By Catherine Sodano
On April 15, “E=MC2” added up to a major hit. Even in spite of Mariah Carey’s diva antics, she pulled in one of the most successful pop albums of the year. With catchy tunes and captivating ballads, Carey made the album of a lifetime. A Long Island native, Carey graduated from Huntington High School, and has gone a long way since then.
“E=MC2” is a clever title, neglecting her tacky album title past. The album is absolutely a fantastic formula for success. With her hit single intact, “Touch My Body” has been resounding ad infinitum on the airwaves. With a beat so catchy, it’s hard to get it out of your head.
“E=MC2” is the follow up album to “The Emancipation of MiMi,” and runs the gambit of different genres. It is the best of both worlds. The cutesy pop vocals find themselves on this album, but “E=MC2” also has gospel, hip-hop, pop and even a touch of reggae on it, and blends them all together successfully.
Various artists collaborated with Mariah on this CD; including Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp (Kanye West, T.I.), Stargate (Ne-Yo, Trey Songz), Will.I.Am; Bryan-Michael Cox (Usher, Mary J. Blige), Danjahandz and Justin Timberlake. With its enormous guest star roster and success of her previous release, this lastest album has rightfully earned itself the most anticipated album of the year.
And before anyone had the time to drip the mere utterance of the word ‘hit single,’ Mariah already had her next single “Bye Bye,” lined up and ready, willing to be the next Billboard chart toper.
“Sometimes when I’m writing a song, it does come from such a raw place that I’m actually crying while writing it,” Mariah admitted. Her second single, “Bye Bye,” a tribute to her late father, is also meant to reach anyone else who has suffered a loss of a loved one.
Her trademarked airy, almost scream of a note is a main component on this CD. Feathery, light vocals make the music easy to listen to, and fun, (if not very easy) to sing along with. This album contains fast paced, sultry, ballads, R&B and club music. Whatever mood you are in, it is almost certain you can find a song to fit your mood “Touch My Body,” hit number the top of the charts after less than two months on radio and one week of availability in Internet stores. It also set a record for most download sales in a week. These stats moved Carey into second place in music history for the most No. 1 hit singles, passing Elvis Presley and putting her within striking distance of The Beatles. To date, she has had a record 18 #1 hit singles.
At the extraordinary count, Mariah doesn’t intend on stopping there. It has been noted that she will continue to take the music world by storm, with Island Def Jam Records at her side, and impel the word ‘retirement’ out of her dictionary. Mariah’s overall connectivity in the music biz is impressive, as is “E=MC2.”
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