This is the latest album from Mariah Carey! It has been too long since she has released a new one. After the disastrous Glitter and the mediocre Charmbracelet, The Emancipation Of Mimi is a pleasant surprise! Fan sites and music forums have been buzzing about this album months before casual fans learned of its release. Several tracks from the album had been leaked months before the release. Some of these may be potential singles for later release, but it's too early to say. This album quickly sold 400,000+ copies within the first week of release and holds the top spot of the April 30th edition of the Billboard 200, knocking 50 Cent's album out of the much-coveted spot. The first official single from the album was the club track "It's Like That". It was a fun track that is great to listen too. It's all about going out and having a good time without worrying about stuff happening. And the remixes by David Morales and Scott Storch took it to a whole other level. The Morales Classic Club Mix and Club Mix lived up to their titles. They are a slice of classic house. Great for peak hour and late night play. The Stereo Experience mixes were much darker and lived up to their names as well. And the Scott Storch Mix was a remix aimed at the urban and CHR stations. It's pretty good. Now the second single currently getting play at the radio stations right now is the softer, downtempo ballad called "We Belong Together." This is a simply amazing song. The lyrics are powerful as are Mariah's vocals. This is on par with many of her previous hit ballads. The album is worth buying just for this song. Then there's the rest of the album. There are some ballads and dance tracks. "Shake It Off", "Get Your Number", "To The Floor", and "Say Somethin' " are the only other dance tracks on this album, in addition to the previously mentioned "It's Like That." These tracks are pretty good. All these cuts, except "Shake It Off" feature some guest performers. Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, and Twista do the honors as featured performers. The rest of the album is downtempo ballads. These are classic Mariah songs. All of these are spectacular. "Fly Like A Bird", "Mine Again", "Circles", "Stay The Night", "Joyride", "Your Girl", "One & Only" and I Wish I Knew", in addition to "We Belong Together" make up the downtempo tracks. These are all pretty good. The only track on here that is a bit weak is "I Wish I Knew", but it's not a bad song. All in all, this album is a joy to listen to. This is one of the few albums in my collection that I don't find myself skipping tracks. Do yourself a favor and buy this album. You will not be sorry! As the posters said, the Voice has returned!now available at all music stores, and online
