JackieBlue said:

I thought he was talking about Glitter

I'm listening to it on my space and I really like this a lot better than E=MC2. "Up Out My Face" gave me quite a laugh though...

after first listening - boring

Why does she sound 12 on "I wanna know what love is"?

ScarletScandal said:

Because she is perpetually twelve

Alej said:

so true.

USA Today Album Review
'Angel,' while imperfect, flies high nonetheless
By Brian Mansfield


Mariah Carey albums typically boast an assortment of producers, but not so on Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (* * * out of four). Working primarily with hot hip-hop producers Tricky Stewart and The Dream but without her usual supporting cast of guests brings the focus squarely on the singer for what, as its title suggests, is essentially a musical memoir.

Most tracks stick to midtempo R&B grooves and slow jams, but Carey is all over the place emotionally — seductive, nostalgic, vindictive, occasionally within a matter of lines. Sometimes, she pulls the songs in different directions. First single Obsessed conveys pride and repulsion at being the object of unwarranted advances. Betcha Gon' Know, which plays like a first-person account of The Persuaders' '70s R&B hit Thin Line Between Love and Hate, suggests both vulnerability and violence.

Just as many listeners assumed Obsessed to be about Eminem, they'll also hear Up Out My Face, with lyrics like, "I know you're not a rapper, so you better stop spittin' it," to be the continuation of Carey's beef with him. That song also contains one of Memoirs' many funny lines: "If we were two Lego blocks, even the Harvard University graduating class of 2010 couldn't put us back together again."

By the album's end, this imperfect angel seems no closer to finding heaven — though her gloriously gospel-infused version of Foreigner's I Want to Know What Love Is certainly comes close.

ScarletScandal said:

Copycat said:

that shit had me cracking up

More than just friends samples "One more chance", which actually samples "Stay With Me", but when she's singing...boyyyy ..isn't that a sample from something else too? I could swear I've heard that same phrasing in another song..80's I think...any help out there???? I know I've heard it before...just can't place is...

Album Review
By Ann Powers
September 25


On her recently leaked and soon-to-be-released 12th studio album, Mariah Carey and her latest producers, Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Tricky Stewart, attempt to get at something by distilling it. They're seeking the Essence of Mimi, the liquor in the oyster of Carey's famously luscious voice.But instead of showcasing this musical Olympian's dazzling way with a vocal run or her nearly unmatchable whistle register -- obvious choices when it comes to Carey's talent -- she and her team tune into a particular tone, the one that earned her another nickname, Honey.

There's a breathiness to this album that's not only sexy but emotionally intimate. Heavy on slow jams, quiet confessions and kiss-offs closer to the work of the rappers she admires than to Carey's soul sisters, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" capitalizes on an underrated aspect of the singer's talent: Her ability, even when she's scaling vocal heights, to still come off as just another girl at the nail salon.

Carey's lyrics -- she co-writes everything here, except for her fairly unremarkable cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" -- make this point most obviously. Even when fully dressed in the armor of her glamour, as when she advises an ex (Eminem? More likely it's Latin pop star Luis Miguel) to "pretend you on a sofa, and I'm on MTV" when he spies her walking by.

Carey still compulsively shares details about her runny mascara and her appetite for Duncan Hines yellow cake. "Bubble baths on the jet" might be a ridiculous fantasy, but it's not at all elitist. Any real housewife or career girl has been in that daydream.

What The-Dream and Stewart help Carey realize is that her vocal style also communicates this accessibility. Even at its most extravagant, Carey's singing has a warmth, a sensuality and openness to it that sets her apart from peers like Whitney Houston and younger pretenders like Leona Lewis. When she tones down her singing, those qualities dominate.

Not incidentally for a big-ballad singer who's hit 40, stressing her more endearing small voice keeps Carey from any embarrassing shortfalls.

