The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey (CD, Apr-2005, MonarC/Island)

Mariah Carey returns strong, proud and super confident with her brand new release The Emancipation of Mimi! Mariah considers Mimi to be another name symbolizing her true inner self-so even the title of the CD proudly and forcefully announces that she is trying new, fresh things on this CD. Mariah explains it herself in the liner notes for her new CD: her "emancipation" is "to free from restraint, control, oppression, or the power of another" or "to free from any controlling influence" or "to free somebody from restrictions or conventions." You know what? Mariah is a strong creative force and we all are better off for it! The Emancipation of Mimi really highlights how well Mariah can write and co-produce with other incredible talents such as the Neptunes, Kanye West, and R. Kelly. Mariah's new CD is full of songs featuring very personal lyrics-she is brave enough to share her real emotions with us here! The CD also proves even once again that Mariah's dazzling voice has not diminished with time! The album overflows with super creative lyrics and her exceptionally versatile voice makes it very special and a great addition to your collection!

The CD starts off strong with the song entitled "It's Like That." Not only is this a beautiful song, the musical arrangement is strong, aggressive and awesome! Mariah simply sounds great; her voice is perfect here! Then comes the song "We Belong Together"--thoughtful, beautiful, with a great beat! With "We Belong Together" Mariah sings about a love that is no longer.

Mariah also stays in the hip hop scene with songs like "Shake It Off" and the street jam "One and Only." And, if you like THAT, try also the Neptunes-produced "Say Somethin'" which she performs with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams. Excellent! Mariah also does "Mine Again" with James Poyser on keyboards and "Fly Like A Bird" really shows off what Mariah can do!

Mariah works well with the other greats that I mentioned above; but there are even more talents on this awesome CD! Another Island Def Jam artist who you just might have heard of once or twice-a guy called Kanye West-collaborates with Mariah on "Stay the Night." What's more, three of the "Emancipation" songs are both co-written and co-produced by Mariah and James "Big Jim" Wright: "I Wish You Knew," "Circles," and "Fly Like a Bird." Trey Lorenz, Fatman Scoop, and Jermaine Dupri also provide vocals on this CD. The track "To The Floor" features Nelly.

One critic from Vibe magazine wrote that "Mariah gets back to her winning formula with Mimi." This almost seems like an understatement; the CD is really that good! Do yourself a major favor and get this-enjoy it today!

THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI- MARIAH CAREY APRIL 12TH-2005. IS BY FAR THE HOTTEST SELLER OF 2005, WITH AN ESTIMATED 6-7 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE!, A TRUCK LOAD OF AWARD NOMINATIONS AND VICTORY`S, INCLUDING 5 BILLBOARD AWARDS, AND A VERY RESPECTABLE 8 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS! ( GRAMMY CERAMONY IN EARLY FEB. 2006! ). 3-4 HUGE NUMBER ONE HITS, TOPPING THE CHARTS FOR WEEKS ON END!....MIMI HAS SECURED HER POSITION IN POP ROYALTY!!...AND AS THE NUMBER 1 SELLING FEMALE ARTIST OF ALL TIME!!...THIS IS THE MUST HAVE CD OF THE YEAR!! WITH 14 TRACK`S, EACH ONE HOT! ( NO FILLER`S ON THIS CD! )...MARIAH SHOWCASES HER MANY TALENTS, AS A WRITTER, PRODUCER, VOCALIST!!! AND BOY CAN MIMI SING!!! HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE, COLLABORATIONS WITH SNOOP DOGG ON TRACK NUMBER 5. SAY SOMETHIN` WITH A POP-R&B VIBE TO IT! AND THE CURRENT CHART TOPPER! NUMBER 7, GET YOUR NUMBER, FEAT: JERMAINE DUPRI, HIP HOP CLUB TRACK! ( ALSO MY PERSONAL FAV! )...AND WHO CAN FORGET NUMBER 2, WE BELONG TOGETHER, THE SUMMER 2005, SMASH HIT!, SURELY PLAYED AT MANY GRADUATION AND WEDDING DANCES!!... THIS COLLECTION OF SONGS IS BY FAR MARIAH`S GREATEST RECORDING ACHEIVEMENT!!...RELEASED IN MANY ED`S!!....THE LATEST BEING THE PLATINUM ED. CD WITH AN EXTRA 4 TRACKS! ( PREVIOUSLY UNREALEASED )...AND THE PLATINUM ED. 2 DISC CD-DVD, DVD HAS 4 VIDEOS + EXTRAS!...ALSO VARIOUS DIGI PAK ED`S! WITH FOLD OUT POSTER`S, EVEN ON A 2LP VINYL SET!!!...ANY OF THE ABOVE, WOULD MAKE THE PERFECT XMAS GIFT FOR THE MUSIC LOVER ON YOUR LIST!!

