Here is what the press are saying about Mariah’s new album, Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse:
Sunday Express (Album of the Week): The strength of this, her 14th, album is how subtle much of it is. Singing loud is a skill but performing softly is a true art, and on the opening Cry, Carey gives a masterclass in solemn and soulful delivery. Dedicated (performed with Nas) is equally impressive, a beautiful, low-key breeze of a track, drenched in nostalgia that is reminiscent of the vocal group Tony! Toni! Tone! There are some lovely instrumental touches too: the broken, twangy guitar intro to Beautiful, and the churchy organ that underpins her superb reworking of George Michael’s One More Try. Rating: 4/5
Timbaland: Mariah Carey has an amazing album. I’m proud of her!
NewsDay: It’s a balance that may be elusive to many, but Carey has nailed it once again on “Chanteuse,” her strongest effort since 1995’s “Daydream.” Rating: A-
Cleveland.Com: Mariah Carey starts off her new album “Me, I am Mariah: The Elusive Chanteuse” with the emotional piano ballad “Cry,” and continues through a nostalgia-themed roster of songs that show off her amazing voice. Give it a listen for the power ballad “You Don’t Know What to Do,” Stevie Wonder’s harmonica solo on “Make It Look Good” and a poignant cover of George Michael’s “One More Try.”
Digital Spy: Opening track ‘Cry’ has all the hallmarks of an original Mariah weeper: gospel pianos, simmering vocals and full-bodied runs soundtracking heartfelt sentiment. Its swirling organs and scaling ad-libs echo the wide-eyed superstar who won over the world in the early ’90s. At the other end is last year’s ‘#Beautiful’, a flirty, sensual duet with Miguel, which hears a body-confident and sexually-liberated Mariah at her mightiest. The art of acknowledging former glories as well as pushing forward is one Me. I Am Mariah does with consideration. Despite Mariah’s new-found maternal and domestic bliss, this diamante diva is not for mellowing just yet. Rating: 3.5/5
Scotland on Sunday: It starts on a truly impressive vocal performance with Cry, a breathy, soulful piano ballad founded on some mightily sustained notes and a sense of drama which is positively Streisandesque. The minimal nu-soul of Faded gives way to Dedicated, a collaboration with New York rapper Nas which begins with a vocal snippet of the pair discussing their “most nostalgic moment for hip-hop ever”- the summer of ’88 says Nas- and then recreates that time with a laid-back summer groove. As the album progresses, the clean, up-market preparation of these songs, allows a neat harmonica backing on Make It Look Good, Madonna- style club beats of Meteorite and the swaggering horn groove of Money to showcase Carey’s mighty vocal ability. Rating: 3/5
Irish Mail on Sunday: Mariah might have appeared as bat-crazy as any diva at times, but she never lost possession of that almost unique vocal instrument that justifies her success. The melismatic style is dialled down a little but on tracks such as Make It Look Good, Meteorite and Beautiful she sounds like she’s having fun. Nas, Explicit and Miguel sound like they have taken time on their contributions rather than the ‘phoned-in’ contributions of too many hip-hop artists guesting on other albums. Even for non-fans, like me, this is very agreeable. Rating: 3/5
The Sun: With its soulful R’n’B hues, inspiration from her old-school days and collaborations with hottest producers and artists of today, she is still very much a living legend. On Thirsty sassy Mariah strikes again with some attitude-inflected R’n’B/pop with a big hip-hop twist proving and reminding us who the real diva still is. As Mariah was one of the first females to mix R’n’B/pop with hip-hop, it’s perfect that she has capture this flavour again here Not only does Cry showcase Mariah’s vocal ability but you can really hear the emotion and the meaning she puts into it. It shows she is all about the storytelling alongside the vocal tricks. Money is an ultimate feelgood tune with a modern take on a retro sound that makes you want to dance. Heavenly is the perfect end to an impressive yet familiar-sounding Mariah album that resembles her early days…but with a fresh twist. Rating 5/5
The Guardian: “Best thing to happen to your ass was me,” sings Mariah Carey on the track Thirsty, inviting you to applaud her heroic self-belief.That quality permeates her 13th studio album, from the fabulously solipsistic title to her confidence as she outdazzles guests Nas, Miguel and even Stevie Wonder. Sure, Wonder can play a joyous harmonica – which he does on Make It Look Good – but can he trill and soar with Carey’s offhand elegance? Rating: 3/5
Attitude Magazine: It’s been a long, hard road for Mariah fans but ultimately, it’s been worth the wait. Me. I Am Mariah… strikes the right balance between the Mariah of yesteryear, and the Mimi we know today, and with time I believe this album will be regarded as one of her best.
