Mariah Carey 'Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse' Review: New Mariah Ballads Don't Quite Live Up To The Originals

Mariah Carey’s long anticipated 14th full-length album, Me. I am Mariah is not as good as expected. Of course, there are amazing vocals (it is Mariah Carey we’re talking about) and few great tracks, but on the whole, there’s nothing that you’ll really fall in love with. It takes a couple of listens of each track to even remotely be interested.

The first of 18 tracks on the album is titled “Cry.” Like many of the tracks on the album, it’s a ballad. Even though I love Mariah’s style and her ballads are the main reason we all fell in love with her, “Cry.” is almost too slow and it lost my attention quickly. It’s about feelings post-breakup when a couple wishes they could hold each other until they both break down and cry. I definitely wouldn’t start an album with this track. It’s missing that “wow factor” and it left me unsatisfied.

Thankfully, it’s not long before we reach my favorite song off the album, “#Beautiful.” You probably recognize it, since it was the lead single from the album and was released May 2013. “#Beautiful” features Miguel and together, they make it a hit. Their voices just sound perfect together and you won’t be able to get enough. A year after I first heard “#Beautiful” and I’m still listening to it on repeat.

“You’re Mine (Eternal)” is another great track where Mariah reminds us why we fell in love with her in the first place nearly two decades ago. “You’re Mine” is the album’s third single and has the high-pitch Mariah we all know and love. Similar to nearly all the tracks on the album, “You’re Mine” is about love and Mariah’s inability to give up her lover. A remix to the song has also been released featuring Trey Songz. The remix is even better than the original.

The best parts of the album are when Mariah sings with an R&B twist. The R&B tracks are upbeat and still exemplify her high-pitched vocals. And many of the tracks on the album feature R&B artists, such as Nas, Miguel, Wale, Fabolous, Mary J. Blige, and R. Kelly. “Money (Featuring Fabolous)”, is one of the better tracks on the album.

Along with the list of artists featured on the album, we get to hear from two unexpected young singers, Mariah and Nick Canon’s twins, Monroe and Moroccan. In a track titled “Supernatural” the babies giggle throughout the song and Monroe tells her mommy, “I’m a chanteuse,” as Mariah sings about her love for her children. It’s a cute song and unlike the other tracks, this track has deep and personal lyrics.

On the whole, the album is decent but not her best. The several tracks that are really great, we already heard before the album was released. It just feels like it’s missing something and it never really feels personal. I know the album is titled, Me. I am Mariah but by the end, I’m still wondering, who is she?