Sunday, April 20, 2008

The Official "For the Record" E=MC² Album Review

Although the album is entitled E-MC², it is indeed a Sweet Soul Odyessey. Upon first listen, I couldn't really hear the album as an individual because right before I listened to it, I listened to The Emancipation of Mimi. So after a few days of listening, I can properly review and speak on it as it is. A few things before the initial review, this album truly moves you in more than one way. That's the thing about it, it's full of feeling and emotion. I definitely see the theme of this album as raw emotion and it defines and seperates itself from any other album of Ms. Carey's before it. Sure, you have hot catchy songs and bangin' beats, but it's the heart and soul behind them that takes it to that next level. The feeling that exudes like liquid from the seams of the album. Vocals while impressive, take a backseat to emotion here. On to the review.

Migrate - From the very beginning, you hear the trademark sound of the returning Soul Diva driving you into the party and grandeur that is E=MC². The song smolders with a steamy feel mingled with strong bass that clearly feels like It's Like That to the second power. Confident lyrics that don't even address the busters that be but rather telling them to migrate the other way, while she migrates from place to place. T-Pain, the man of the hour, graces the track and surprisingly doesn't bother me at all. His everpresent vocoder fits in well as even Mariah uses it and swings it on home. Blazin' hot track that would burn up the charts as a single. 5/5

Touch My Body - The sexy, playful first single that pushed Mariah to number one and past Elvis with the most number one records ever from a solo artist. From the getgo, I really liked the song, but wasn't in love with it as I felt it was among the weaker of her first singles from an album. Time, however, proved otherwise. I'm overly addicted to the song now and don't even see it among the lesser of the album tracks as some others have noted. The song is so ridiculously catchy that it casts a spell on you and forces you to want more. The verses are slick and uncoyingishly sensual and we even get a youtube reference. What other singer would even think to do that? 5/5

Cruise Control - Everythings felt so good prior to this, one would wonder could it get any better? My answer is an emphatic YES. Summer personifies itself in Carey's first acappella vocals at song's start. You just know its gonna be good. A bouncing beat thats not too much of a stranger, putting you in mind of the song that should have been "TEOM's" 2nd number one single, Shake It Off. That's about the only similarity though. Extremely clever lyrics about her attraction to this man who more than one woman find irresistible, as she eludes to his "six baby mamas". Also enlaid with genius analogies of the songs' title and the struggle to stay focused with her sweet delight constantly distracting her. The song's producer, Jermaine Dupri, sporadically appears but its not too bad on this one. And I can quite honestly say, the 2nd verse of this is probably the most enjoyable thing on the album for me, all I'll say is just listen. Damien Marley adds his touch to the song that ends without much vocal gynastics but they're not needed, so we move on along. Man, this feels good. 5/5

I Stay in Love - The first ballad on the album, flows in so beautifully and vigorous feeling appears from the first note of the verse. I haven't experienced anything on this deep a level and I find myself emotional with this song. She sings with a raw tenderness in a lower register, much to my delight. It's pure emotion all the way through, the song just pulls on your heart strings, in fact, it nearly breaks them. Heart piercing lyrics, that will push a hopeless romantic into desparity, make it that much better. Towards the end, Carey belts with passionate conviction and soul that hasn't been heard for years, but it ends all too soon. Could have easily been on one of the albums from the mid to late 1990's. I love this song wholeheartedly, only flaw would be the fading of the huge vocals too soon. 5/5

Side Effects - Not even sure how to begin this one, cause this song is "it". It's one of the 3 main events of the album. It's a real heavy track and in my opinion, has the strongest lyrics on the whole record. Also, having extreme depth that meets that strength. Mariah tackles the issue of her relationship and marriage to former Record Exec, Tommy Mottola. Each lyric uncovers a deeply affected woman who is still dealing with so much, because of all she endured including the smothering of who she was. She refers to "violent times" and "the private hell we built". And if the lyrical content wasn't strong enough already, the Scott Scorch produced track is just as strong, with it's dark, anthem-like mood definitely making a bright place in MC's already blindingly impressive catalog of music. It's the albums most RAW track.The sound is like a plethora of Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, and Soul. The vocals are perfect, not overdone, they're soulful and of a legendary sound. Young Jeezy appears at the beginning and near the bridge with an appropriate flow that takes nothing away from the song. This quite simply put is a standout. I don't about anyone else but if I focus on the lyrics too much, I find myself getting teary-eyed, it's very moving to hear. It would be a perfect single in my opinion because it would turn heads and at the same time, be a HUGE radio hit. I'm sure many people can relate to this track, it's just so heavy and hot at the same time. Quite easily joining the elite "Close My Eyes" and "Petals" as one of her best and most personal songs ever. My second favorite track. 5/5

I'm That Chick - The entrance of the album's most bouncy track quite lightens the mood. Mimi coos the sexy oh-so-sweetly and continues to express her self-confidence. She refers to the late Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. as she sings of herself being as delicious as ice cream and as addictive as the best of the blaze: I'm like that uptown haze/ them real thugs blaze/ we'll touch the sky/ cause I'm that chick you like. Real easy going and laid back track that'll suit driving down the street during the summer very well. We like you Mariah, we like you alot. Keep this good stuff coming, Lady M, cause I'm high as a kite off this album so far. 5/5

Love Story - Back to the ballad we go. This piece starts with Sade, Mariah's dancer Raychel's daughter singing "ay bay bay, it won't end, won't end, won't end". Something I've never found irritating but still felt a bit awkward to it at first. The music coasts in nicely and then comes JD, who in personal opinion screws up the beginning of the song. Especially with an uncalled and out of place, "Y'ALL KNOW WHAT THIS IS". However, Mariah overshadows the foolishness with the beautiful lyrics and vocals of the first verse. Still with appearances from Jermash, as she affectionately calls him but they become less and less bothersome and out of place as the songs proceeds. The melody is really nice and the chorus is impressive, both vocally and lyrically speaking as we even get a reference to "that Casablanca movie". Nice. Song marches on with it's beat and clap beat and ends nicely with Mimi singing in two registers with herself, a common thing for the album. Overall, really good song, JD prevents the "5" on this one. Although I must say I fall a little harder for this song everytime I hear it. 4/5

I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time - On this track, we go from the 2000's to the 1970's by way of Mariah Carey's musical time machine. This probably being your most feel good track. It puts you in mind of TEOM's "Your Girl" but toned down quite a bit with more tempo. Carey's voice is in an especially good place on this one as you get the tender raw vocals returning on the verses. Good belting at the end with the touch of Mariah (amazing layering) added, it ends on a real nice note. The great flow of songs continues as a great song once said, "It still feels, feel good", a new splendor has been born and we'll be reliving it for years to come. 5/5

Last Kiss - For me, this is "Always Be My Baby" meets "Don't Forget About Us". With an amazing melody like both songs, it has the sweet feel of ABMB and the raw feel of DFAU. It continues the not mentioned by me until now, trend of popular slang words being used in the lyrical content as we get "trill" and "somethin' somethin'" in the chorus, which is fine with me, not so much with others. Lyrically, overall very nice, melodically and vocally great too, especially at the end. We get MC's amazing BGV's and more of that raw lower register that has made me feel each song that it appears in so much more. One of my favorite tracks, despite JD's adlibs, which actually add to this song in a good way for me now. I love this song to def...so so def baby. 5/5