Entertainment Ireland: Album highlight has got to be “Meteorite”, produced by fellow 90s stalwart Q-Tip, starting out with Mariah quoting Andy Warhol, before seguing into an incredibly infectious beat of conga drums and hand claps, and Carey singing about her lover who can light up the sky, which itself then segues into a warped and clipped chorus of ‘Meteor-ite-ite-ite!” which, like all Mariah’s best upbeat songs, was custom built for singing along to at summer barbeques or while driving with the top down. Looking at her contemporaries, they’re either sadly departed or simply not recording new music anymore, while the younger generation have seemingly all given into the EDM monster. So while Mariah may not be to everyone’s taste, her taste in old school sounding music is beyond reproach. Rating: 3.5/5
Vibe: With I Am Mariah, there’s an overall easiness to the melodies that show her, for the most part, having the time of her life. When she’s floating, we get joyous records like “Meteorite” – a light disco record ‘ and “Make It Look Good”, which is old-school prom material (Stevie Wonder harmonica included) in a good way.
USA TODAY: The tender, aching ballads and joyful pop-soul numbers here both mark a return to form and reveal increased nuance, particularly in the singing. The artful melisma, robust belting and decorative high notes are still there, but Carey spends a great deal of time using her supple middle and lower registers to convey feeling simply and directly. Elusive or not, this chanteuse is a survivor, and that’s a rare thing in today’s fickle, polarized pop landscape. Rating: 3.5/4
Entertainment Weekly:Who else has survived EDM and Auto-Tune and still climbs her way up the octaves like this? Ariana Grande may have been christened the “new Mariah,” but we still need the old one. And she is telling you that she’s not going.Rating: B
Yahoo! Music: Mariah Carey accomplishes a feat with Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse that pop stars rarely achieve: Twenty-four years and 13 other studio albums into her career, she compiles one of her best sets yet.
New York Daily News: Contrary to its title, the new album may be Carey’s least elusive work. Rarely has she made her talent more clear. As the title states, Me. I Am Mariah captures her essence. Oblivious to shock value trends plaguing pop music, Carey sings a collection of love songs over a mixture of gospel-tinged ballads, 1980s R&B, and hip-hop soul.
Female First: The overwhelming feeling you’ll get from listening to this album is that Mariah is no longer afraid to simply be herself without feeling the need to cater to themes and genres she isn’t as strong in. She’s finally leaving that to others and excelling in an area of vocal technique she’s always been one of the best in. Rating: 4.5/5
WonderingSound.com: Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse might not further cement Carey’s place in the record books, but it’s achieved something more important; it’s carefree and confident, full of effervescent charm that almost recalls those moments during childhood when finding a great song on the radio was revelatory.
Entertainment Focus: The order of the day for Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse is variety and Mariah plays to her strengths throughout. From the feistier uptempo numbers such as Thirsty through to the gospel-tinged Heavenly (No Ways Tired/Can’t Give Up Now) there’s something for everyone who’s ever been a fan of Mariah. The dreamy Dedicated is built around a sample from Wu Tang Clan and features Nas, the harmony-filled Make It Look Good should be a future single and Meteorite is a gorgeous 70s dancefloor moment best played loudly. Mariah also puts her own take on George Michael’s classic One More Try which is surprisingly affecting.Standout moments on the record come on the off-kilter beats of mid-tempo ballad Faded and the simplicity of Camouflage which is one of the best vocals on the record. You just can’t beat a Mariah piano ballad and no one does them better than she does. Colour us impressed and ready to declare that Mimi is back in the game Rating: 5/5
Guardian Liberty Voice: It feels like at long last, this is the album that brings forth the true return of Mariah Carey. Searching for the Elusive Chanteuse has been quite the effort. From songs that did not feel right, to others that tried too hard and moments where many believed they would never have her back, Carey has proven that she still has something up her sleeve when it comes to surprising music listeners. The closer on the standard edition of the disc, Heavenly is a straight-up gospel sermon with the line, “I just can’t give up now; come too far from where I’ve started from.†Mariah Carey has come extremely far and now that it is known she can still create music like this, she is not allowed to ever go back.
Mariah Carey’s new album “Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse,” is available from:
iTunes by clicking one of the following links: Standard Edition | Deluxe Edition
CD editions of the album are available from Amazon by clicking one of the following links: Standard Edition | Deluxe Edition