Throughout "Memoirs" she locates that mode of expression in whispers, murmurs and late-night lovers' quarrels. (She tosses off some amusing zingers in the latter.) The tempos here lean back slowly, and the sound is thick, a little heavy, inevitably responding to the sonic shift that occurred in R&B in the wake of Nash and Stewart's first female foil, Rihanna, and their smash "Umbrella."

Even the more aggressive songs on this album -- "Obsessed," Carey's volley in that silly Eminem feud, and "Up Out My Face," in which she recovers via her now-husband Nick Cannon's specialty, the drumline -- proceed with a laid-back nod instead of a disco spin. After a while, the approach is too much of a mildly interesting thing, and Carey's restraint stops serving her agenda.

As every long-married couple knows, intimacy loses its power when the gestures that define it get repetitive. That happens about halfway through "Memoirs," when Carey's soft outpourings start to melt into each other, and it ceases to matter whether she's mourning a broken heart or celebrating a new start.

Nash and Stewart have settled into their own groove as producers; their unctuous, Caribbean-inflected, R. Kelly-inspired tracks work well song by song (especially on the sad ones, like "Languishing" and "Angels Cry," and the sex ones, like "The Impossible"), but there's a point where a trademark sound starts to be a cage, not a calling card.

"Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" will stand out in Carey's catalog as an experiment that illuminates her place in the pantheon without either boosting it or damaging it. I wouldn't be surprised if, a decade from now, Carey cites this effort as a personal favorite. It's that kind of wholly decent effort: a self-exploration that settles on its unpretentious insights by not pushing too hard.

i got the cd this afternoon here in NYC when it started to hit the mom and pop stores and i had the leak early this week, and the reviews pretty much sum it up. Its not a bad record it has moments, but its nothing that will make you think anything more of her as an artist than before. There really doesnt seem to be much more Mariah can do with this current formula, she has, thankfully, dumped the guests off her records, that is a major plus, now if she can just drop the slick ass production then things might be more interesting for future listens as opposed to conitnual skipfests during listening to a Mariah CD. By the way, this whole "book and advertising" scheme inside, is total shit, the book is a total waste, i do like the look back photos on the foldout, but the book and the ads are tacky, especially since she isnt even the "model"

From the clips, I heard I don't care for it. Nothing catches my ear or stays in my head. I really like Obsessed though, but the rest of the album is nothing like that. There are too many slow songs. There needed to be more of a balance between the uptempo and the slow things.

Doesn't sound like she's breaking any new ground here, which is disappointing. I'm also disappointed that Def Jam has decided not to include bonus cuts on any of the international versions of the CD.

Okay so where can I hear previews or snippets of her album at?

missfee said:

I think myspace.

missfee said:

http://www.amazon.com/s/r...riah+carey

I'm so obsessed with Candy Bling !!!

ScarletScandal said:

She's doing that whisper thing...man, I loathe and love it sometimes, but on this song I loathe it because it's a cover and the original is 100 times better than this version.

I like her remake of I wanna know what love is.

The leak is cool and all that, but I'm wondering if there are any shops in town that would let me cop the actual CD tonight instead of tomorrow.

Cinnie said:

I'm getting it until the weekend

Alej said:

Cinnie said:

am i, am i, am i, am i o-o-ok?

piepie1976 said:

It took me awhile to get that part but once I discovered it I couldn't let it go.

Picking up the CD first thing 2morrow morning along with Madonna and Barbra Streisand's new CDs!!

