Mariah Carey | The Emancipation of Mimi [2005]

[#LisaRinna]

Mariah's 10th studio album, released on April 12th, 2005. It's her comeback album after the commercial failures of Glitter (2001) and Charmbracelet (2002).

The abum has sold close to 6 million copies in the US, it was the best selling album of 2005 and has been certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA.
The album contains the hit singles 'It's Like That' (#17), 'We Belong Together' (#1, 14 weeks) and 'Shake It Off' (#2). An additional hit, 'Don't Forget About Us' (#1, 2 weeks) came from the re-issue of the album.
'Fly Like a Bird', serviced to Urban and Urban AC radio became a top 20 R&B hit in 2006.
'We Belong Together' was elected the Song of the Decade by Billboard and still holds airplay records for most weekly and daily impressions registered.

The Emancipation of Mimi and its singles received 8 nominations at the 2006 Grammy Awards (including Album, Song and Record of the Year). Mariah took home the Grammys for Best R&B Song - We Belong Together, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - We Belong Together and Best Contemporary R&B Album. She performed a medley of 'We Belong Together' and 'Fly Like a Bird' at the ceremony receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

[Deleted]

Quite possibly my favorite R&B album of the 2000's.

[God]

I remember buying the ultra platinum edition back in '07. <3

Oh and I love 'Sprung' and 'When I Feel It'.

[#LisaRinna]

Sept 11, 2011 21:15:38 GMT -5 God said:

Oh and I love 'Sprung' and 'When I Feel It'.

Very underrated songs. 'So Lonely' is amazing, too.

[B-Boy]

TEOM is my first and only Mariah album in my collection. I thought she was steering in the hip hop direction when I found out she was going to have Snoop Dogg and Twista appear on the album. Also, she had Jermaine Dupri, Kanye West, and The Neptunes handling the production on some songs. The album proved otherwise. It was more R&B and pop. I love most of the songs on there, especially "Say Something" and "So Lonely" from the Platinum Edition.

[#LisaRinna]

This is her most Urban album to date. All of her other efforts always had/have that AC ballad to balance things out or something that's very Pop, but this didn't. It was all crossover material, but it all leaned towards the Urban side.
As I like to call it, it's her 'declaration of love and loyalty to Urban radio'.

[Deleted]

I like the album just fine and it's easily her best album of the 00s, but I liked it a lot more when it first came out and for a couple of years after that than I do now. After Rainbow, Glitter, and especially Charmbracelet I had basically given up on her. She kept putting out albums full of songs with weak production, weak vocals, and subpar melodies. Then she got it all right with this album which was really a shock. While E=MC2 and Memoirs weren't nearly as good as Emancipation, they were better than what I had come to expect from her at the beginning of the last decade and there really wasn't anything novel or special to hearing her belting out songs with good production anymore. So retrospectively, the element that made Emancipation particularly special to me in 2005 really isn't so special anymore.

I do wish she'd record more of the throwback R&B that she was going for with this album. The ballads on E=MC2 were extremely weak, and Memoirs was basically one contemporary R&B midtempo after another.

[#LisaRinna]

Sept 12, 2011 16:20:21 GMT -5 @jazzysoul47 said:

I do wish she'd record more of the throwback R&B that she was going for with this album.

Agreed. 'If It's Over', 'Subtle Invitation', 'When Christmas Comes' and 'It's a Wrap' are the only other songs she has in that vein and they are all amazing imo. It's a sound that definitely suits her voice well. Hopefully we get more of it in the future, possibly as soon as the next album.
Something jazzy like some of the songs on MCIIY or 'The Wind' would be great too.

[#LisaRinna]

I just listened to 'Circles'. My God.. :'( :'(

[sephyrpatriq]

I loved Shake It Off, Circles, Mine Again, Joy Ride, and of course Fly Like A Bird. I still hear Fly Like A Bird on Gospel radio.

[Dreams]

If it wasn't for "To The Floor" this album would have been 100% flaw-free. And even TTF is listenable every now and then, tbqh.

Anyway, the album is stellar and easily her best of the 00s. Throughout the whole era it felt like she was unstoppable and like she could do no wrong. What I like the most about this album is that, besides SIO and TTF, it's sung entirely in a full voice with lots of belting on top.

The best album of the whole entire 00's decade. No other album regardless of genre can touch it.

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Sept 30, 2011 15:43:29 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

I just listened to 'Circles'. My God.. :'( :'(

Yup. It's amazing. One of my favorites from the album.


I love this album so much, and its era was one of the best to follow. So much excitement went on.

[C.Ro]

We Belong Together, It's Like That, Shake It Off, Don't Forget About Us, Mine Again, Say Something, To The Floor, Get Your Number, So Lonely, oh my god!! so much amazing song... my favorite album from Mimi

[hidizzyguy]

This will stand forever in Mariah's history as the COMEBACK album of all comeback albums. This album was very aware of its significance, and you got everything thrown at you. Awesome production, great blend of R&B and Pop, high profile contributions, and THE VOICE, which had been extremeley lacking and was to the point where her audience questioned whether she had lost it. She basically shut every single one of her doubters up with this album. And everytime I see that cover, I am taken to a very well executed and promoted era. And I'm sorry, but I feel that Don't Forget About Us is an improved version of We Belong Together.

