EW review: Mariah embraces diva soul
Surprise! 'Emancipation' heavy on ballads, love songs
By Tom Sinclair
Entertainment Weekly
(Entertainment Weekly) -- What's in a name?
Mariah Carey is calling her 10th studio CD "The Emancipation of Mimi." It's the sort of bold title that promises big changes, exciting sounds, a fresh outlook. Both the word "emancipation" and the sobriquet "Mimi" (a nickname used by friends and family) imply that Carey's latest will be soaringly free and intensely personal.
Could those words also signal that this is the disc on which Carey throws caution to the wind and explores alien genres? Is this where her previously unsuspected love for artists like, say, Jimi Hendrix, the Smiths or Pere Ubu finally rears its head?
Of course not. (Ah, but it's fun to dream, isn't it?) Our girl is attempting to extricate herself from the prolonged career slump that began with the abysmal failure of the "Glitter" soundtrack in 2001 and continued through 2002's "Charmbracelet," and neither she nor her handlers are likely to take any crazy chances. (She's probably never heard of Pere Ubu anyway.)
In fact, the superstar producers and guest artists on "Emancipation" (the Neptunes, Kanye West, Twista, Snoop Dogg, Nelly) are no less than the hottest -- and most overexposed -- names in urban music.
If such a stacking of the deck seems predictable, it gets the job done: Every song on "Emancipation" showcases Carey's undeniable vocal strengths. Heavy on ballads and midtempo love songs, it always keeps at least one foot (more often, both feet) planted firmly in comforting old-school diva soul. This is an R&B record for folks who think there hasn't been any good R&B since Minnie Riperton died.
Even the rappers are on their best behavior, with Snoop playing an amiable around-the-way lothario on ''Say Somethin''' and Twista motormouthing his way through ''One and Only'' (''Twista and Mariah/Together like a grip on a tire,'' he raps, and it must be admitted that Carey does a fair job of trying to keep up with him).
''It's Like That'' isn't the old Run-DMC song, but it's almost as cool, with Carey fantasizing about easing into a nightclub buzzed on Bacardi. ''No stress, no fights,'' she sings, making it sound like a trip to a vacation spa. ''To the Floor'' is another hooky dance-floor anthem that ought to get a party started (although it does sound like Nelly phoned his part in).
But the crux of the album is to be found in its heart-on-my-sleeve numbers. Perhaps the best of these is ''Fly Like a Bird,'' a veritable prayer that explicitly references God. ''Sometimes this life can be so cold/I pray you'll come and carry me home,'' Carey sings melismatically. ''Carry me higher, higher, higher.''
It's so moving that we'll resist the temptation to be crass and interpret the song as a plea for heightened record sales. Help from above is always welcome, but "Emancipation" sounds like it just might do fine all on its own.
EW Grade: B
'Bleed Like Me,' Garbage
Some people carp that Garbage's carefully assembled post-grunge pop-rock is too contrived. We see their point, but that doesn't make us deaf to the humongous hooks on album No. 4, "Bleed Like Me."
And when our fave vixen Shirley Manson coos, ''I don't care what they have to say/You shouldn't listen to them anyway'' (on ''Right Between the Eyes''), we just think, ''You tell 'em, babe!''
EW Grade: B+
'Lost and Found,' Will Smith
''I never write verses with curses'' -- or choruses, either -- raps Will Smith on "Lost and Found," pointing up one reason some hardcore hip-hoppers hate on him.
But realizing that living large is the best revenge, Big Willie doesn't waste too much time apologizing for his lack of crudeness. Whether recasting the "Spider-Man" theme as a rap tune (''Here He Comes''), poking fun at his own squeaky-clean image (''Mr. Niceguy'') or relating the tragic tale of a Fresh Prince-obsessed stalker (''Loretta''), Smith delivers a CD packed with the sort of undeniable pleasures only the most churlish thug could deny.
Go ahead -- get your jig on.
EW Grade: B+
More from Entertainment Weekly: EW Music
Click Here to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
