By By Esme Mazzeo , Special to the Chronicle

Mariah Carey released her 12th studio album, “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel,” co-written and co-produced with The- Dream, on September 29. She’s not out to surprise anyone, sticking with the same R&B/hip-hop sound we’ve come to expect over the past four years.
The album opens with “Betcha Gon’ Know,” a mid-tempo, slightly angry track about seek¬ing revenge on a cheating boyfriend. The chorus has the potential to be catchy, but is offset by cringe-worthy lyrics reminiscent of R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet” series. This seems to be the trend for this album, as the opener is followed by the lead single, “Obsessed,” a highly synthesized, failed attempt to rattle Eminem.
“H.A.T.E.U.” is a ballad with a slight rhythm describing Carey’s desire to quickly get over an ex (“I can’t wait to H.A.T.E.U”). Other songs that try hard to be hits and fail include “Ribbon,” “Up Out My Face,” and “Candy Bling,” a track that oozes desperation even before the music starts. “It’s A Wrap” has a slightly bluesy feel, but loses any chance it had at being credible as soon as Carey insists she “Ain’t No Jonas.”
Some highlights include “Inseparable,” another slow track about a fail¬ing relationship that samples Cyndi Lauper and seems to be an answer to her previous single “We Belong Together,” if only because it is slightly catchy. “Standing O” has potential to be the jilted-girl’s anthem, as the lyrics actually make sense, and the chorus is well crafted.
Sad for all involved in producing this album, the most interesting song is a reprise of “Up Out My Face,” a 51-second track where what seems like a high school band was hired to put their own music to the lyrics. While this isn’t exactly a mas¬terpiece, it’s a refreshing change from all the mid-tempo, angry break-up songs that sound the same and seem to make up the entirety of this album. Interludes and reprises like this clutter the end of this train-wreck, and while they are some of the best tracks (perhaps because they are the shortest), they are often confusing and unnecessary.
“Imperfect” is an under¬statement. This angel’s “Memoirs” are disastrous, and if her art reflects her life at all, Mrs. Cannon should seek marriage-counseling A.S.A.P.