Member Since: 8/4/2012
Posts: 7,700
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Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Review Thread | 71 on Meta
allmusic
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Like many other songs on the album, flashbacks are laced through the music as well as in the lyrics, with Carey reflecting upon happier moments in a relationship while either pining or scolding.
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…this shows that she's still capable of delivering 40 minutes of strong, supremely voiced R&B when she's up for it.
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Rating: 3.5/5 (70 on Metacritic)
http://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-a...e-mw0002669856
Billboard
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"Dedicated": This is straight-up nostalgia—as Mariah and guest Nas discuss in the intro—and amid references to Heavy D, Slick Rick, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Run-D.M.C., the singer looks back on both the records and the romances that have shaped her life. While much of the world is stuck back in the '90s, she and Nas are chilling in '88 and having a ball.
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Rating: 77/100 (77 on Metacritic)
http://www.billboard.com/articles/re...y-track-review
Entertainment Weekly
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Working with longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, Carey front-loads the track list with midtempo R&B and soulful torch songs that spotlight her best asset: That Voice. She comes on strong with Jennifer Holliday-in-Dreamgirls bravado on ''You Don't Know What to Do.'' (''You'd better SING IT, girl!'' yelps guest Wale appreciatively.) And she's whistle-toning all over the end of ''Dedicated,'' a fun, Wu-Tang-sampling tribute to hip-hop's golden age, featuring Nas.
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Rating: B (75 on Metacritic)
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20818390,00.html
The Guardian
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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.
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Yet she's also at her most soulful and melodic, and the best of the bunch, such as the dreamy 70s disco of Meteorite, make this album a welcome return.
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Rating: 3/5 (60 on Metacritic)
http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...anteuse-review
Los Angeles Time
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A generation of today's pop singers like Ariana Grande have grown up idolizing Carey, and her sound is again back in vogue. What a treat that this daftly titled album really is a statement of a still-relevant musical identity as well.
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Rating: 2.5/4 (63 on Metacritic)
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...527-story.html
Newsday
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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."
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After several high-profile delays and changes of direction, Carey heads back to her musical sweet spot on "Me. I Am Mariah . . . The Elusive Chanteuse" (Def Jam), big R&B ballads that show off her powerful voice and its stunning range. While Carey, in recent years, has been concerned with sounding timely, on "Chanteuse," she goes for timeless, with grand results.
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Rating: A- (doesn't count for Metacritic  )
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment...fort-1.8163816
NY Daily News
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Though the disc contains cameos from rappers like Nas and Wale, it has far fewer hip-hop inflections than the faux-hip "Memoir" disc. Instead it stresses songs like the opening weeper "Cry," an inspired throw-back to initial hits like "Vision of Love." Accompanied primarily by piano, Carey unfurls the full range of her instrument, something she had too often scaled back of late to suit songs over-indebted to their beats. The result lets her lean into the song's drama, which she engages completely.
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Rating: 4/5 stars (80 on Metacritic)
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1798877
Slant Magazine
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At this point, is it too much to ask that Mariah bury Mimi and resurrect, for once and for all, Miss Billie Frank?
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Rating: 3/5 stars (60 on Metacritic)
http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/r...sive-chanteuse
USA Today
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So what's most striking about Carey's new album — titled, rather insistently, Me. I Am Mariah ...The Elusive Chanteuse (***½ out of four) and now streaming on iTunes Radio ahead of its May 27 release — is how relaxed and confident she sounds.
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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.
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Rating: 3.5/4 stars (doesn't count for Metacritic)
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/m...eview/9318587/
Chanteuse coming for that acclaim.  I will update as the reviews roll in.
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