Mariah Carey's E=MC2 = pop genius
In the music world, 2005 became synonymous with the juggernaut that was The Emancipation of Mimi. The set was the year's best seller at 10 million copies sold worldwide, edging out a then white-hot 50 cent and American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson, and spawned no less than 5 radio hits, including the ubiquitous "We Belong Together" which logged a decade-leading 14 weeks at number one on both the Pop and R&B charts, and set the record for largest radio audience ever with an astounding 240 million audience impressions in a single week. For those keeping score, the song spent more weeks in pole position than Usher's "Yeah" and Beyonce's "Irreplaceable". So the question remains how does one follow-up what was arguably the most successful comeback in Pop music history? If you are the one and only Mariah Carey, you cement said comeback with the release of a bulletproof Teflon-coated opus chockfull of undeniable cross-format radio smashes.
Enter E=MC2 (Island Def Jam Music Group) dropping April 15. The disc features a roll-call of A-list producers, including DJ Toomp, Stargate, Swizz Beats, James Poyser, Bryan-Michael Cox, and perennial partner in crime Jermaine Dupri. If Emancipation re-established Mariah's relevancy in today's youth-driven and dominated market, then E=MC2 solidifies her supremacy.
The debut single, "Touch My Body", pairs Mariah with the proven songwriter/beatsmith hitmaker tandem of The Dream and Tricky Stewart (Rihanna's "Umbrella", Mary J. Blige's "Just Fine"). The result is an infectious musically sparse and lilting R&B/pop track with a twinkling piano refrain, and insanely catchy lyrics that continue Mariah's recent trend of including Pop culture references and her own personal catchphrases. Carey warns a suspicious lover during a tryst, "If there's a camera up in here, I best not catch this flick on You-tube" or "I will hunt you down"!
The video reunites acclaimed Hollywood auteur Brett Ratner (Rush Hour trilogy, X-men Last Man Standing) with Carey for the sixth time, he also helmed "We Belong Together" for Mimi. The video became an instant TRL and 106 and Park favorite. The clip cleverly joins Carey with Jack McBrayer, star of TV's Third Rock and Hollywood blockbuster Talledega Nights, for a hilarious geek fantasy that includes him and Mariah playing Frisbee, laser tag and walking a unicorn. No, seriously! Upon release to radio, "Body" permeated the Urban, Pop, Rythmic, and UAC formats in record time. The song was released to digital Outlets on March 24th, and quickly established itself with record-breaking first-week sales of 286,000 paid downloads, unseating previous record-holder and label-mate Rihanna's summer smash "Umbrella". As a result, "Body" became Mariah's 18th number one single, and toppled Elvis Presley, as she now has more chart-toppers than any solo performer in the history of Billboard magazine!
But that is just the tip of the iceberg for this virtual jukebox of hits-in-waiting. After much deliberation on the part of IDJ and Mariah, "Bye Bye" was chosen as the second single. Easily the most radio-friendly and format-defying of the collection, "Bye Bye" is an infectious universal ode to lost loved ones with a crescendo vocal climax and anthemic lyrics "This is for my people's who just lost somebody/Your best friend/Your baby/Your man/Or your lady/Put your hands way up high/We will never say bye." Think "Hero" and "One Sweet Day" for the 21st Century buoyed by performance enhancers! You think that's a bit of an exaggeration? Check IDJ's confidence as they prepare to launch the single. The premiere performance will be via The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 14, followed by Carey mentoring contestants on an American Idol "Mariah-themed" episode on April 15, the day of the album release, followed by another "Bye Bye" performance on a second American Idol appearance on the April 16! The single will be released to iTunes as a digital download on April 14. I'd say "Bye Bye" is the money shot as they say.
Where IDJ goes as a third single will undoubtedly be another tough decision. Although, the Nate "Danjahandz" Hills produced certifiable club-banger "Migrate", which opens with supersonic high-notes only Mariah could muster, and featuring a relentless thumping bassline and memorable guest rap by the omnipresent T-Pain, demands dibs to that honor and ownership of the '08 summer airwaves. Mariah informs us that a usual night out for her and her girls is to migrate "From the car to the club/From the bar to VIP/From the party to the afterparty/ Afterparty to hotel." Pain brings the most unforgettable verse on the track however with, "Don't wait for me to buy drinks/Or you gon' dehydrate/It's time to migrate."
The most lyrically introspective and sonically liberated track is the southern-fried Crunk & Roll mid-tempo masterpiece "Side Effects", produced by Scott Storch. Here, Mariah is uncharacteristically candid and bare "Still wake up dreaming 'bout them violent times" and "Sleeping with the enemy/Aware that he was smothering/Every last/Part of me." One listen and you're convinced this song must have been a cathartic exercise necessary to shed some lingering emotional baggage for true triumph.
Another single-worthy track is the disco-burner "I'm That Chick You Like" which brilliantly incorporates MJ's "Off The Wall", where Mariah takes on a sassy swagger "Take this seriously/Like Pac 'all eyez on me' " and "I do's it naturally/Hypnotized like Biggie/But you ain't having dreams." Other highlights include the Jermaine Dupri produced reggae-inspired "Cruise Control" featuring music royalty Damian Marley, that showcases Mariah with an impressive turn at Jamaican patois "He's the flyest ting/When he be cruisin'/On me avenue." The best candidate as a closing single to the collection is the breezy bounce of "I'll Be Loving You Long Time", where DJ Toomp creatively samples the Debarge classic "Stay With Me", and serves up a flawless straightforward vocal delivery from Mariah that is reminiscent of "Dreamlover".
Already the biggest selling female artist of all time with career sales upward of 160 million albums, videos, and singles sold, Mariah Carey proves that she is not even beginning to think of resting on her laurels. The Post-Emancipation era has surely given way to the most relaxed, self-assured, and uninhibited Mariah album ever released; and thus, track for track, the most cohesive and thoroughly enjoyable of her career. E=MC2 concretely establishes Mariah Carey as a living legend nearly twenty years into her career and still at the top of the game. (Urban Network)
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