MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL my personal review In an era where albums are concocted by various producers and writers, all of different genres and backgrounds, all to come up with standout singles without the bind of being a cohesive CD. Mariah Carey succeeds with Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. The tailoring of each song is so distinct with its qualities but yet finishes as a fine fabric. In the fashion of Daydream, Butterfly and Emancipation, Mariah admirably was able to come up with a certain feel or jam to this album. People doubted her for working with The Dream on each track but he did himself proud by bringing by the R&B vibe that Mariah has been very much known for, and he was able to help Mariah, the artist, do what other artists don't know how to- using one's voice as an instrument. Mariah did just that and produced one of her best work.
1. Betcha Gon' Know (the prologue) -Mariah opens her album with this slow jams banger. With a killer remix, this could very well be a club smash but Mariah does herself right by keeping it at this pace and jam. It truly gives the audience a reminder who Mariah truly is as an artist. Simple music. Simple melody. Amazing voice. This is that Mariah I grew up to love. It almost reminds me of the vibe Mariah gave with The Roof. (9/10)
2. Obsessed Mariah always plays it up for a few tracks on her CD. She often says on her interviews that it is her lambs who only and usually get her humor. As you can tell with the hook, Mariah is having fun on this record. She doesn't take it too seriously but gives effortless vocals. I wouldn't say it is the weakest track of her CD but this song takes away what could have been a depressing memoir. (8/10)
3. H.A.T.E.U. Wow. Wow. Wow. This song honestly brings me back to the Mariah I loved when she worked with Bone Thugs and Harmony. She tells the story of how love went wrong. This song almost sounds so personal that I don't think she would release it as a single. Who she dedicated this song to I don't know but her airy almost angelic vocals in this song give you a sad and lonesome vibe. I almost wanna think this song is a goodbye-s*x anthem. It's as sexy as Babydoll and as refreshing as Bliss. This is Mariah's true-to-form track. Forget those who will say this song is overrated, but the simplicity of the song and her delivery is just pure gold. "We went round and round till we knocked love out..." When Mariah goes into this part, you instantly get pulled in by the song. My second favorite. For some reason though, I imagine Bianca (Mariah’s alter ego) being in the situation. (10/10)
4. Candy Bling
The Dream puts his signature stamp on this song. Very much influenced. It’s like Fourth of July with The Dream producing it. It also reminds me of T-Pain’s Can’t Believe It. Mariah doesn’t go overboard with her vocals. It’s almost like a low key jam. It’s an easy listener. Not my favorite on the CD. (8.5/10)
5. Ribbon
If Mariah decides to keep HATEU as a b-side, I think Mariah should release this song as a single. I can easily hear this song on the radio. It puts a smile on my face when I listen to it. It’s a crazy jam. When she goes “wrapped up, wrapped up, ribbon with a bow…,” it’s almost as though she’s channeling the 90’s Mariah. I can see this song being a top 40 hit for mainstream radio. She’s declaring to her love that she got his lovin’ on her mind. Like the title, the song seems like a gift for her husband. It’s very joyous. In this song, Mariah is in love.(9.5/10)
6. Inseparable
This song almost seems like a continuation of Ribbon. Ribbon flows impressively to this song. The song is amazing. Like a sweet afterthought. A reminder that they are inseparable. I think this song was written as an epilogue for her declaration that she’s very much in love. The production is also good. The most impressive in this song is her back up vocals. Everything just works together. It’s a reinterpretation of Time After Time. It’s what Cyndi’s song would sound like if it was reworked and made into an upbeat jam. You never really think the song is being sampled. (8.5)
7. Standing O
Mariah uses her alto voice throughout the song. The quality of her low register is really impressive. This time, it’s Bianca singing. Her inner b*tch comes through with her attitude in the song. Mariah’s sarcasm is just perfect in this song. You hear the diva and the raising of the brows during this song. It’s a great f u to the guy song. (9/10)
8. It's A Wrap
Mariah opens this song with her angelic whistle register and paints the entire song with hints of it here and there. This song also acts like an epilogue of the previous song. In this chapter of Mariah’s memoirs, she goes serious about her feelings and emotions and draws the line. Minus the laughs and the sarcasm, she calls it a wrap. Simple music and great adlibs on this song. Mariah fans would appreciate this song more than others. Amazing amazing production. You hear almost 5 different versions of her voice here. Truly an wonderful instrument and her phrasing is a killer. Reminds me of I’m Going Down. This is pure 90’s jam. (10/10)
9. Up Out My Face
The brightest part of this album, brighter than Obsessed. The use of the horns in this song is just genius. A must listen. Mariah plays with her vocals in this song so much that it makes you stand up and jam along with her. Do yourself a favor and blast this on your stereo while driving. It’s almost a summer vibe but it really brightens the CD’s fall release but still being intertwined to the amazing jam. Mariah does her fast-talk almost a rap towards the end and just plays around. But when Mariah plays around, it’s magic. (10/10)
10. Up Out My Face (the reprise)
A marching band gives this uplifting end to the wonderful song. The horns are very beautiful.