Mariah is in great form on this CD. 'We Belong Together' is awesome! 'Shake It Off' is all over the radio. I like that song too. 'Mine Again' is a truly soulful tune with an old school feel. 'Say Somethin'' has a great beat and I really like it. Snoop Dogg does a great job. After 'We Belong Together', 'Stay the Night' is probably my favorite cut on the CD. Mariah has great range and her voice is nice on this song.

'Get Your Number' with Jermaine Dupri samples 'Just An Illusion'. I have always loved 'Just An Illusion' so that makes 'Get Your Number' an instant hit with me. 'Circles' and 'Your Girl' are two other really nice songs on this CD.

I think 'Fly Like a Bird' is really special. It has an old school and gospel feel to it. We do a dance her in Chicago called 'Steppin''. You can definitely 'step' to 'Fly Like a Bird'. 'Stepper's' cuts are the sound track of my life so I definitely like this song. Also, I took a look at the lyrics to this song. It's just what I needed to hear today - truly inspirational and uplifting - just the perfect way to close out the CD.

This CD comes highly recommended.

Mariah who? Mariah what? These were all common phrases the public was uttering after Mariah's well publicized emotional meltdown after Glitter failed at the box office in 2001. Well Mariah is back on the right track following the melt down and a luke warm attempt at a comeback with 2002's Charmbracelet. To get things back on track and to keep her sound current Carey enlisted the help of hitmaker Jermaine Dupri (Janet Jackson, Little Bow Wow, Omarion, Jay-Z, Nas) who serves as executive producer on the record. Guest appearances by Snoop Dogg, Twista and Nelly only make it that much sweeter.
Emancipation of Mimi begins with club friendly It's Like That and continues to remain a well oiled machine over an hour later on Fly Like A Bird. The marquee track on the disc We Belong Together is the most played track on radio for 2005 and has been number 1 for 13 straight weeks. Carey coos on the track "there ain't nobody better, Oh, baby baby, we belong together" and people are opening their wallets. Sales of Emancipation have crossed the triple platinum barrier and the third single "Shake It Off" just dropped.
What Mariah is demonstrating on Emancipation is a career can be resurrected and be brought back even better than before. Her vocals never sounded better and the melodies are top notch. Pats on the back should be given to Jermaine Dupri and The Neptunes who have breathed new life into Mariah Carey.

Mariah is back!! After roughly 1 1/2 years since her last LP, "The Remixes", Mariah stormed the Hip-Hop/R&B scene with the release of this album in April of 2005. Mariah Carey has proven to us that her vocal ability and talents are limitless!! It seems apparent that her voice only gets better as she ages.

Some of my favorite tracks include "Its Like That", "We Belong Together", and "Shake It Off".

Definitely a purchase worth every penny! I can listen to this album time and time again! She really shows the strength and range of her voice unlike some albums she has released in the past when the track was more of a whisper. A couple of the tracks are a bit bland and lack a stable melody but all-in-all a great CD.