Just finished my first listen guys!
Here's some thoughts:
Cry. - Pretty dull of first listen, nothing really grabbed me at all over than the higher pitched "cry, cry, cry" background vocals. Sure it will grow on me though on repeated listens.
Faded - y'all seemed really underwhelmed by this but the beat INSTANTLY grabbed me, the piano parts were gorgeous
Dedicated - very melodic and nostalgic, fits perfectly next to #B. Love thr whistle parts at the end.
Make It Look Good - absolutely adore the harmonica, makes the song stand out instantly from the songs while the rest of the production was quite similar to YM(E) so it still fit into the album nicely.
You Don't Know What To Do - I never listened to the studio version of, it's SO FRICKIN GOOD. I wish Wale didnt talk while Mariah was busy SINGING the intro, speaking of which reminds Mr very much of the disco classic "Somebody Else's Guy". Loved the strings at the end.
Supernatural - HOLD A GOD ****ING SECOND, THIS IS IT MARIAH!!
Honestly this made me tear up, somagical sounding and dem babies make the song so intimate and breathtakingly stunning. The key change was fabulous too.
Meteorite - when the beat first started after the intro I was like hmmm Mariah what is this but once the chorus kicked in it just clicked with me and I love it.
Camouflage - again, from reading this thread I wasn't looking forward to this much but it is such a beautiful classically Mariah ballad. Absolutely loved it.
Money - the rip I downloaded had an AWFUL quality version of this so I didn't listen to it, sounded alright from what I heard. Gunna wait till I buy my cd to listen to it properly.
One More Try - I'm not familiar with the original version but I loved this, very great arrangement and the vocals were good.
Heavenly - my 2nd favourite, she literally took me to heaven and back with this. The choir was incredible and the last 45 seconds absolutely is the best moment on this album after the supernatural key change. I just wish she could sing this live, it would make my life.
Overall I'm so happy with the album, completely worth the wait.
Probably give it a solid 8.5/10 on first listen. It genuinely is up there with her best work, possibly top 5 album? Not 100% sure yet.
I got sick of YME as a single quickly but in the context of the rest of the material its really stunning, if it hadn't been a single I think it would have been a fan favourite
What I mean to say is she usually isn't this melancholy which is a first.