Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi: The Return of the Voice

After a movie bomb and two barely noticed albums, many people, critics and fans, had written Miss Carey off. Don't get me wrong they had good reasons. The movie Glitter was okay but I wouldn't call it great and the soundtrack was a mess. Charmbracelet, her follow-up to Glitter was a solid album.......except for the vocals. She whispered and used her high pitched wails throughout most of the album which annoyed a lot fans. It also took away from a lot of the songs.

Despite the aforementioned mishaps, it was still ludicrous to write Mariah off. After all she is a Grammy winner, had two diamond albums and several multi-platinum albums. Before 'Mimi' she had 16 number one hits and was even awarded Billboard's Artist of the Decade for the 90's. She has an incredible track record and she hits more than she misses. Well 2005 had the Queen of Billboard showing the naysayers that they were wrong and presumptuous, and she catapulted her self back to the top of the music industry.

'The Emancipation of Mimi' is a very colorful and well thought out album. Mariah takes her listeners on a journey through love, intimacy, heartbreak, spirituality and she even manages a stop or two at the club. The topics on the album are diverse and there is something for everyone whether you spiritual person (Fly Like A Bird) or you just want to get your dance on (It's Like That, Get Your Number). Another great thing about this album is that unlike a few of her recent titles, the special guests fit perfectly and don't come off as forced collaborations.

Track 1: It's Like That (3/5 stars)

When I first heard this song which was the lead single from The Emancipation of Mimi, I thought it was an average song and I still do. I liked the song but was unsure if Mariah was going to reclaim her throne. The smart thing about this song is that it is a club banger and this is the era for club tracks. Another thing to note is that she teams up with Jermaine Dupri which musical match made in heaven. It's like that is basically about having fun and it shows Mariah letting her hair down (something that everyone should be used to by now since her Fantasy came out in the nineties).