Thanx 4 Nothin' - This one here is the pinnacle of the JD ballads for me. Even if he rambles more on this track as well. What the heck is with that? What producer talks all through the tracks they produce? I guess it's just their closeness, Mariah's and Jermaine's that is. Now, back to this amazing piece of art. The lyrics are so completely relatible that anyone could feel it, even if it's only dedicated to "all the ladies out there, that's tired of gettin' played". It also fits well with friends who turned out to be fake and deceitful, at least, the chorus does. In fact, this one got me a bit touched in that stead, cause it's like folk just come in your life and play you and your friendship to the left and it hurts. My shoutout in this song would be, "all yall, thanx 4 nothin'...! The guitar instrumental is quite refreshing and different from the other ballads on the album. Great lyrics and more raw/low vocals that exude madd emotion and to top that off, she does the double register thing again, which is pure magic to me. Excellent vocal performance. My one flaw would be that it's too short and that the ending should have been acappella with a chorus going on without the music at the end and just the beat. When she sings the last "thanx 4 nothin'" that echoes, we should get one more chorus without the music, that woulda been hot. In my top 5 favorites of the album easily. 5/5

O.O.C. - Another time machine appearance? Yep, this time..to the 1990's. That's how this song feels to me and that's a really good thing. Nice vocals throughout and a bouncing that carries on til the end. Mariah sings the deliciously repetitive "it's forever and ever" line over and over, I enjoy that part alot. Lyricially, we get a multilingual Mariah for the first time ever on record, she sings in 3 different languages in the 2nd verse. This is another track that feels really good, but I find myself itching to skip to the next song for reasons that you will soon find out. Swiss did his thing on this record though I don't quite get the bollywood feel that others have attested to. Another song that grows in favor with each listen. 4/5

For the Record - Highlight Alert, Highlight Alert, Highlight Alert!!! Another song that I'm not quite sure where to start because of it's glory and amazingness. This is the song that played during the "M" perfume commercial that graced us last year. Needless to say, many people wanted to hear the whole song just from hearing it in the commercial and wondered if it would appear on the new album. Well, the answer is Yes. Yes, Yes, YES! This is the most magical and hypnotizing track on the album. It dazzles from the beginning with entrancing coos that be Mariah's background vocals. The lyrics dive into a relationship that is clearly still breathing despite whatever may have happened to cause a breakup. We get beautiful vocals all the way through full of emotion and stellar lyrics to boot. A bridge that is the ultimate MC love reminiscion (rem-min-nis-shun - yeah its my word and its not a real one but this song gets it's own word so deal with it!), she refers to "My All", "Always Be My Baby" and "We Belong Together" among others. Then you have the stringed instrumental...I mean, man...can it get any better? I'd love for it be performed live with an orchestra. Her voice is in such a amazing place on this, from the sweet and soft to the soaring highs, it's all just so good. As she says on the cut, "...you love yourself some me"...yes ma'am Mariah, I do. My favorite track on the album and one of my favorites in the history of Mariah Carey. Standout, Main Event, Stone Groove Smash Hit Wonder! lol 5/5

Bye Bye - The Album's Tearjerker, because even if some of the other emotional songs don't get to you, this one most likely will. With anthemic quality, on this song Mariah returns to the topic of death for the third time in career. It's extremely personal for her as it pertains to her late father who passed away about 6 years ago. I find the lyrics very relatible and moving as I lost someone very dear to me quite recently. A lyric that hits me hard: I thought you were so strong, you'd make it through whatever, it's so hard to accept the fact, you're gone forever. In fact, it's putting me in tears right now as I listen. This is another song where she emotes so well, you can feel every word, the sadness is almost too much to bear at times. It's the second single and I think it will be a huge record because of its relatibilty, catchiness, and raw emotion. The only problem this record poses to me is Stargate's recycled beat on it. As if creating a new original beat would further global warning. Meh heh heh. Thankfully, the magic that is Mariah's voice keeps the track yet amazing. Strong vocals at the end, overall, really moving and a standout in it's own right. 5/5

I Wish You Well - We reach the end of this incredible journey of emotion and enjoyment and no better song could there have been to end with. My other STANDOUT, MAIN EVENT track. This in my opinion is the first time, Mariah has really taken us to church on a song, since "Jesus, What A Wonderful Child" from Merry Christmas and even more so. Yet again, another deeply personally song that Mariah sends out to two unknown people as Mariah sings: This goes out to YOU and YOU, and you know who you are. She sings of the hurt that she's endured and felt and no longer will accept, along with other personal heart-words. With God and His Word, she shows a strength that could only come from above in the lyrics of the song. Using several bible verses in the song, some which she identifies the chapter and verses and others than she doesn't. But much more she didn't just say or sing the verses, but rather sung in the Spirit (of God) that makes those scriptures reality. So much more than reading and rehearsing them off, a life-giving power from God is present in and with her in this song and I'm sure it touches those that don't even know what it is. But she wishes those people, and I'm sure other enemies, well "in Jesus name", telling them she'll keep them in prayer til the end and declares "the Lord is my Salvation". Very raw on a spiritual level, she is really kind of preaching at the end, it's amazing. It's just a piano and vocals, very much in the form of "Vanishing". I can honestly say, this song is the vocal standout of the album, hitting notes that barely sound human at some points and other notes that feel like her most touching to date. Her pastor makes an appearance on the track as well. Mariah gets her Jesus on in this song and ends the album on the highest level possible and I was very blessed by it. 5/5

I can now honestly say this is one of Mariah's best efforts ever. Not because of her vocals, though they are incredible. It's the feeling, the raw energy that bleeds from almost every song. Unlike Mariah records of the past, I wasn't blown away by the first listen, but once this marinated into my system, man. It might take divine intervention to break my addictive to this masterpiece. It's a record full of high's, each song compliments the completeness of the album. Almost every song could be a hit single and quite honestly, I see Miss Carey sailing pass 20 #1 songs by way of E=MC². Musically speaking, Mariah proves herself to an Einstein-like genius with perfect ingredients, the most important being emotion and relavity. Emancipation, truly equals Mariah Carey to the second power. Well done Mariah, thank you.


List of Favorites from best to less best (cause they're all great)

1. For the Record
2. Side Effects
3. I Wish You Well
4. Thanx 4 Nothin'
5. Last Kiss
6. I Stay in Love
7. Cruise Control
8. Touch My Body
9. Bye Bye
10. I'm That Chick
11. Migrate
12. I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time
13. Love Story
14. O.O.C.

This is Recordman...
For the Record, now you know...

Monday, April 14, 2008

E=MC² Album Reviews Part 2

More Album Reviews

Entertainment Weekly
by Margeaux Watson
April 18, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC² (Island Def Jam)
A-

Winning Formula. Mariah Carey's E=MC² adds up to an aural success, offering a smart mix of dance and drama.

