Album Review: Mariah Carey - Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (3/5)

"Imperfect" is definitely the right word to describe Mariah Carey's new album. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, her 11th album of new material, starts out strong but quickly sinks into a quagmire of mediocre R&B pop before pulling itself out of the slump with a rather grand finish.

The album is generally much darker than most of her work, particularly at first with opening track "Betcha Gon' Know," a deliciously downbeat piano ballad over which Carey sings with a decent vocal range. It sets the stage for the album, telling us some sad story, while name-checking a bunch of talk show hosts. Next is first single "Obsessed," a stomping pop ditty about the famous singer being stalked by a nutty fan (or Eminem, as some reports have said, and Carey herself won't deny). "H.A.T.E.U." follows, a lovely ballad about a failed relationship which like the opening track finds Carey making good use of her range by singing in her lower register as well as her "whisper" voice.

Unfortunately after "H.A.T.E.U." follows a long stretch of songs that are rather unimpressive and all rather similar, probably the result of Carey having relied almost solely on producers Tricky Stewart and The-Dream--the men responsible for her last album's only hit, "Touch My Body." "Candy Bling" is first, and although it has a bit of a retro vibe to it, the song never goes anywhere interesting, delivering a continuously unvaried level of sound. These guys aren't much interested in exploring all the hills and valleys Carey's voice can deliver, and consequently we're left with a bunch of bland tunes none of which are too fast or too slow and generally have the same Butterfly-era skittering beats (a rhythm she's used a lot in the last 12 years).

In fact, I find little to distinguish "Ribbon," "Inseparable," and "Standing O," all of which have about the same middling tempo, synths over piano chords tune, and little vocal variation. "It's a Wrap" opens with some wine being poured--and you'll want one too by then, a little Mariah screech and some piano before bringing in its mild R&B beat. It has a bit of retro flavor, but it's otherwise pretty thin. The repetition wears even thinner on "Up Out My Face" (mid-tempo, piano, skittering beats) and "More Than Just Friends" (mid-tempo, piano, skittering beats)--is there no other sound worth making anymore Mariah? The answer comes with plodding "The Impossible."

The album's last stretch though manages to yield a few successes. "Angels Cry" and its prelude, "Angel," are sweet mid '90s-era Mariah slow jams, that brings a bit of warmth and sweetness missing from the album's middle section (and a similar melody to "H.A.T.E.U.," the early slow jam that I actually liked)." This part of the album finds each song divided by a prelude or a reprise, most of which are generally related to the song being introduced or reprised, save for "Languishing," which stands on its own. This is actually one of the album's strongest moments, and its a real shame it wasn't fully developed into a song, for it's quite lovely.

Carey finishes her set with "I Want to Know What Love Is," a power ballad in the grand old style of power ballads she used to make in the '90s. It's quite tuneful and majestic, with Mariah's vocal soaring at the end with the matching choir. It's delightful pop at its cheesy best.

When I heard the album hearkened back to the '90s, and then this was released, I was really hoping the would be a strong return to her adult pop roots. Unfortunately it ended up not being that, and while her efforts to be a little more personal and a little less trendy are respectable, I wish it would have been backed with a stronger set of songs that didn't all basically sound the same. Still, the best moments show she's still got some range in her, there just aren't enough of them here.

Best: I Want to Know What Love Is, Obsessed, Languishing, Betcha Gon' Know, H.A.T.E.U.