Music Review / PATRICK RIVERS

The Relativity of Mariah

• Mariah Carey, E=MC². Island Records, 2008

Catching the B-52s on a late-night television show a few weeks ago I began to think about moments in pop music (let me clarify this term for the sake of my music colleagues: mass-marketed commercial popular music). While I’ve never sought out the latest B-52s record, I do recall catching their music video for “Love Shack” on television in 1990 and feeling that it felt right in a video rotation that featured Ice Cube, Prince, Madonna, Salt ‘n’ Pepa, Wilson Philips, and Vanilla Ice. Roughly 20 years later, they are still making music and Fred Schneider’s voice still straddles the line between cool/annoying, but they probably will not touch the heights of the pop world and have a moment as they did back then.

Speaking of back then, 1990 happens to be the year that Mariah Carey entered the pop arena with her self-titled debut. With “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Someday,” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry” giving her four consecutive number one singles, Mariah’s 1990-91 pop moment featured numerous television appearances and award ceremonies. The ascendance of a star to the point where their debut is nominated for Grammy of the year, though, is not always a predictor of a bright future (see, Lauryn Hill; watch, Amy Winehouse). Mariah, even with the disaster that was Glitter, thwarted that outcome and 18 years later has released an album and videos that are being played in rotations featuring Soulja Boy, Justin Timberlake, and a host of other current music stars who were carrying their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and My Little Pony lunch boxes when the 20-year old Mariah led her first assault on the Billboard charts. And while many of the millions that purchased Mariah Carey are still supporting Carey, her understanding and application of what is contemporary in the music industry has kept her relevant in this moment and resulted in E=MC².

Albums that are considered pop at a certain time are usually representative of that time. While many acknowledged this, there seems to be a standard amongst reviewers and critics to juxtaposed anticipated releases by large pop icons to their former heights and/or to the heights of other similar icons. Transcendent pop albums that are popular with our mamas and our mamas’ mamas and will be just as popular with our children’s children are scarce and are difficult to make because even good songs have a difficult time translating to everyone, and balancing the styles of the time with content that invites all to listen on an album is a challenge. Mariah achieved much of these criteria on Emancipation of Mimi with hints of soul, pop, and hip-hop, but no so much with its sequel. As a fairly open-minded person who does not ignore what goes on in pop music I believe we should attempt to see E=MC² as an album within Mariah’s catalogue and as an album of its time.

Emancipation of Mimi was a respectable album that I enjoyed for its diversity in style and sound but also for its depth and cohesiveness. E=MC² reproduces Emancipation in lyrical content and attitude but is a dilution of its predecessor as it lacks depth and the redemption narrative that went along with the 2005 release. However, with this current album being further pushed through the Southern hip-hop filter and the addition of some Jamaican dancehall flavor, we will be hearing tracks from E=MC² on the beaches and from cars this upcoming summer. The opening track, “Migrate,” features Florida’s hip-hop synth-singer T-Pain, high-pitched synthesizer riffs, and the customary “Aayyyyy” chant every other bar or so giving it the Atlanta-based hip-hop stamp of approval. Lyrically, the song is set in a club and sees Mariah posturing as guys try to get with her and girls envy her. If this sounds familiar it’s because the opening track of Emancipation, “It’s Like That,” is the same scene, this must be why she needs to be emancipated again.

While we are on Southern hip-hop style let’s explore this as it is an important part of keeping the sound of Mimi’s emancipation contemporary. Emancipation was released in the first half of 2005; post-Emancipation trends saw the South tighten its grip on hip-hop. Lil’ Jon and T.I. were success stories and Three 6 Mafia were on their way to an Oscar (still can’t believe that one); however, when Dem Franchise Boyz, and D4L brought snap music to the mainstream with simplistic (not minimalist) beats that were accompanied with dance steps centered around finger snapping, mainstream hip-hop turned a corner and headed South. The results of this are heard all over hip-hop and pop radio and on “Side Effects,” a track that features Young Jeezy, a major figure in the Southern hip-hop scene. Unlike most of the songs on the album, this song is very revealing of her life as she sings of her early recording career and her relationship with music executive Tommy Mottola. This subject matter is set to an uninspiring track created by Scott Storch, whose Southern style beats are better suited for rappers and not someone with the Carey’s vocal prowess.

Jeezy’s recitation-style of rhyming works well when one is looking for straightforward basic lyrics, but with his dull pace and Mariah’s laidback pseudo-rap singing, the urgency of the lyrics are practically lost. “Cruise Control” and “Bye Bye” also stick to that Southern feel with the former featuring Damien Marley. The appeal of this track is its rhythms, which find a common ground between Southern hip-hop and reggae, as one hi-hat pattern evokes the offbeat rhythm that is usually “skanked” by a guitar in reggae another hi-hat plays the pronounced high-paced sixteenth-note patterns of Southern rap beats. Carey rides the groove well and its only setbacks are her attempt at Jamaican patois and the stagnant chorus that features the lyrical filler, “C-R-U-I-S-E control, C-R-U-I-S-E control, C-R-U-…” But by current pop standards this can pass.

Throughout her career Mariah has exhibited her vocal talents through ballads that usually serve as anchors to her albums. “Love Story” and “I Wish You Well” are the true ballads on the album with the latter featuring the gospel inspiration that Carey has used to end previous albums. For fans of Mariah’s ballads “Love Story” fits well in the catalogue. What holds it back, and most of the album, is that we have heard this from her sometime before and one would think that an 18-year veteran of the music industry would have something more tangible to say about relationships instead of what amounts to high school daydreams about love. Long-time Mariah Carey listeners may still be anticipating her next stage with her progress on Emancipation, and if that is so, they will not find it with these ballads. “I Stay In Love” and “Last Kiss” each attempts to replicate the magic and selling-power of “We Belong Together.” Only time and the next choice of single will tell if either of these songs can do it.

When or if we do look back on this album years from now it is possible that we will remember the lead single “Touch My Body.” What is fascinating about this song it is distinguishable from every other song on the album. It’s the only possible single that does not contain high-pitched synths and a sound that places it below the Mason-Dixon. Most importantly, the references to You Tube, white tees, and tight jeans will give it a place on the “I Love 2008” VH1 special two years from now. Another song that sounds like it was mistakenly put on the album is “I’m That Chick,” a dance music song that alters the general groove of the album and resembles her songs from earlier this decade. If only it had the short but sweet lyrics of “Touch My Body” instead of the hollowness that comes from its juvenile lyrics in the first verse and boring chorus it could shine, despite this its Quincy Jones-era Michael Jackson references will interest some listeners.

While many of the producers on E=MC² are not novices to hip-hop and pop music, particularly Jermaine Dupri, the absence of The Neptunes and Kanye West supporting Carey’s voice is a loss that this album does not recover from. “Stay the Night” and “Say Something” were soulful and funky, respectfully, but the pop moment has moved on from those feelings and has taken up the rigid, predominantly synthesized sounds and grooves of today. In this sense, E=MC² is a hit that Mariah has already used to past Elvis on the all-time number one hit singles chart and will use throughout this year to sustain a pop prestige she established in 1990. I hope this review comes in handy for anyone on the fence in terms of whether or not to check out this album. If it does not, please take advantage of today’s consumer friendly technology by sampling the songs on the album at any one of the online music stores. Then choose the ones you like the most…and sample them again, and again, and again.

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