[Dammn Baby]

A good album now but great at the time - the return to form perhaps exaggerated its charms when released. JD's production is not timeless.

[firefly]

It is the only Mariah album that I consider a bit overrated. It contains my favorite song from hers, We Belong Together, so I won't complain. I love Mine Again and So Lonely too. Add Shake It Off and It's Like That and I don't care for the rest of the album.

[Agent Yoncé]

One of the top albums of the 2000s. This whole era was magically after her prior eras & their issues. 'Fly Like A Bird' still takes me there. OMGness

[Ling-Ling]

I agree with several other posters here, it doesn't have the luster it had at the time. But it's still a solid R&B album and one of the greatest comebacks I've had the pleasure of witnessing in my lifetime. Some of the tracks hold up better than others, but I can usually press play on this and let it go without skipping a track. Which is no small feat for an 18 track album.

My favorites are the throwbacks, "Circles," "Mine Again," "I Wish You Knew," "Fly Like A Bird". The instrumentals and arrangements are timeless. "Stay The Night" as well, which gives you that old school feel with an updated twist. "We Belong Together" still hits me after all these years, that second verse especially. "Don't Forget About Us" seems to be relatively forgotten, but it still holds up. The pre-chorus is fantastic. "Say Somethin'" remains one of the most undervalued singles in her discography IMO. That production is still so fresh. And the "let's make it, hot as you can stand it, something like volcanic..." second verse is low-key one of my favorite Mariah moments. "It's Like That" is dated, but still fun. The part where she and Fatman Scoop are adlibbing against each other always gets me hyped. That juxtaposition between the rough and the smooth, it just works. I prefer "One & Only" to "So Lonely," the lyrics just hit me harder. That "Dreams" shout-out in the first verse and the second verse especially, when she goes from that stutter singing into the "is this just an impossible dream, too elusive to pursue..." One of those effortless Mariah moments that she seems to just pull out of her ass. Every time I listen to "Your Girl," I can't help but imagine Chaka Khan singing it, which means I'm here for it. And "Joy Ride" is a lovely little slow jam, those background vocals pop.

The rest are frivolous. I don't think they stand on their own, but they're perfectly listenable in context of the album, "Get Your Number," "Shake It Off," "To The Floor," "Makin It Last All Night," "So Lonely," "WBT (Remix)."

I also liked quite a few of the remixes from this era. The Morales "It's Like That" remixes were super fun throwbacks. The Morales remix of "Say Somethin" is my fav from this era though. Was that the last time she re-recorded vocals for club mix? I miss that from her. Also, the Peter Rauhofer mix of "WBT" totally transformed the song, made it so aggressive and ominous. Love it. I wasn't overly impressed by any of the "Don't Forget About Us" remixes, but I liked the Ralphi & Craig Vocal the best, they gave it a super lite touch that worked better. Plus I'm a sucker for a random flute solo. But Moran's mix is solid too.

A few years ago, I probably would have said this is her best 00's album, but I think I gravitate more towards Memoirs now. I'd have to think on that one for a bit...

[Dreams]

I love this album and it's my third personal favorite by her behind Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse (#2) and her debut (#1). The biggest reason I rank it so high is basically because it's a killer album vocally and production-wise, I feel like it's her Mariah Carey of the 00's in that sense.

She's singing out and showing off those God given pipes so much and it gives me SO much satisfaction, both as a listener and a big MC fan, when I hear her belting almost an entire album; she hasn't employed that vocal approach on an album since, save for scattered moments on Merry Christmas II You and Chanteuse. In terms of production, I actually think her latest, Caution, could only rival TEOM in that every single track is so glossly produced and polished. I also love how TEOM's relatively varied in its sounds as an album.

I adore every song on Mimi - yes, even "To The Floor" at this point - adore the bonus /unreleased tracks as well: "Sprung," "Secret Love" and "I Feel It," so it'd be a bit redundant to sit here and list favorites... I guess if I HAD to, my top two would be "Circles" and "Stay The Night".

Such a magnificent record, a great collection of genuinely good songs, I was glad for its huge success. What an era, all around! She was back with a vengeance and so cool for everyone to unashamedly like again.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

Hands down my favorite Mariah album from the 2000s, and one of my faves from that decade, in general! That was actually the first Mariah album I had ever purchased. I love E=MC2 too, but this was definitely her best album since "Butterfly"!!! Just the perfect comeback album. I love the lush, retrospect production. It's easily in my top 5! 1) Butterfly, 2) Music Box, 3) Emotions, 4) Mariah Carey 5) TEOM.

[#LisaRinna]

The GOAT of comebacks turns 15 today!

[Deleted]

"I Pray," which was recorded in 2005 but previously unreleased, is now available on The Rarities.