Daydream. Butterfly. Rainbow. Glitter. No, those aren't the names of Barbie's pet ponies, they're the ridiculously saccharine titles of Mariah Carey's albums from 1995 to 2001. So when she called her 10th studio CD The Emancipation of Mimi three years ago, it was clear that she intended to drop the cutesy shtick, let down her weave, and start getting real. It was a clever move.

Emancipation was the lucky strike that updated Carey's sound with bass-heavy flavor and reversed the downward spiral of her sales. Now, with E=MC²--another bold title--she's out to prove that her comeback was no fluke.

Of course, it's doubtful that Carey is a secret admirer of Einstein's theory of relativity, but one thing's for sure: The golden-throated diva has discovered a formula that works. Not unlike Emancipation, E=MC² finds Carey stacking the deck with the hottest producers and guest artist in urban music (Jermaine Dupri, StarGate, T-Pain, Damian Marley, Young Jeezy). The result is a largely enjoyable mix of flirtatious club jams, midtempo love songs, and emotional ballads anchored by hip-hop beats that handsomely showcase the singer's powerful vocal chops.

Ever the party girl, Carey opens the album with the sleek and seductive "Migrate," where she imagines getting buzzed on pinot grigio during a night out with the ladies. Other dancefloor anthems include "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" and "O.O.C.," which, for all of their pop polish, never lose their soulful spirit. But it's not all about velvet ropes and playful come-ons; notably, Carey suffers from a major love hangover on "Side Effects," a synthy cautionary tale about an abusive relationship. "Wakin' up scared some nights still dreaming 'bout the violent times," she sings with outspoken intensity.

And yet Carey remains a romantic at heart. With the ballads "Love Story" and "Last Kiss," she reunites with Dupri to recapture the passionate splendor of 2005's "We Belong Together." It's unfortunate, then, that E=MC² closes with its only missteps, the somber elegy "Bye Bye"--an odd choice for the follow-up single to the cheeky hit "Touch My Body"--and the preachy gospel hymn "I Wish You Well" (this CD's version of Emancipation's "Fly Like a Bird"). Still, for an artist whose career was all but dead four years ago, Carey is wise to play it safe by building on the finest elements of her last CD. Were it not for the final two tracks, she could've gotten away with calling this album Treasure.



People Magazine
by Chuck Arnold
April 21, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²


Pop goddess Mariah Carey scaled Oympian heights with her last album 2005's Grammy-winning, 6-million-selling The Emancipation of Mimi. Certainly, E=MC² doesn't equal its predecessor. Still, this is a satisfying follow-up, heavy on hip-hop-flavored midtempo jams (like the irressistible No. 1 hit "Touch My Body") and beat-driven ballads (best is the pretty, piano-laced "I Stay In Love"). The disc occasionally strays from that formula on cuts like the churchy closer "I Wish You Well."

But the highlight is "Side Effects," the CD's darkest and most personal track, which seems to allude to Carey's failed marriage to music exec Tommy Mottola: "Sleeping with the enemy/Aware that he was smothering every last part of me." Vaguely menacing, it shows that even pop goddesses have their demons.



Us Magazine
by Ian Drew
April 21, 2008

Mariah Carey
E=MC²


With more No. 1 singles than any artist in history, Mariah Carey is a hitmaking machine. And no wonder: Her 11th studio album sticks to her signature blend of smooth R&B and hip-hop hooks. The playful "Touch My Body" has already topped the charts, and the soul-drenched "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" will likely follow.

Overall, this material may not be quite as memorable as prior efforts (the diva wastes her high notes on filler such as "Bye Bye") - but there's no arguing that Mimi is back.


Miami Herald
by Michael Hamersly
April 11, 2008


Mariah Carey
E=MC²


After bizarre meltdowns and questionable career choices early in this decade, Mariah Carey came back with a bang in 2005 with her album The Emancipation of Mimi, which gave us the hits Shake It Off, Don't Forget About Us and We Belong Together. Now, the songbird proves her comeback was no fluke with E=MC².

Carey has toned down her five-octave range a bit, but purists need not worry -- her voice has lost none of its power.

The album starts off poorly, with the monotone Migrate offering wannabe hip-hop lines such as "From the car into the club we migrate/From the bar to VIP we migrate/From the party to the afterparty migrate/Afterparty to hotel -- migrate" and a stunted, hesitant rap by T-Pain. But the first single, the slinky slow jam Touch My Body, unleashes Mariah's inner vamp. It's a shameless sex anthem, with talk of Mariah wrapping her legs around a guy's waist and begging for him to "give me what I deserve," but somehow, her angelic voice makes it all sound almost innocent.

On Cruise Control, Mariah teams up with new-school reggae royalty Damian Marley, who contributes a short but rhythmic rap. The song is more than a bit silly -- it spells out C-R-U-I-S-E control, for some reason, and Mariah tries to pull off a Jamaican accent ("He's the flyest ting") -- but it's pleasing and flows nicely. I'm That Chick cops the slick, cool funk of Forget Me Nots -- its cleverly minimalist bassline somehow uses exactly one note, but perfectly anchors the groove. The appealing ballad Last Kiss serves up Mariah's trademark hopeful romance: "This feeling is too good to miss/Ain't no kiss ever gonna be our last kiss," while Love Story aims for the anthemic heft of We Belong Together and doesn't miss by much.

But the album's high point finds Mariah softly and sweetly lamenting the loss of any kind of loved one on the truly touching Bye Bye: "This is for my peoples who just lost somebody/Your best friend, your baby, your man or your lady/Put your hand way up high/We will never say bye."

Thankfully, it looks like we won't be saying "bye" to Mariah for a long time.

Pod Picks: Touch My Body, Last Kiss, Bye Bye.

Source: MariahDailyJournal

E=MC² Album Reviews Part 1

Boston Globe
by Sarah Rodman
April 14, 2008


Mariah Carey
E=MC²

Continuing a winning formula
Mariah Carey is probably going to annoy a few people with her new album, "E=MC2," which is out tomorrow. Ex-husband Tommy Mottola, Janet Jackson, and diehard Beatles fans will probably be crossing the best-selling female artist of all time off their Christmas card lists.

For everyone who thought 2005's "The Emancipation of Mimi," Carey's uneven "comeback" album after "Glitter," was the bee's knees, they'll love what amounts to its sequel. (I'm no Einstein, but the title could work with that theory.)

Record mogul Mottola is the clear, though never named, villain of one song. Miss Jackson has to listen to her boo, producer Jermaine Dupri, succeed more readily with her rival's album than her own recent release. And given its designer snap and bounce, "E=MC2" will no doubt ascend the charts at light speed, shooting off singles like meteors. When that happens the New York native will break the Beatles' record for the most No. 1 songs ever on the Billboard singles chart. (The Fab Four have 20; Carey is at 18.)

As sequels go, "E=MC2" is better than most, boasting a higher, and more consistent, quotient of slinky, dance-floor charm and stronger ballads than "Mimi." It retains the basic outline of the original: party, love, hurt, pray. Some familiar characters like Dupri return for continuity's sake and fresh cast members include top-shelf collaborators like Scott Storch and Nate "Danjahandz" Hills.