11. More Than Just Friends
It’s interesting how Mariah almost opens her memoirs with slow jams and then midway through, she throws in the more upbeat track. This song almost sounds like a song she left out from Rainbow. It feels so old but new. You would not think this jam was made during the 00’s because this is the Mariah urban radio loved in the 90’s. Instead of going all crazy on E=MC2 (where most songs were designed to be a single), with MTJF, she creates those transition songs. Those songs that are not going to be eaten up by radio but for the CD, it serves as a purpose. Mariah soars with her vocals with her adlibs. This song definitely colors up the CD. A lot of the lyrics are repetitive. It almost sounds more like an intermission but it’s one I would stay for. (8.5/10)
12. The Impossible
One of the sexiest most sensual bridges Mariah has created. This song has the laid-back feel. I almost feel like Mariah recorded this song with a glass of wine and a silk bathrobe in her New York apartment. You get the picture. Her best slow-jam in the CD. This is a beautiful ode to her man. Mariah expresses her love and how she feels. Knowing Mariah, she doesn’t hold back when she wants her feelings to be know from diva to b*tch, but here she becomes that bubble-bath loving chick who just want to make her man feel good. Haha, you get the picture again. A stand-track because in my opinion, this is what Mariah does best. This is Mariah’s best vocal tone in the entire cd. Very clean sensual vocals. By far, the sexiest song since Babydoll. (10/10)
13. The Impossible (the reprise)
Couples will eat this up. Her sexiness has that maturity. Not too gritty and vulgar like some R&B artists do it. She really uses her voice to relay her thoughts.
14. Angel (the prelude)
Just like the title, it’s like an angel is seeing, she goes through many levels of her whistle register in this Angel opener. Gorgeous vocals. It’s a reminder that she still has it. Mariah is the true definition of amazing sweet vocals. We don’t need copycat artist trying to be cutesy. It should be effortless.
15. Angels Cry
Her album’s We Belong Together. The album’s modern ballad. By this part of Memoirs, you have heard her sadness, her happiness, her sensuality, her attitude but her Mariah becomes serious with her singing chops. Especially her final high alto note, this song gives the listener another reminder that despite her sweet vocals, Mariah has a big voice. (9/10)
16. Languishing (the interlude)
This interlude instantly climbs to my top 5 Mariah recordings of all time. This song sounds so personal. Mariah’s amazing back up vocals, her sweet yet pleading vocal tone and the piano comes up with the album’s most impressive cut. Before Mariah closes her album, her memoirs, she gives one last question. It’s a reminder that no one’s perfect especially when it comes to love. Despite all happiness and joy, there will always be doubts in every person’s relationship. Mariah knows that love is a lifetime experience. But with this song, the album’s pre-ender, you know that Mariah’s memoir is full of love. That she is so in love with the idea of love that she wants to know everything about it, hence an amazing interlude to the album’s final track. (10/10)
17. I Want To Know What Love Is
A piano ballad with a singer and a choir. The song very much sums up Memoirs. She wants to know what love is. She’s experienced it, she is experiencing it and she still wants to experience more of it. I understand why her record company wants to release this song, it’s a grower. I admit the first I heard this song I was unsure of how I would later perceive it. It’s really the only song where Mariah goes with it with her vocals. She made me like the Foreigner song but trust me, being a Filipino and hearing this song sung on Sunday variety shows time and time again you would understand. Her fresh take on this classic ballad, reminds me why Without You, I’ll Be There and I Still Became famous again, because Mariah can take on a classic. She will give her version, respect the original and deliver. (10/10)
Overall, this is truly a great album. Very cohesive and very well thought-out. A classic. A great R&B album.
Sidenote: When Mariah did E=MC2, she made a CD full of singles that radio was going to eat up. She ended up with one hit single and critics panning her work. Her fans and critics asked her to come up with a classic CD that is truly Mariah, she made this CD I believe as a gift to her fans. She opened up her heart more than anything in this CD since Daydream and Butterfly, making it a very personal CD. But it is a great personal triumph for her because when she released Butterfly, she created a new formula for R&B that became both a commercial and critical success. I hope she succeeds in both once again but for me personally, she has already did the music industry proud by coming up with such a put-together and amazing collection of Memoirs.
(9.5/10)
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