TuMusicaLatino.com

Indeed memorable

Customer Rating:
Memoirs... is a slow burner. It does not hit the listener on first play, but it takes its time to warm up to be praised for what it is, a great blend of old school R&B, taking Mariah back to the same lines of Butterfly. The record goes through a set of moods, exploring regret, falling in love, heartbreak and `knowing what love is'.

The record does not top 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi, where Carey belts her soul out and hits more mature ground musically speaking, but instead captures the essence of Mariah not taking herself seriously, and being a diva without make-up, just like one her singles off E=MC² was described the year it was launched. The songwriting is mostly juvenile (except for the power ballads), but it is tailor made for the mellow, and at times playful, sound of the disc. It is highly emotional and melancholic; it longs for lost love and seeks for true love, while mildly referencing past work in the process though still keeping an innovative twist; from these perspectives the album title applies.

It's worth highlighting the album interposes Carey's ability to hit the whistle register, letting it be used largely throughout the songs, even featuring it fully in `Angel (Prelude)'. Aside from the evident presence of the whistle register, the difference between this record and its predecessor, is E=MC² tried too hard to revise what `We Belong Together' was in most of its ballads, which seemed desperate for recapturing the success and composition of the single. Before it was recorded, the sound of the album was described as a greatest hits album without using the greatest hits, and it indisputably contains `distant cousins' to previous work, such as the cleverly titled ballad, `H.A.T.E.U.', which follows the footsteps of `We Belong Together', thus becoming an updated version of it without copying or rehashing the magic of the latter. The inspiration and influence of past singles present on the new tracks serve as references, instead of working as `replacements'.

The record is consistent, except for `Obsessed', the infamous stab at Eminem's offensive remarks towards Carey in Relapse, which does not mesh well with the rest of the track list; it seems off place. In spite of being fun and summery, the reason behind it was unnecessary; it definitely looks like a last minute addition as it takes on a different route than the rest of the album. Carey switches her vocal range and instead of focusing on belting and hitting octaves the whole time, in its place it goes for a whispery tone, which is what fills and consolidates the record's emotional feel. Something interesting to note, is the album seems genuinely passionate and unashamedly accepting when it comes to love, it actually makes one feel in love, and the way she sings in the prologue's closing verse, `Betcha gon' know how it feels, even if it's the last thing I ever do...to be continued.', in fact gives the chills. Guess it is that good. The bitter opener `Betcha Gon' Know', the piano driven `Languishing' (which is splendid; it could have been an amazing full song instead of an interlude), `It's A Wrap', `Angels Cry', `H.A.T.E.U.' and the hypnotic finger snapped `Candy Bling' are the unsullied moments of Memoirs... All in all, it is a beautiful effort.

At first it may seem it all sounds the same, because upon first listen one cannot make a distinction between tracks, and this is because the songs address similar themes all the way through (and because Tricky Stewart and The Dream were responsible for the album's entire production), but it only takes careful listens, paying attention to the lyrics to really see it. Memoirs... is not ground-breaking, but it is surely different from anything in her back catalogue and sees Carey standing between her comfort zone and somewhat pushing the boundary vaguely.

C.Perez

Great healing Album!

Customer Rating:
I love this album!!! This album is the perfect listen for all the women who have had their heart broken. It dosent make you cry or depress u, but empowers you to get over it. This album is very ascribable to being in love and falling out of it. I think Mariah's lyrics are very straightforward and honest. She gives a womans perspective on dating and relationships in a way that is extremley relatable. Its like Mariah is ya homegirl in this album but instead of talking she's singing to you. 5 stars!!

Mariah's Best Since Butterfly

Customer Rating:
All of us honest Mariah fans know that she hasn't put out a great solid album since Butterfly. Sure Rainbow, Emancipation of Mimi, etc. had their moments but it wasn't great. While I wouldn't call it her best Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is a huge improvement.

The good side to Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is that this is an actual album. It is actually pretty creative and has some personal lyrics. Obsessed is obviously about Eminem and most of the songs are just about Mariah being happy with her life at the moment. The best song on the album is Its a Wrap which really needs to be released as a single.

The bad side is that there are no killer singles on this one. While they are both beautiful songs I Want To Know What Love Is and Hate U flopped on the charts. This isn't a commercial album though, which I actually am happy about.

In conclusion, this is worth buying and easily her best since Butterfly and 2000s. (Great inside cover art by the way.)

3.5 / 5 Stars

Review only on Angel's Cry

Customer Rating:
This is just a review on "Angel's Cry" ft. Neyo. I had to admit, this piece started to grow in me. It wasn't all that great when I first heard it on youtube. I felt that this song was just another lovey dovey piece that little girls get hooked on, but once I start reading the lyrics itself and understanding the whole purpose of the song in general, I started to become less bias. This song has real emotional impact. The dynamics and the different pitches of Mariah and Neyo adds real character of raw emotions to the song. Also, the catch phrase, "Lightning don't strike the same place twice" is a great representation of experiencing the mistakes made and learning from it.

love it!!

Customer Rating:
Mariah is the most amazing person and singer ever. I looove her. Great cd, no matter what the haters say.