In the party category, we get "I'm That Chick" and "Migrate." The former, the album's best track, takes some of the melody and the feathery vocal approach of Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall." "Migrate," a frivolous, funky, self-referential jam, charts the flight patterns of your modern, fabulously talented urban diva - from the car to the club to the bar to the VIP lounge to the after-party to the hotel - with computer-processed vocals from the unshakable T-Pain.

Carey opens her heart and her boudoir in different ways. The limp "Touch My Body," the album's first single and current hit, simultaneously offers sensual delights and threatens bodily harm if evidence of the "secret rendezvous" makes its way onto YouTube. But on a feverish "Cruise Control," Carey is driven to distraction by a gruff Damien Marley, her own playful stab at Jamaican patois.

The singer gets her cry on with the connect-the-dots break-up track "I Stay in Love," but she cuts closer to the bone with "Side Effects," another look at her fractious marriage to Mottola. Although the union ended in 1998, Carey is still suffering, including dreams of the "violent times" and "sleeping with the enemy." Interestingly, her vocal approach here is almost emo, as she hits her rock-solid middle register and refuses to be held captive by the demons of her past. (Except, of course, she's still singing about them.)

She concludes as she did on "Mimi" with an inspirational number. In this case, it's "I Wish You Well," a rousing piano waltz that extends forgiveness to those who have wronged her in the past and is pretty much interchangeable with its predecessors.

Throughout the 14 tracks Carey generally flattens whatever melodies peek out with her signature agitated little vocal fillips. This is terrific for fluttering, hand-gesture accompaniment but keeps the tunes from being truly infectious.

"E=MC2" feels like the subtly prettier identical twin of "Emancipation of Mimi," as if for Carey freedom's just another word for doing the same thing again.



Boston Herald
by Lauren Carter
April 14, 2008


Mariah Carey
E=MC²
Rating: B+

Mimi is a long way from her "Vision of Love" roots. That's not necessarily a bad thing. An artist must evolve to stay current with the young and the fickle, and Carey successfully does it on her 11th studio album, a combination of club-ready tracks, breathy appeals, amusing Mariahisms and her signature vocal acrobatics.

The evolution of Mariah (and The Emancipation of Mariah Carey to the Second Power) means that the 38-year-old superstar is neither a one-dimensional pop celebrity nor soulful confessionist. Mariah 2K8 creates a mood rather than overwhelming with sheer power; she gets personal without revealing too much.

As on her previous "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah relies on pop flavor with an urban slant. T-Pain, Young Jeezy and Damien Marley are onboard, and beats come courtesy of Jermaine Dupri, Danja, Tricky Stewart, Bryan-Michael Cox, Scott Storch, DJ Toomp and Swizz Beatz. Though fans seem to eat up her midtempo ballads, too many of them feel like a variation on the same song. The hip-hop-inspired tracks prove the strongest, offering more sass than pure soul.

Download: "Side Effects."




Mass Live
by Kevin O'Hare
April 13, 2008


Mariah Carey
E=MC²


Carey gets the Formula Right on 'E=MC2'
When "The Emancipation of Mimi" topped the charts and turned into the biggest-selling album of 2005, it marked a stunning comeback from Mariah Carey, who'd gone through the kind of career meltdown that seemed certain to leave her a has-been way before her prime-time had passed.

She overcame the odds, rocketed back to the top of the pops and staged a hugely successful tour.

So now Carey returns with her follow-up to "Emancipation," and it's got a lot of the same charm as the last disc and frankly, a whole lot more structure than when Carey used to seem to just spin hits out like a machine earlier in her career.

Her multi-octave voice has always been rather freaky, with that out-of-this-world top octave which sounded as if it was designed to distract dogs more than actually add substantively to her music. It still shows up from time to time, even this deep into her career, kicking in the thick rhythm of the album opening club collaboration with T-Pain on "Migrate," and coloring the background of the otherwise straight soul ballad "I Wish You Well," that closes the album.

What's refreshing on "E=MC2" however is that Carey has gotten to the point where she uses her pipes to strengthen the songs instead of relying on relatively mediocre material as nothing more than a showcase for her voice. There's a sense here that she realizes that she doesn't have to leave jaws-dropping with every musical phrase and instead she's simply bringing out the best in the songs.

The diva has also gotten away from all the layers of production that used to muddy up everything she recorded. She's working with some big names - of course - including Antonio "LA" Reid, with whom she shares the executive producer role, and also collaborates with guest producers including C. "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, Will I Am, Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp, Stargate, and several others.

She also sings alongside the aforementioned T-Pain, but also with Damien Marley, who's quite prominent in the island-flavored "Cruise Control," and the raspy Young Jeezy, who pairs with Carey on "Side Effects."

The singer's at her best though on some of the more straight-ahead material, including the lusty lead single "Touch My Body," which recently became Carey's 18th No. 1 single, a mark that helped her surpass Elvis Presley in that category. She also shines on the piano-based ballad "I Stay in Love," the breezy and infectious light dance track "I'm That Chick," and the destined for hits-ville "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time."

Occasionally predictable, she falls into a couple of traps like during overly-sentimental cuts like "Last Kiss," and "Bye Bye," the latter the type of song that will have fans swaying with their cellphones held high at her concerts. But those sidesteps aside, this is a genuinely sturdy set, and whether one is a fan or not, it's still tough not to marvel at how Carey is still overcoming the odds and building on a frankly remarkable career.

Source: MariahDailyJournal

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Billboard Chart Info for the week of April 19, 2008

Billboard Update
Below, find the chart positions for "Touch My Body" in Billboard magazine issue dated April 19, 2008.


"Touch My Body"
Billboard Hot 100: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #2 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Pop 100: #4 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #9 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #2 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #2 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #4 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #4 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play: #7 (Last Week: #16)
Billboard Hot Dance Airplay: #7 (Last Week: #6)
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #8 (Last Week #7)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #3 (Last Week #3)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #10 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Hot Videoclip Tracks: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot RingMasters: #3 (Last Week #3)


• BDS Airplay: 119,000,000 (Last Week 115,540,000, +3.5 million)
• Digital Downloads: 168,154 (Last Week 285,544, -41%)


Source: Billboard | MariahDailyJournal

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Mariah Talks About E=MC²: Track by Track

Intro
This album is so much about fun and freedom and just the continuation of me feeling emancipated. It's sort of like Emancipation equals Mariah Carey times two. Like, this is me, a 100% of me, having fun and just being real. People ask me all the time: 'how do you stay relevant? how do you stay current? how do you make music people continue to respond to?' You just keep being real, keep being you, stay true to who you were from the beginning.



Download Video: Mariah Talks About E=MC², Track By Track

Touch My Body
This is so amazing, to just feel like how fast "Touch My Body" is exploding all around the world. I'm just so thankful because it's a song that I love so much and a song that really, you know, does express my personality. If you hear that song, you watch that video, you get a little bit of a glimpse into who I am as a person. I feel so close to that song, most of my really close friends - that's their favorite song, 'cause it's fun and it's cute, and it's not like, taking itself too seriously, you know what I mean? It's just like, you know, the 'touch my body' part is the sexy part and it is what it is but I love the humor in the song.
When Brett Ratner said that he was gonna do this video with me, there was a writers' strike and he had some time and he was really feeling the record, the idea of Jack McBrayer came up and I was like "that's amazing 'cause he is hilarious", so the concept of the video is basically like he comes over as "CompuNerd" to help me fix my computer and then he goes into fantasy land and I'm right there with him. I love adding the element of humor because why take this so seriously? They're videos!

