After much anticipation, music icon Mariah Carey has returned with Here For It All, her first album in seven years, via Mariah/gamma. The 11-track album was preceded by the bass-heavy "Type Dangerous" and the dulcet "Sugar Sweet" featuring Shenseea and Kehlani. Additional collaborators include Anderson .Paak and The Clark Sisters.
On Here For It All, Carey does what she does best - letting the nuances of her artistry shine. The album is an eclectic mix of R&B, hip-hop, '70s soul, pop, and gospel, giving her beloved Lambily a little something for everyone.
Here For It All opens with the airy "Mi", a smooth bop that rides on a subtle drill beat. The confidence-boosting track is packed with quotable lyrics like, "I'm the D-I-V-A, that's MC" and "I'm the movie and the muse".
.Paak appears on the latest single, "Play This Song", a lush confessional about missing an ex. "And I know you miss me, babe. Don't pretend like you don't feel the same," Carey sings on the vintage soul track. .Paak responds with, "I can tell by the way you're smiling. Girl I know you miss me."
Speaking on "Play This Song", Carey told Apple Music, "I definitely wanted to work with Anderson because he's so brilliant and amazing at what he does, which is just being a kick-ass musician. But when we got into the studio, we decided we wanted to do something that was kind of '70s, and we did give you that kind of vibe."
The boundary-setting "I Won't Allow It" rides on a funky beat that hears Carey singing, "I won't entertain all your narcissistic ways."
It wouldn't be a Mariah Carey album without ballads like the empowering "Nothing Is Impossible" and "My Love", a cover of Paul McCartney and Wings' 1973 classic. The penultimate "Jesus I Do", featuring The Clark Sisters, and the closing title track pay homage to Carey's gospel sensibilities.
"It's just special to me; that's why I put it at the end and named the album after it, because it's personal to me," Carey explained to Apple Music about "Here For It All".
She continued, "I just feel like this is such a 'Mariah Carey record' in a way that other songs I've done however long ago weren't, because it's got a soulfulness to it, just the way that it's arranged. I just feel like it's something very personal, but also very like it's giving this to other people that need to hear something like that."
Here For It All follows Carey's 2018 offering, Caution, which spawned singles such as "GTFO", "With You" and "A No No".
(Rated R&B)
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