in the making. From the lyrics, the simple, sparse music, to the melody and finally to the voice that sends shivers up and down your spine and goosebumps all over, this song is truly perfection. I can't gush enough... so I'll point out my lyrics.
"The final blow hit so low, I'm still on the ground.
I couldn't have prepared myself for this fall
shattered in pieces, curled on the floor
supernatural love conquers all
Remember we used to touch the sky
And lightening don't strike, the same place twice
When you and I
I felt the angels cry
True love's a gift, we let it drift in the storm
every night I feel the angels cry"
Wow. If you don't feel the emotion of the words you're cold. Just the heartbreak pouring out of the disbelieve that in fact supernatural love doesn't always conquer all is enough to make the poet in me cringe and want to plagiarize.
Limitless omnipresent kind of love
couldn't have guessed it would just up
and disappear in a whirlwind
Here I am walking on this narrow rope
wobbling but won't let go
waiting for a glimpse of the sun's glow
I know I could stand just pull me back up
But during a hurricane it's just tough
I'm willing to live and die for our love
Baby we can get back our shine
I'm getting chills already. I love the simplicity, the thankfulness in regret. I love everything. The voice, how the emotion pours from every syllable, the way the music is so restrained to allow the voice to exhibit the emotion. God. I can't even tell you how amazing it is to hear her take it to church at the very end and just hear the background vocals, the beat and the amazing voice. THE VOICE. That one note at the end. Tears. Ugh. AMAZING. I truly hope this is a single. I need to see this live.
Languishing
I knew I'd like this from the 30 second preview. It's intimate sounding and you know these are words that are coming truthfully from Mariah's heart. It's really a glimpse into some of the darker places in her heart and for me, superfan, that's an amazing glimpse. In the vein of Petals, the music a snap and a piano. The voice begins soft but with a vein of strength.
And after all these years of enmity, envy and tears
It's a shame you don't know me at all
I was wondering, would you cry for me
If I told you that I couldn't breathe
If I was drowning, suffocating,
If I told you that I couldn't breathe
Those ageless buried recollections
we transform them and select them
you have yours, I have mine
that's fine
Why are we too strong to heal
Our stitches never disappear
I have mine, you have yours
I'm sure
So many people I would love to send this to. So very many. I love how the emotion pours through without her voice becoming too overpowering. I love the intimacy. Truly a favorite.
Inseperable
I never heard the Time after Time sample until the second verse! Never would have guessed it was even there. I was kind of eh about this song. I think there are some brilliant moments, but I think I'm going to re-discover it next year some time... But just for fun the lyric that references the sample:
Like time after time
boy I'm lost without your love
Won't you please find me
That's the only thing that tipped me off! And I kind of love that.
H.A.T.E. U.
This was the beginning of the end of for me when I was driving. I just wasn't even on the road anymore. I was inside my speakers. I fell into the song. Completely enveloped by it. I truly love this song with something otherworldly. I love the soft verse, the winding bridge to the chorus reminiscent of Minnie Ripperton. Everything about this song spells perfection. I love the music box sounding keys in the beginning, the fairy tale beginning that leads to the shattering of that very fairy tale. Most of all I love that the Hate U isn't really hating someone. I've always said that to hate someone so much you have to first love them that deeply. And that message is so clear in this song.
Ooh this was a love phenomenon no one could explain
And I wish I could press reset and feel that feeling again
I sit and press rewind and watch us every night
Wanna pause it but I can't make it stay
Oh god. I just wanna cry right there. It makes my heart sink a little bit. I love it. I can't even express how I wish I wrote it. Then at the very end, I lost my control and tears flowed here:
And I just wanna hold you, touch you,feel you be near you
I miss you baby baby baby
I'm tired of trying to fake through
But there's nothing I can do
Boy I can't wait to Hate u
Perfection. And the way her voice builds here from a soft, intimate whisper to a haunting full voice and finally to that chilly high note. Ugh. I love it. Please release this.