Last Kiss
"Last Kiss" is a very special song to me. When I hear that song, and I hear my first, the first "feel so empty inside, since our last kiss goodbye", it's like, I feel like an eight year old kid, like this is me as a little girl, singing. I was playing it at a party for a friend of mine who happened to have Quincy Jones as one of her guests there and we were all listening to the songs and then Quincy asked me to rewind that song and play it over again and I said "Well, he is Quincy Jones! 'Thriller' and 'Off The Wall'! And if he's asking me to play a song over, I should pretty much take that as a humongous compliment and I did, and it makes me really happy 'cause that's my favorite song.

I'm That Chick
When I did "That Chick" with Stargate, I was so excited to be in the room with Stargate because L.A. Reid had said he really wanted me to get in a room with them and I am a fan of their work and they were such cool guys, such really talented, truly good people. It's sort of that song you want to listen to as a girl, you know, you wanna look at yourself in the mirror and go [sings] "I'm that chick you like". It's like preparation for a night out of feeling fly.

Bye Bye
Sometimes when I'm writing a song like "Bye Bye", it does come from such a raw place that I'm like, I'm actually crying while writing it, or thinking about it. But sometimes I will hear it and go 'I feel like this is gonna touch a lot of people.' And that's why it's important, that no matter what's ever happened to me throughout my career, that I stay the course and continue to write and try and reach people who need it, because I know that I'm one of those people. When someone does that and they write something that touches me, I'm like indebted to them forever.

I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time
"Lovin' U Long Time" was one of the last songs I wrote for this album. I sat down to write it and thought 'let me just make this a care-free record.' It's kind of a party record to me, just like not caring too much about anything else that's going on but you living in the moment.

Cruise Control
"Cruise Control" was the second trip I took to Atlanta to work with Jermaine. What it really means is, it goes [sings] "Might need to go slow, I don't know, Why ease up on the break, Every time I see his face". Basically, you need to slow down, because everytime you're around this guy, you're going a little too fast, 'cause he's the wrong type of guy for you to be with, but you know that, but you don't know how to handle that. So it was cool to kinda co-write that with JD and with Cri$tyle, because you know, it's coming from a woman's point of view and also coming from JD's point of view of making the track really hot.

For The Record
"For The Record" - the song, is one of my favorite songs on this album, it's one of those songs that the people who really are fans of mine, who really know my music really well, tend to gravitate towards because it's not only is it kind of a real-life story, but I've used a lot of my own songs in the bridge to tell the story. Towards the outro I say "For the record, You'll always be a part of me, No matter what you do" - that's "Always Be My Baby" and we kinda go through, you know, "Can't nobody say / I didn't give my all to you", the real fans who listen and then hear: "I told you underneath the stars", they'll know that's for them. I'm really happy that people are feeling the song.

Love Story
I love Jermaine Dupri as a person and I love him as a fan, I'm a fan of his work. One of the funny things about Jermaine is when I say something to him, he just runs with it. I said on the beginning of "Love Story" - I really want this beat to be hard, like do not make this too soft. I wanna stay true to what I love most which is Urban music and R&B music, and I feel it's the same thing that JD loves, and so basically, Jermaine did his ad-libs on the beginning of "Love Story" before we mixed it, and he said "MC said 'JD you gotta make it knock!'" right? and then he waits a few beats and goes "You hear that?" So basically, what I asked him was 'make it really hard', like it's almost like a rap record, but it's a ballad, and I think that's where our success comes from because we understand each other on that level and because we grew up on the same type of music.

Side Effects
"Side Effects" is a song that I wrote because it was necessary for me to write it. You know what? I've been through too much at this point. I want happiness and I want pure and real love, but the side effects of what other relationships have put me through caused me to kind of be on the defense a lot of the time and if somebody isn't like mature enough or caring and loving and open-hearted enough to understand how to deal with that, then it's tough. But this is a song for people who need that. It's also about, anyone who's been in an abusive relationship and I just wrote it 'cause I wanted to let those people feel a little bit stronger.

O.O.C.
"O.O.C." is a song that, well, we went in with Swizz Beats and I actually wrote that song with my friend Da Brat. And it's so amazing to write with someone who is also a rapper because she comes with a different set of, with a different perspective. And then we can put our minds together and come up with something really unique and cool and I think we both kinda understand each other in terms of where we come from as writers and so "O.O.C." seems to be like a favorite of a lot of people and that surprised me, because that night when we left the studio, I was like 'I don't know, how Swizz feels about it, I don't know, whatever' but I really like it.

Thanx 4 Nothin'
"Thanx 4 Nothin'" was the first ballad I wrote for this album, this song is gonna resonate with people who are really going through like a bleak moment in their relationship, where it's like 'Yeah... fantastic. Thanks for nothing.' Like, you know what that is. I'm being really sarcastic. It's a sarcastic moment in the land of "Mariah Carey songs". People listen to the song when Jermaine says in the beginning "this is for all the women who are sick and tired of being played." He knows it. [laughs] That's what it is.

I Wish You Well
"I Wish You Well" is in the tradition of songs like, I would say, "Outside", "I Am Free", these are album cuts from different albums that unless people are really fans, they won't know, but mainly I would say "Vanishing" from my first album because it's just piano and vocal and background vocals. Basically it's about coming to a place within yourself where you, no matter what somebody does to you, you can forgive them, and even if you're a little bit bitter about it, you say your peace and you let it go

Source: MariahDailyJournal

Friday, April 4, 2008

Blender Reviews E=MC²

First Listen: Mariah Carey's Shocking New Album

Posted 4/3/2008 3:56:00 PM by Ryan Dombal

A couple days ago, we were fortunate enough to hear Mariah's fizzy new album in its entirety. The record officially hits stores and websites April 15 but, to tide fans over, here's a quick run-down of the songs that stood out most. (Note: We're going to go out on a limb and predict this album will be a hit.)

"Migrate" [ft. T-Pain]
Producer: DanjaHandz
Song Type: Future funk
Silliest Lyric: "Don't wait for me to buy drinks or you gonna dehydrate" (T-Pain)
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: T-Pain turns Mariah into a pleasant sideshow here.

"Cruise Control" [ft. Damian Marley]
Producer: Jermaine Dupri
Song Type: Plastic reggae
Silliest Lyric: "He bring the drama, six baby mamas/ But uh oh, I can't resist him"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Laughable ragga accent + countless driving metaphors = perfect song to blast out of the sunroof this summer.

"Side Effects"
Producer: Scott Storch
Song Type: Midtempo rap-rock
Silliest Lyric: "Shining like a chandelier that decorated every room inside the private hell we built"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Ex-husband/tormentor Tommy Mottola will not enjoy listening to this kiss off.

