America's Emancipation

They're calling it the return of 'The Voice' and to some extent it's true. In anticipation of Mariah Carey's return to music after her disastrous commerical failure of 'Glitter' in 2001 and the mediocre 'rebirth' of 'Charmbracelet', I sifted through my surprisingly sad array of Mariah Carey albums. It amazed me that such a simple and straightforward formula of music -the token pop song as first release, the mid-tempo polyfillers, the soaring ballads- had created such an intense following through the 90's. Much like my approach to Michael Jackson and his current situation, crazy or not, you still have to recognise and admit Mariah's amazing talent... the ability to screech at unrecognisable octaves before transforming her voice into a breathy, deep sultry instrument of lurve. Haha. With all this in mind, I can't help but be wary of her upcoming release on April 12th of 'The Emancipation of Mimi'. The hype claims that this album is 100% real Mariah and she's not angry at anyone. There are no more tears to be shed, no more rain to make it through. The first single, 'It's Like That', featuring Jermaine Dupri and Fat Man Scoop (what the?) is an infectious hip hop carry-over single. Listening to her sing, I can feel her new relaxed outlook and recognise that she's at least attempted to leave all the negative media and personal criticisms behind. I'm starting to be afraid of the new Mariah, and what she's allowed herself to do and allowed herself to become. She's an all new powerful performer now, waiting to reclaim her throne. As her voice soars on 'It's Like That' over the bridge she sings, '...it's my night, no stress, i'm leaving it all behind, no tears, no time to cry, just making the most of life...'


Mariah Carey on the cover of 'America' Magazine March 12, 2005