Album Review: "ME. I am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse"

Mariah Carey's new album, the excellently titled "ME. I am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse," is a statement from the superstar singer. No, on second thought, Mariah's new album is more of a challenge.

It's baffling how a legendary and fiercely talented artist of Mariah's caliber has, admittedly, become the underdog in today's EDM-saturated music industry, with underperforming albums (2009's "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" wasn't the blockbuster album lambs wanted it to be) and singles that should never have been recorded in the first place (**coughs*Thriumphant*coughs).

But with "Chanteuse," Mariah challenges this unfortunate status quo. She has never sounded so confident, so creative, so comfortable in her own songs. Though she has written all of her songs since her first album ("Chanteuse" is her 14th), it looks like Mariah may have found a new comfort zone, one that allows her voice to shine the way it should.

In earlier interviews, she said the album will be full of power ballads. Knowing how Mariah defines a "ballad" (will it sound something like "Hero" or the beats-driven "We belong together"?), I was a bit skeptical. Fortunately, she delivered on her promise. And how.

The ballads are anchored by her magical voice, accompanied mostly by piano. There are lots of mid-tempos thrown in there for good measure. But it's interesting to note the number of "gospel moments" in the album. Mariah has always had at least one Bible-quoting song each album. But here, her faith shows left and right.

(PS: I shall upload a separate track-by-track review in a couple of days. Please stay tuned for that. Thanks!)

"Chanteuse" is full of raw emotions, delivered by the otherworldly voice that is as impressive today as it was 24 years ago, when we first got to hear "Vision of love" from a then-unknown 20-year-old divette who has blossomed into one of the most accomplished recording artist in history.

Mariah has managed to craft songs that are complex and complicated, yet simple and singable (well, maybe not so singable) enough to relate to. She could have easily titled this album "ME. I am Mariah. The only f*cking chanteuse in the world who can sing these songs."

It's an album that is full of thoughtful and intelligent tracks, which was why it probably took her five years to finish this album. (Her last album was "Memoirs" in 2009, but she put out a Christmas album in 2010).

I have to admit I was a bit worried when I first saw the list of collaborators (featured artists Wale, Nas, Fabolous, Miguel and producers Mike Will, Hitboy, Q-tip, Jermaine Dupri, among others).In my wind, I was asking Mariah why she won't go back to producing songs with the likes of Ben Marguiles (who helped helm seven of the 10 songs off her debut album) and Walter Afanasieff (who worked with her on her biggest hits like "Hero," "One sweet day" and "All I want for Christmas is you").

But after listening to the entirety of the album, I get it. I get the musical direction Mariah wanted to take. In this album, there's just no indication that her voice has suffered from wear and tear over the years. If it's possible, I would even wager that her vocal skills--or at least her singing technique--had improved. Somebody finally put the cham-pag-neeee hidden from this diva, err, chanteuse.

This is, without doubt, her most focused work. Only Mariah can hit another peak in a long, storied career just like hers. If this was the Olympics, Mariah better soon find a spot for another gold medal. This is a win for everybody.

Mariah didn't just produce a good Mariah album. She produced great, solid, sumptuous music. I'll definitely have seconds.

*****

*** "Me. I am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse" becomes available for download on iTunes Philippines on May 26. Nationwide release for the physical CD rolls out the following day. *** 

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