"I'm That Chick" [ft. Young Jeezy]
Producer: StarGate
Song Type: Off the Wall rip-off
Silliest Lyric: "I'm like that oooweee you're fiendin' to blaze up"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Mariah as full-out disco diva!

"Love Story"
Producer: Jermaine Dupri
Song Type: "We Belong Together"-type semi-ballad
Silliest Lyric: "They on the phone like, 'Ay bay bay let's meet up today'"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: This will be a smash.

"I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time"
Producer: DJ Toomp
Song Type: Kanye West-style soul-sample R&B
Silliest Lyric: See title
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: Vietnamese whores will love this song.

O.O.C."
Producer: Swizz Beatz
Song Type: Hip-hop / R&B hybrid
Silliest Lyric: "So sorry, whatever happened to empathy/ I know y'all motherf***ers feel like we"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: O.O.C. = out of control = that new slang.

"Bye Bye"
Producer: StarGate
Song Type: Sap-fest ballad
Silliest Lyric: "Mamas, daddys, sisters, brothers, friends and cousins/ This is for my people who lost their grandmothers"
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: This one goes out to anyone who's lost anyone! Universal sh**, y'all!

"I Wish You Well"
Producer: James Poyser
Song Type: Gospel screamer
Silliest Lyric: "But who remains still standing then/ Not you not I see Philippians 4:9" (seriously)
Tantalizingly Brief Critique: The Mariah Carey equivalent of a trip to Sunday School.

Billboard Chart Info for April 12, 2008

"Touch My Body"

Billboard Hot 100: #1 (Last Week #15)
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay: #3 (Last Week #4)
Billboard Pop 100: #1 (Last Week #18)
Billboard Pop 100 Airplay: #9 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: #3 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: #3 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot Digital Tracks: #1 (New Entry)
Billboard Hot Digital Songs: #1 (New Entry)
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play: #16 (Last Week: #31)
Billboard Hot Dance Airplay: #6 (Last Week: #11)
Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay: #7 (Last Week #9)
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #3 (Last Week #5)
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream: #9 (Last Week #8)
Billboard Hot Videoclip Tracks: #1 (Last Week #1)
Billboard Hot RingMasters: #3 (Last Week #4)

Rolling Stone Reviews E=MC²

Mariah Carey
E=MC²
RS Rating: 3 Stars

Mariah Carey embraces her extremes: She's either grinding out R&B-hop or singing syrupy ballads, talking dirty or cuddling with a Hello Kitty. Her tenth studio album is no different: It starts in a club and ends in a church. Carey tries on reggae with Damian Marley's scorching "Cruise Control" cameo, conjures a text-message title for Swizz Beatz's flute-loopy "O.O.C." ("out of control") and dials cool Seventies soul with "I'm That Chick" (where she compares herself to ice cream, Tupac and a blunt). She sounds the freshest when she fires up her Tommy Mottola resentment on the bumpy, Young Jeezy-assisted "Side Effects" and lives the high life on Danja's hard-hitting head-nodder, "Migrate," which dabs her vocal with Auto-Tune. But nearly every song confines Carey to four-note verses, offering little room for her glorious range, and the six ballads are drenched in yearbook-quote lyrics that never quite work themselves into the froth of The Emancipation of Mimi. Yet 2008's Mimi is also about redemption, and she brings it on the closer, "I Wish You Well," proving all she needs is a piano and a few Bible verses to save somebody - most likely herself. Caryn Ganz

Source: Rolling Stone

Thursday, April 3, 2008

MTV Previews E=MC²: Album Focused On Fun, But Mimi Is At Her Best When She's Keeping It Real

MTV News checks out the diva's latest LP before it hits stores April 15.

Mariah Carey's last album, the multiplatinum Emancipation of Mimi, brought her back from a career slump of bad movies, dud albums, marital collapse and emotional meltdowns. It proved she still had the goods. So what is there left to prove with her new record, E=MC²? Answer: Nothing.

Which may be why Jermaine Dupri, the man behind so many of the Emancipation hits, plays a more muted role this time out, providing the occasional "uh-huh," "yeah" and "nope," among other things, on four of the album's 14 tracks. Has he worn out his welcome like the on-again, off-again lover Mariah sings about in the bulk of his tracks?

JD was a delight on Emancipation, acting less like a producer and more like a friend, bolstering Mariah's confidence and giving her someone to riff with ("It's Like That," "Get Your Number" and "Shake It Off"), ultimately helping her get to the point where she could do the breakout track "We Belong Together." But JD and Mariah don't belong together anymore. Now that Mariah's finally free, her producers need to help her spread her wings - otherwise, all we get is redux.

JD comes closest to showing that he still can do something new on "Thanx for Nothin'," which, like the Scott Storch track "Side Effects," finally reveals a side of Mariah we don't see that often - her true self. The Mariah we usually see and hear is a glossy one. Psychologists might say her effect is "off" - meaning her gestures and facial expressions don't match her mood. There's a reason for that, as she explains on "Side Effects," which is the emotional abuse she says she suffered during her marriage to music mogul Tommy Mottola. Mariah, who is usually quite guarded, has alluded to the subject in songs like "Petals," but never has she gone into such detail as she does on "Side Effects," in which she refers to the marriage as a "private hell that we built." Even though it's been 11 years since they split up, she sings in a lower register that she's still "wakin' up scared some nights ... dreaming about the violent times." Her emotional scars left her "a little protective ... a little defensive ... a little depressed," which makes her "fake a smile" as she "deal[s] with the side effects."

While "Side Effects" features Young Jeezy, it sounds like a rock power ballad, as if Mariah had been listening to a lot of Bonnie Tyler and Pat Benatar and decided that to capture her emotions, the music needed to share her pain. This turns out to be a good thing, because when she's not focused on vocal gymnastics, Mariah can really sing - as in, letting us really feel what she feels. Nowhere else on the album does Mariah get quite so emotionally naked, and it makes you wonder: What would Mariah have sounded like if she ventured out of her comfort zones of pop and R&B? (Not withstanding her ill-advised Def Leppard cover, of course.)

While "Side Effects" is about her ex-husband, her second single, "Bye Bye," appears to be about her late father, Alfred Roy, who died of cancer in 2002. Mariah reminisces about the too-little time she shared with her mostly absent father and regrets how as a child, she didn't understand why he failed to show up sometimes to see her after he and her mother divorced when she was 3. But mostly Mariah regrets that he "never got a chance to see how good I've done/ And you never got to see me back at #1." This confessional moment doesn't last long, since she extends this song about death to be for anybody "who just lost somebody."

But for most of E=MC², Mariah doesn't want to feel any pain - she wants to party the night away. So on the club-thumping "Migrate," she hops from "my car into the club ... from the bar to VIP ... from the party to the afterparty ... afterparty to hotel" with T-Pain, who urges her to "bounce, bounce, bounce." Like most MC albums, every guest star seems required to check her name at the door, and this is no exception. "Migrate," which was co-produced by Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, has Mariah in full diva mode as she leaves a club once they start "playing my jam."

Just in case there was a question of which jam that might be, she name-checks them herself in "For the Record," a play on words in which she incorporates past song titles into a verse after she asks her lover, "Give me one reason one we can't just press rewind?"