Betcha Gon Know
Different for Mariah! This song is a complete story. From top to bottom it sets the tone for the rest of the CD. It's hip hop influenced RnB, it's classic, it's that speaking sing songy voice and the entire chorus is 100% sung. Love it! And I really wasn't sure if I was going to. But I actually really love it...
Imma la la la laugh right in your face boy
I so want to do that to some one. Or make it Andrew's ringtone. Hey... you know what his ringtone was previously right? :)
But Makeup can't hide what my tears won't erase
That is jealousy. I love that. I wish I wrote that. Brilliant. Truly brilliant.
Ribbon
Was not in love with this song at all. but then after about 30 seconds, the beginning and that annoying voice subsides, and the song starts and I love it. It's classic Dream sounding and I love it. It's nice to hear a song about loving someone. Nice to hear happiness with that wink of an eye that Mariah does so well.
More than Just Friends
This was a grower! I am surprised but I LOVE THIS! There are a ton of lyrics I love in this and the more I listen, the more lyrics I find in it!
Thought I'd be with you but you never tried to holla
We can spend a couple of milly acting silly in Milano
Boy hit your horn beep beep I'll follow
Have your whip in the driveway by tomorrow
Secretly I know you want to hit it like the lotto
I love it! It's fun. It's cute. It's brilliant! I kinda wanna prance around and toss my hair back and be a girly girl when it comes on which is completely embarrassing but oh so true!
The Impossible
Sexy Mariah sneaks out. I love the heavy Jodeci loop (Diary of a Mad Band, one of the most classic RnB CDs EVER). I love the chorus...
Love you like a high school girl on a first date...
OMG! Love that!
Love you like we're destined, love you like my lover and my best friend!
I'm really enjoying the intimate voice. It's not a whisper, but it's not a full voice, it's kind of in between. And where most singers would sound like they can't sing and are using this voice as a way to divert that, on Mariah, it draws you into her a bit more. I love it. I love the slow sexy grind of the music in direct juxtaposition to her soft, sexy voice.
And can we talk about how amazing Mariah sounds singing over the sample of Jodeci at the very end??? OMG! K-Ci and JoJo live on and sound amazing duetting with Mariah. I'd love to see THAT pairing live!
It's a Wrap
Well, no doubt about it. The Mariah from Vision of Love is back. That classic, doo woppy, bluesy sound is back and her voice is in tip top shape singing it. I love it! The melody is amazing! And I love the tough lyrics with the cooing... who would throw her out? You'd at the very least let her finish the song!
Let me take a breath and regain my composure
Told you one more time if you f'd up it's over
When it's gone it's gone it's gone it's gone
you did wrong so wrong so wrong so wrong
so just scoo do do do do scoo do do do do baby
It's a wrap, for you baby...
LOVE THAT!!! How much fun! OMG... this is Andrew's ringtone. Totally. What a fun song to sing in the car too! I'll be sure to roll the windows up though! :)
I Want to Know What Love Is
Not my choice for second single. I hope the video is brilliant to propel it. It's kind of bland until the very last 45 seconds where you sit in disbelief that she can actually sing like that. There's one note toward the end where you know where she's taking it and from then out it's amazing but for most of the song, I found myself waiting for it to get good.
Up Out My Face
I'm kind of ambivalent about this song. I think it's okay. I'll probably discover it like I did Love Story 2 years later but for now, I'm not really that impressed with it. I like the tough lyrics and the Caribbean feel and this particular lyric:
You ain't never gonna feel this thing again
YOu gon get a lot of calls cause I cc'd all your friends
That's kinda fun to sing and play with. And you know once it's on, I have fun with it but when it comes on I'm just kind of ready to forward past it.
So that's my review. GET OUT and get the CD if you haven't. It's truly going to be one of Mariah's personal favorite, you can hear the artistic movement in it. It's really a GREAT CD!
