Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi

[Jark]

this record is coming up for TWENTY YEARS OLD! I've been spinning it a lot lately - let's talk Emancipation





not only the album she desperately needed at that point in her career (actual hooks! big choruses and diva vocals after years of whispering!), but for me comfortably the best-aged Mariah record. bar three or four songs with 2005-ish production, it sounded classic on arrival and it's been fairly immune to the passage of time since. those retro soulful sounds across the record were a beautiful fit for her voice then, and the '70s elements felt like something fresh for her, not simply a retreat to her early-mid 90s sound.

10 It's Like That
10 We Belong Together
10 Shake it Off
08.5 Mine Again
09 Say Somethin'
08 Stay the Night
09 Get Your Number
08 One and Only
07 Circles
09.5 Your Girl
06 I Wish You Knew
08 Joy Ride
10 Fly Like a Bird

I'm a big Butterfly truther too but I think TEOM will always be the one for me. the iconography of the artwork, the "to be continued" videos, the huge superstar energy of it all... it all felt kinda unexpected but very, very right. and it's also the last great showcase for THE VOICE.

 

[KindaCool]

Probably my favorite album ever. The campaign at the time was basically flawless. ILT was the perfect appetizer before the behemoth that was WBT.

My favorite thing about it is the neo-soul production, especially Stay The Night, Circles and I Wish You Knew.

 

[dUb]

Not in my Top 5 Mariah albums but lots of POW! moments

 

[Devil]

Loved it at the time, and a true moment for her. No real interest in it now though.

 

[POP!]

I rarely play it from start to finish but I enjoy it more these days than I did in 2005 (I hated "Shake it Off" at the time but am rather fond these days).

"Fly Like a Bird", "Say Somethin", "We Belong Together", "Mine Again", "Stay the Night" are my top five cuts.

 

[Berly]

I prefer the album tracks to the singles beyond WBT some of the Jermaine stuff has aged terribly

 

[VoR]

Two all-time great comeback singles and a lot of middling filler.

#sorrynotsorry

 

[VoR]

…and to be honest, even It’s Like That sounds quite TINNY in the cold light of 2023, but the utterly ludicrous lyrics give it an undeniable charm.

 

[Funky]

Not in my Top 5 Mariah albums but lots of POW! moments

I equal this take

 

[Jark]

…and to be honest, even It’s Like That sounds quite TINNY in the cold light of 2023, but the utterly ludicrous lyrics give it an undeniable charm.

NOPE!

It's Like That is rich, saucy, ash AND lotion.

 

[Sheena]

The first seven tracks are top notch but yes, after that, a lot of it is filler.

The deluxe edition didn’t seem to add much either, to be fair.

 

[Pipo]

I still adore Joy Ride, it was such a throwback track to 90's Mariah I'm gonna die alone on this hill.

08 It's Like That (The remix set was a 10 though)
10 We Belong Together
09 Shake it Off
08 Mine Again
10 Say Somethin'
10 Stay the Night
09 Get Your Number
06 One and Only
08 Circles
08 Your Girl
06 I Wish You Knew
10 Joy Ride
10 Fly Like a Bird

 

[Joseph]