"I'm That Chick" ups the ego ante, but as she demonstrates with some silly lyrics ("la da da ooowee") and a funky disco beat (benefiting from an "Off the Wall" melody sample), she's not taking any of it seriously. At least we hope she's not serious when she compares herself to Tupac and Biggie, then ice cream and the lottery, as she softly taunts, "You're fiending to blaze up and taste me." As if this weren't already destined for the '80s time-warp roller-disco crowd, she serves up the joyful romp "I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time," which borrows from the chorus of DeBarge's "Stay With Me" (as well as a phrase uttered by a Vietnamese hooker in "Full Metal Jacket" and then sampled by 2 Live Crew and other hip-hop acts). At least on the reggae-inflected "Cruise Control" (featuring Damian Marley), she exhibits a sense of humor, singing in a Jamaican patois during the second verse: "When tha door open, de gals on de block they be hopin' to rob tha clock." She's not joking, or as she puts it, "Tink I'm joking?"

But for all the jokes, silliness and absurdities, Mariah is at her best when she keeps it simple, as she does in the closing track, "I Wish You Well," a piano ballad with gospel overtones (even including Bible verses from the books Proverbs, John, Philippians and Psalms). The song is a turning-of-the-cheek to anyone who mistreated her or doubted her. Older and wiser, she realizes on E=MC², which hits stores April 15, that she needed them all along to make her who she is now, and thanks them for it. Because if she can be square with them, she's truly set free - squared.

--By Jennifer Vineyard

Source: MTV News MariahDailyJournal

Preview Clips From E=MC²!

Amazon is offering an exclusive preview of short clips from all the tracks on Mariah's new album E=MC²

Click here to preview the tracks. Song lengths below:

1. Migrate - 4:18
2. Touch My Body - 3:25
3. Cruise Control - 3:33
4. I Stay In Love - 3:32
5. Side Effects - 4:22
6. I'm That Chick - 3:31
7. Love Story - 3:56
8. I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time - 3:01
9. Last Kiss - 3:36
10. Thanx 4 Nothin' - 3:05
11. O.O.C. - 3:26
12. For The Record - 3:26
13. Bye Bye - 4:27
14. I Wish You Well - 4:35

Total album time: 52:13

• Comcast subscribers may also hear exclusive previews of "Love Story", "Migrate", "Bye Bye" as well as an inside look on Mariah's recording session for the album at Comcast.net.

Source: MariahDailyJournal

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Awesome Touch My Body Male Response

Check out this male response to Touch My Body this guy named Lyricium did, in honor of Touch My Body going number one. It's good, the guy is really talented to have rewritten the song like this. His myspace is www.myspace.com/LyriciumSong he's gonna be big one day, so keep an eye on him.

Congrats to Mariah, TMB hits #1 and breaks records in the process!!!

Yes! I quite enjoy waking up to this awesome news! Congratulations to our MC who has done it again, This album is already starting out bigger than the last. TMB break Umbrella's download record! That's amazing, we love you MC, and wish you continued success and blessings.

Mariah Carey's 'Touch My Body' - Her 18th #1 Single!!!

HISTORIC NEW BILLBOARD HOT 100 SINGLES CHART RECORD - SURPASSES ELVIS PRESLEY's 17 #1's - FIRST HIT FROM NEW ALBUM, 'E=MC2'

'Touch My Body' nets record-setting 286,000 debut week on Billboard hot digital songs chart - Hot 100 Airplay radio audience passes 115 million - pre-orders underway for 'E=MC2,' as customers receive 'Touch My Body' instantly with pre-order at iTunes
SAVE THE DATES:

- April 9th: Mariah joins all-star international cast on FOX's second annual Emmy-winning 'IDOL Gives Back' two-hour charitable TV special
- April 14th: Mariah special guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show
- April 15th: 'E=MC2' new album arrives in stores
- April 16th: Mariah performs on 'American Idol' as musical mentor to finalists

NEW YORK, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- International superstar Mariah Carey reaches a once-in-a-lifetime career achievement as her current single "Touch My Body" goes to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week and becomes her 18th career #1 hit -- surpassing one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits.

"Touch My Body" takes over #1 with an all-time record-setting 286,000 debut week at #1 on the Billboard hot digital songs chart, and a Hot 100 Airplay radio audience now over 115 million. The video, directed by feature filmmaker Brett Ratner, and featuring a cameo by Jack McBrayer (30 Rock's Kenneth Parcell), stays at #1 on the Yahoo Music Video Chart, Yahoo Launchcast and AOL. And Mariah's widget has been viewed over 4.26 million times!

"Touch My Body" is the first smash from Mariah's highly anticipated hot new album "E=MC2," arriving in stores April 15th. Pre-orders are now underway for "E=MC2," with iTunes customers receiving "Touch My Body" instantly with their pre-order.

"Touch My Body" was one of two songs Mariah performed last month on NBC's Saturday Night Live (show to be re-run on May 3rd). Last week, Mariah gave a special performance of "Touch My Body" and "We Belong Together" after the third season premiere of the MTV reality series, "The Hills." The episode set a year-to-date record as the highest rated telecast on cable TV, with 5 million viewers tuning in.

On April 9th, Mariah will join an all-star cast for the second annual "IDOL Gives Back" two-hour tv special, a music celebration raising awareness and benefiting various U.S. and international charities. The first special raised $76 million last year, and won a prestigious Governor's Emmy Award.

On Monday, April 14th, Mariah will appear as special guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, preceding the "E=MC2" album release day on the 15th. The next night, April 16th, Mariah will perform on "American Idol" after serving as musical mentor to that week's finalists.

"Touch My Body" was produced by Mariah Carey, C. "Tricky" Stewart, and fellow Island Def Jam artist The-Dream. Other guest producers joining Mariah on "E=MC2" include Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp, Stargate, Will I Am, Bryan Michael Cox, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills and James Poyser. The album is executive produced by Mariah Carey and Antonio "LA" Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group.

The 11th studio album of her career, "E=MC2" follows-up "The Emancipation Of Mimi," Mariah's worldwide 10 million selling #1 album, which generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles, and countless more honors during its 18-month stay on the charts. Released April 12, 2005, "Mimi" was an industry phenomenon for the mega-platinum award-winning superstar. Soundscan's biggest-selling album of the year, it brought total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to over 160 million worldwide, making her the top-selling female recording artist in history.

"Mimi" featured "We Belong Together" (Grammy winner for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song) and "Don't Forget About Us," Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 singles respectively -- which tied Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. "Touch My Body" now surpasses Elvis as Mariah's 18th #1 hit, and positions her as the only active recording artist with the potential to surpass the Beatles' all-time high of 20 #1 hits. "Touch My Body" also marks Mariah's 78th cumulative career week at #1, as she closes the gap on Elvis Presley's all-time high record of 80 weeks at #1.

Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" is Billboard's No. 1 single

Mariah Carey one-ups Elvis, sets solo record
Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" is Billboard's No. 1 single

Carey now has 18 No. 1s, surpassing Elvis Presley's mark

Carey's record is second only to the Beatles, who had 20 No. 1s



LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- With her 18th chart-topper "Touch My Body," Mariah Carey has passed Elvis Presley for the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and is now second only to the Beatles.


