Mariah Carey's 'Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel' Reflects 20-Year Career

Douglas Boultinghouse
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Courtesy of Amazon

"Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel"

   Mariah Carey, the record-breaking diva with the powerhouse vocals and genius chops as a songwriter, released her 14th album Sept. 29. “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” gives flashbacks to her albums of the past 20 years while maintaining a fresh sound only she could create.

   The album begins with a whispering prologue, “Betcha Gon’ Know,” in which Carey says, “Welcome to a day of my life…the memoirs of an imperfect angel.”

   The pure 90s-styled R&B track, similar to 1997’s “The Roof,” flows into the breezy summer single “Obsessed.”

   Carey returns to the uptempo styles she crafted on the biggest selling album of 2005, “The Emancipation of Mimi.”

   “Why you so obsessed with me? / Lyin’ that you’re sexin’ me / When everybody knows / It’s clear that you’re upset with me,” she drops on the chorus.

   The song makes room for a hilarious line that slams the one “Obsessed” with Carey, “See right through you like you’re bathin’ in Windex.”

   The album includes an almost haunting ballad with mesmerizing vocals and an odd name.

   “H.A.T.E.U.,” which sounds like a refreshed gem from the “Rainbow” cutting room floor in 1999, demands full attention in order to grasp the message within the song.

   Part of the song features echoed vocals, but the chorus rolls through in Carey’s signature angelic way, “I can’t wait to face you / Break you down / So low there’s no place left to go / I can’t wait to hate you.”

Standing Ovation

 
   “Standing O”, another track that would have slid into place on 1997’s “Butterfly,” contains an infectious hook of “ohs” as part of the chorus.

   But Carey breaks it down at the end, throwing vocals out in full force, “Standing ovation / Congratulations / Damn I was down for it / Gave you my heart / And all you did was pound on it.”

   Leave it to Mariah Carey to throw in a song that almost screams 70s blues. 

   On “It’s a Wrap,” her vocals soar, sounding reminiscent of those on 1995’s “Daydream.” She even throws in a series of “Scoo-do-do-do-do” and “Shoo-do-do-do-do” with “It’s a wrap for you baby.”

   More hilarious lyrics appear in the addictive “Up Out My Face.”

   With the R&B and Hip-Hop blended beats of the title repeating around the words “I Break,” she slips a “Boo hoo hoo” and “If we were two Lego blocks, even the Harvard graduating class of 2010 couldn’t put us back together again.”

   She brings the funny back on “The Impossible.”

   Though a sweet and hypnotic song, the random lyrics distract from where the song planned to go. For example, when she goes, “Love ya like a holiday / Duncan Heines / Yellow cake,” whatever came before went out the window…or in the oven.

Angels Cry

 
   Now, what would a Mariah Carey album be without the booming ballads? Useless.

   She closes the album with two songs, each capable of shattering glass, “Angels Cry” and a cover of the 1984 Foreigner Classic “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

   On “Angels,” she lets the notes escape as the sings “When you and I said goodbye / I felt the angels cry,” holding the word “Cry” high and long, something few can do.

   In between the two songs, a bittersweet interlude, “Languishing,” in the style of “Petals” on the “Rainbow” album, leads into “What Love Is.”

   Carey’s vocals begin soft and towards the end of the song, she brings in a gospel choir and sings, “I wanna know what love is / I want you to show me / I wanna feel what love is / I know you can show me,” into the rafters.

   The album also includes reprises, preludes and the tracks “Candy Bling,” “Inseparable” and “More Than Just Friends.”

   The album receives many comparisons to the “Butterfly” album and Carey told MTV News, “People were saying, I mean, just the songs they heard, it's like their favorite since ‘Butterfly’, which is a big deal. ‘Butterfly’ is kind of like my signature album and, to me, my best work. It's not necessarily the biggest album, which would be ‘Music Box,’ but it's a very important record in an artistic kind of way."

   The album packaging points to “Butterfly” as well. When the tri-fold paper case opens, a shot of the “Butterfly” cover has been recreated. On inside panels, recreated shots from her debut album appear.

   The insert comes in the form of a miniature “Elle” magazine about Carey’s life. In it, she shares “Memoirs” of past albums and events in her life. The album’s lyrics also appear in the magazine.

   Another surprise hides behind the center panel of the case. Carey included a second disc with remixes and music videos.

   While Carey promotes the album, she will also promote her challenging, almost dark, films “Precious” and “Tennessee.” She included information about the films in the “Elle” booklet.

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