 The name of Mariah Carey's twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, suggests some sort of openness, a collection of personal experiences from the songstress. Thus, the name is misleading.
Memoirs has to be one of Carey's most self-indulgent albums to date, and that isn't meant to be taken as a good thing. The tepid passion with which Carey sings her "ballads" leaves much to be desired.
It seems that instead of going for a real memoir feel, Mariah has tried, and ultimately failed, to impress her fans with what she thinks they want to hear. Her signature vocal fireworks litter the CD and are even at times unbearable.
Angel (The Prelude) actually consists of these fireworks alone. Mariah has tried to return to her R&B roots but has only succeeded in falling a couple of notches down the ladder of her career.
The impersonal delivery of some of the album's songs is actually quite awe inspiring. Some songs have a range of probably three notes that are repeated over and over till the very end. It feels mechanical, rehearsed and is presented in such an unabashed way that fans should feel insulted when listening to the majority of the self-proclaimed ballads.
The album does have a few gems, however. H.A.T.E.U (which stands for having a typical emotional upset) has a catchy hook and slows down the mood without bringing it to a complete stop. The slow drum beat and Mariah's soft, airy tone gives the song a rich character.
"I can't wait to H-A-T-E you cuz right now I need you," she coos. Regretting being so connected to a past love that she still can't let go even though their relationship has ended.
Standing O is an upbeat and playful song with a cute piano backdrop but feels too much like an imitation of Rihanna's already cheesy Take a Bow. Mariah sings confidently "so cheers, toast, bravo to you," congratulating a cheating boyfriend for "playing the one that loved you the most." The song is a guilty pleasure but certainly nothing overly special.
The cover of Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is barely crosses the finish line. There are some moments of brilliance in the cover of this classic, especially if the listener knows about MC's past. But the emotional connect isn't there for most of the song.
The climax of the song is more of Mariah shouting and squealing than getting a sincere connection with the lyrics. Again, Mariah seems to be trying too hard to please her long-time fans.
The album's signature love song The Impossible incorporates some guitar and synthetic instruments, while Carey employs the use of lists of reasons why she loves her guy.
"Love ya like summer time, love ya like cherry wine ... love ya like a holiday Duncan Hine's yellow cake."
After getting married to Nick Canon we would expect the song to at least have character, if not only because she should be experiencing true love because of her marriage. Once again, she fails. The Impossible proves that Mariah definitely 'wants to know what love is' - because it doesn't seem like she knows at all.
The record, more than anything, lacks Mariah's lustrous voice. Sure, the squealing fits are in there but the power and sincerity of her instrument are sadly absent. She seems to have traded her most powerful asset instead for soft, whispery verses and a lack of melismatic treasures.
Without feeling, Mariah's voice would have been able to carry some of the bigger numbers on Memoirs. Without both, there is disaster.
But in the end, it seems Mariah has sold herself short. Instead of writing songs that would have spoken to her true self, she went the usual commercial route. The album suffers because of this, and doesn't display Mariah's true range: not necessarily her vocal one, but her emotional one as an artiste.
2.5 out of 5 stars
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