Singer Mariah Carey, seen in February, has topped Billboard's Hot 100 for the 18th time.

But while the diva was in full celebration mode after learning of her latest milestone, she was also quick to put her accomplishment in perspective.

"I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world," Carey told The Associated Press on Tuesday via phone from London. "That's a completely different era and time ... I'm just feeling really happy and grateful."

Carey's single is the new No. 1 single on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart: The song also is No. 1 on the trade magazine's digital download chart thanks to a precedent-setting 286,000 downloads in its debut week. She had been tied with Presley with 17 No. 1 singles; the Beatles are the all-time leaders with 20 (Madonna also beat a Presley record this week, surpassing the King for the most top 40 hits with her 37th for her hit "4 Minutes.")

Carey said being in such company was gratifying not only because of her personal success, but what it meant for women and minorities.

"For me, in my mind the accomplishment is just that much sweeter," she said. "In terms of my ethnicity, always feeling like an outsider, always feeling different ... for me it's about saying, 'Thank you Lord, for giving me the faith to believe in myself when other people had written me off.' "

"Touch My Body" is the first single off of Carey's upcoming album "E=MC2," due out April 16. It is the follow-up to her Grammy-winning disc "The Emancipation of Mimi," released in 2005, that year's best-selling album with five million copies sold; it marked a huge comeback for the multiplatinum superstar after personal and professional setbacks.

Like that album, Carey said "E=MC2" continues her sense of freedom and rebirth: "It's like emancipation of Mariah Carey to the second power and beyond."

Carey, 38, said this is the most enjoyable point of her nearly two-decade old career, and that's her priority these days, not trying to set sales records or even making pop history.

"I've gone through enough of my life worrying about that kind if thing," said Carey.

"I want to encourage anyone else out there who feels like maybe they can't overcome an obstacle, I feel like I'm living proof ... never lose your faith," she added. "I'm seriously a grateful individual right now."

Rap-Up Previews E=MC²

Three years ago Mariah Carey made a surprising comeback with The Emancipation of Mimi and had one of the year's biggest hits with "We Belong Together." Mariah even led the Grammys the next year with 8 nominations. The Long Island native left no doubt in anyone's mind that she was back and better than ever.

Now Mariah has returned to take over the airwaves with her eleventh studio album E=MC², a heavily hip-hop influenced record, more so than anything she has ever made. It's off to a promising start with the lead single already a fixture at the top of the charts. The album is her third on Island Def Jam and was executive-produced by MC and L.A. Reid.

Rap-Up.com got to listen to the diva's entire new album. From the looks of it, Mariah is about to release a "stone groove" smash. If you don't know by now, April 15th is the date.

1. "Migrate"
Produced by Danjahandz
A party jam guaranteed to tear the club up. T-Pain isn't even singing the hook; he's a featured rapper doing his own verse where he talks about "ass and your titties coordinat[ing]." Mariah sings, "Once again nothin' jumpin' up in your place / Sick of your Berry buzzin' all in my face." This song contains some of the more playful and offbeat lyrics we've heard from MC. If you like Mariah's hip-hop flavored songs, you'll love this one.

2. "Touch My Body"
Produced by C. "Tricky" Stewart and Tarius "The-Dream" Nash
The love Mariah fans have for this song is proven. It's already No. 1 on iTunes and will soon be the No. 1 song in the country. In typical fashion, Mariah has released two killer remixes featuring The-Dream and Rick Ross.

3. "Cruise Control" featuring Damian Marley
Produced by Jermaine Dupri
Packed with a verse where Mariah sings, "ting," "de gals pon de block," and "me say no man." It's a bit funny. It's catchy. But did she really have to do the whole Jamaican accent? Damian Marley was already on it.

4. "I Stay In Love"
Produced by Bryan-Michael Cox
OK, here we go-a ballad! You finally get to hear Mariah sing. It's reminiscent of a Daydream track with a wistful and airy element. This is a deep cut and this album's "We Belong Together."

5. "Side Effects" featuring Young Jeezy
Produced by Scott Storch
Just when you think she's steering away from the hip-hop beats for a minute, Young Jeezy makes an intro rap. But the message is deep, talking about the side effects of a really bad relationship. There's a lyric that might make many fans ponder: "Wakin' up scared some nights / Still dreaming 'bout the violent times." Hmm... Who in the world could she be talking about?

6. "I'm That Chick"
Produced by Stargate
This is a chill, upbeat song. It sounds very European. Almost sounds like Ne-Yo's "Because of You" except it samples Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall." Mariah's definitely sounding sexy singing, "I'm like that oooweee / You're fiendin' to blaze up." This track is fire.

7. "Love Story"
Produced by Jermaine Dupri
A second ballad, and another appearance by J.D. It's similar to "I Stay In Love." She can really blow, but she isn't doing it on here. Dang.

8. "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time"
Produced by Toomp
A mid-tempo joint. This is a homerun. It's definitely different from anything on The Emancipation and MC's not riding the hip-hop bandwagon on this one. One of the best parts is the strings loop of "Stay With Me" by DeBarge, which the song samples. It gives it an old school feeling. Toomp (T.I.'s "What You Know") doesn't typically work with female artists, but this combination works.

9. "Last Kiss"
Produced by Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri should have a feature credit on this. You hear his voice and ad-libs a little too much. Mariah's singing about the inevitability of hooking up with someone again. The hook is hot.

10. "Thanx 4 Nothin'"
Produced by Jermaine Dupri
A mid-tempo ballad with more of Jermaine's ad-libs. It's going to get all the ladies amped. Mariah sings, "I was living in a lie just a masquerade / Now I only know that I'll never be the same / But you were just playing a game."

11. "O.O.C."
Produced by Swizz Beatz
O.O.C. = Out of control. Swizz Beatz really turned this track out, yet it doesn't even sound like a Swizzy beat. Sample lyric: "Even though I been gone for a minute / It's wrong I admit it / Your love's so addictive that / I get so O.O.C."

12. "For The Record"
Produced by Bryan-Michael Cox
This is the song Mariah used in her perfume commercial. It cites past Mariah records. Mariah sings, "I told you 'Underneath the Stars' that you 'Belong' to me / It's obvious that we just 'Can't Let Go' of us 'Honey'." It's pretty chill and relaxed. Mariah even gets cocky, "The whole entire world can tell / That you love yourself some me." Go head, MC.

13. "Bye Bye"
Produced by Stargate
"This for my people who just lost somebody / Put your hand way up high." A song everyone can relate to because it deals with losing a family member or friend. It will get some listeners teary-eyed. Mariah speaks to her father who passed away in 2002: "You never got a chance / To see how good I've done / And you never got to see me / Back at number one." Looks like this will be the album's second single and probably Mariah's 19th No. 1.

14. "I Wish You Well"
Produced by James Poyser
The token spiritual song on a Mariah album comes by way of "I Wish You Well." The one song you hear live instruments on. It gives you a churchy feeling, even a citation of Psalms 129:2 of the bible. It's very Aretha Franklin.

-Jonathan Reyes in New York