(Newsday) Associated Press Review


MUSIC REVIEW: CAREY'S "IMPERFECT ANGEL" IS PERFECT

"I should crack you right in your forehead," Mariah Carey sings on the breakup tune "It's a Wrap". The song, on her latest CD, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel", finds a hungover Carey kicking her lover to the curb with particularly harsh words.
"Another early morning, and you walk in like it's nothing ... ain't no doughnuts, ain't coffee," she sings with attitude in her signature high-pitch tone. "Let me take a breath and regain my composure, told you more time, if you (expletive) up it's over."
But even though she's spitting venom, Carey's cooing on the doo-wop sounding song is so sensuous and sweet, even the song's intended target will remain under her spell - as will her listeners. "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" is an exceptional album that is about love - being in it, out of it, over it and trying to reach it. While the subjects are tried and true, they are never tired, thanks to Carey's approach, which mixes a good dose of humor and wit with her multi-octave voice.
"Betcha Gon' Know", the disc's opening track, sets the tone as Carey compares the seriousness of her broken heart to news programs like "60 Minutes", "20/20" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show". Carey produced and wrote the majority of the album with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash - and those hitmakers add their own touch to "Imperfect Angel" without overdoing it.
"Ribbon", which bumps with southern flavor, is radio-friendly, showcasing The-Dream and Tricky's signature sound. As does "Standing O", with its addictive hook. Other notables tunes include "H.A.T.E.U." ("Having a Typical Emotional Upset"), a beautiful heartbreak ballad, and the top-notch "Candy Bling", a teenage love affair tune that finds Carey so in love she "can't delete your picture from my mind".
Some of the tracks use samples: "Inseparable" interpolates Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and "The Impossible" finds Carey "layin' in the bed bumpin' Jodeci". The latter samples the R&B group's hit song "Forever My Lady".
"Imperfect Angel", though helmed by The-Dream and Tricky, still maintains a classic Mariah sound - especially on the soothing "Angels Cry" and its accompanying prelude, and the personal "Languishing", highlighted by a piano. No one is perfect - that's obvious. This CD is - that's obvious too.

(Newsday)

mikesdyke said:

I give props to Mariah for really good songwriting skills on this album. There was a emotional punch on sevral tracks highlighted by her use of her lower registers and higher registers on adlibs. She did not over sing but only strengthen some of the tunes with the diffrent layers of her vocals.

As for production. Some tracks could have been given to someone else for production i.e. Ribbon, Standing O, Inserperable, Impossible and Angels Cry as they all blend together too well. Probably by The Dreams candid use of "Ay!" in EVERY TUNE just about or that weak lame "radio killa!" all over Ribbon and his extreme use of the down tempo vocals which already sounds dated and hurt the song's beginning. I wanted much of these tunes to turn out diffrently because they indeed were written well, however should have been handled by Jim Wright alone.

Now to the good...Betcha Gon' Know is an emotional and heartfelt backstabbing cheating tune, Languishing's melodic and reminicent of "Twister" and "Petals", HATEU is remincient of "Bliss" and even has a taste of Janet Jackson's "Would You Mind" with some powerful studio production and arrangement. Candy Bling is also a nice grower as I was pleased with the many use of diffrent styles and vocals. Up Out Of My Face is very funny and It's A Wrap semi-old school sounding tune is probably one of the best songs on the album. The closer I Want To Know is a nice new take on the tune however it closes with a fade out and seemingly too soon wich left me wanting more of THAT sound.

From my point of view as someone who makes music I would have liked a little bit more variety. The Dream should have stepped his game up alot more working with a artist like Mariah Carey. It does not seem the duo were challenged to make any of these productions so they all fell in the same sound and plane. Wich is ok sometimes, but not when we can recognize the same handclap and fingersnaps from the previous song. I give kudos to Mariah for writing more emotional than her last album...but maybe next time around she will get it right again. Once again another hit-skip album for me.



p.s.
How many times people going to sample Forever My Lady? I was kinda upset by that one...it could have been better

^^^ Nice review, Paisley. Not sure why I Wanna Know fades out so quickly but I've learned to appreciate this rendition. I enjoyed both earlier versions and was a little lukewarm to her recording it but it's grown on me... a much softer version than the grandness of earlier ones.

I don't know why The Dream has to stamp his Ay Ay and Radio Killa annoucements over ever track and it's quite annoying but I'll take it over a guest rapper if there's a choice.