Re: [討論] 英報Guardian Review

[amo07 (eManCipation)]

還是有比較不好的評論，只給了兩顆星，說這張只是TEOM的複製品而已

Los Angeles Times
by Richard Cromelin
April 12, 2008


Mariah Carey
E=MC2

What advice do you suppose Mariah Carey will have for the "American Idol"
contestants Wednesday when she appears on the show as a mentor, part of the
media blitz launching the follow-up to her big comeback album, 2005's "The
Emancipation of Mimi"?

One thing she can do is encourage vocal restraint, which would be ironic
coming from a singer whose early records contributed to the uncontrolled
showiness that afflicts so many "Idol" participants. But it's true: On "Mimi"
and even more so on "E=MC2," out Tuesday, Carey is searching for alternatives
to the glass-shattering flamboyance of her early '90s youth.

And when it comes to career counsel, the new album carries the operative
message: Don't mess with success.

"E=MC2" is nearly a clone of "The Emancipation of Mimi" -- from the
exotica-tinged hip-hop hybrid that kicks it off ("It's Like That" there, the
T-Pain duet "Migrate" here) to a speaking appearance by her pastor, Clarence
Keaton, on the finale. In between is another carefully calculated mix of
mainstream R&B in its dance, pop and old-school manifestations.

This is the happily-ever-after part of Carey's fairy tale, which is more
"Ugly Duckling" than "Cinderella." Perhaps because she had been so successful
in the '90s, her commercial decline and emotional breakdown at the start of
this decade came to be seen as a sort of cosmic retribution for her -- and
the record industry's, while we're at it -- decadence and excess. She wasn't
merely exiled, she was ridiculed, setting up her improbable cycle of
transformation and triumph with "Mimi," which sold 6 million copies.

That redemption wasn't guaranteed, but the task of securing and extending it
should be easier. It's not as if the new album's cautious nature compromises
some kind of bold artistry. Amid the drama of her comeback and the hoopla
over her record-breaking chart numbers, it's easy to forget that "Mimi"
wasn't exactly a great album.

"E=MC2" is a little better -- the songwriting is more consistent, the feel a
bit more natural -- but it too lacks a ruling temperament or artistic vision.
Without that, it's a savvy sampler of mainstream commercial craft, plush
aural lounges designed and furnished by such producers and writers as
Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland associate Nate "Danja" Hills and hip-hop's Swizz
Beatz.

That often leaves Carey sounding like an ersatz Beyoncé, and she never
approaches the cathartic soulfulness of Mary J. Blige or the auteur
credentials of Alicia Keys.

What's most striking about the album is the further toning down of Carey's
famously powerful voice. She was always criticized as a technically gifted
singer with no interpretive intelligence or instincts, but now that the
instrument itself sounds physically diminished, she seems to be groping
toward some kind of expressive ground. Those signature high notes pierce the
stratosphere a couple of times, but she's even more reticent to wail --
there's no counterpart to "Mimi's" showy "Mine Again" or "Joyride."

Instead, Carey tests registers and dynamics. In "I'll Be Lovin' You Long
Time," her singing is so direct, understated and unglamorous it's almost
shocking -- like seeing a diva without makeup. The piano ballad "I Stay in
Love" is similarly unadorned, and her voice is almost leathery in the lower
notes. It's not flattering, but it rings true emotionally.

But this is a process rather than a realization for Carey, whose moments of
discovery are random, the products of chance rather than considered choice.
Many of the songs on "E=MC2" are lightweight enough that they don't demand
much revelation, but the sassy hit "Touch My Body," for one, could use more
sensuality. And when lyrics are more demanding, things are hit-and-miss.

Carey captures the theme of self-repression and emotional damage in "Side
Effects," a teaming with rapper Young Jeezy, by keeping her vocal taut and
reined in. She works up some gospel grit on "I Wish You Well," but the
demands of the larger-than-life anthem "Bye Bye," a salute to departed loved
ones, are beyond her reach.

Of course, consistency isn't so important when an album is assembled as a
series of singles rather than a cohesive work. Fortunately for Carey, the
tabloid-tailored real-life back story on one side and the producer's craft on
the other matter more than the art of singing in this particular fairy tale.

--
Mariah   ▄▄▄▄         ▄▄         ▄▄     ▄▄   ▄   ▄
 Carey's        ▄             ▄    ▄   ▄     ▄    ▄  ▄ 
            ▄▄   ▄▄      ▄ ▄  ▄      ▄               ▄
            ▄▄   ▄▄  ▄   ▄ ▄▄                                瑪麗亞凱莉
                           ▄       ▄         ▄              完美姿態再次降臨
                  ▄    ▄         ▄         ▄   ▄▄ ▄ 最新專輯4/11正式發行

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推 loveyourself:(護航)這張只是外在包得很像MIMI，但實際有落差..
推 honkwun:根本就不像 沒用心聽...
推 badabing:懷疑是咪咪hater寫的...好不容易講了一句好話，卻是為
→ badabing:後面一整段的惡評鋪梗...
→ sunrio:這是哪一家報紙??? 沒聽過耶  XDDD
→ sunrio:這個評論家很老派  他從1972年就開始寫樂評了
→ sunrio:而且評論的幾乎都是搖滾藝人or老團體....so....
推 honkwun:洛杉磯時報 應該不算小報紙吧?
推 caret:不然這樣會沒有版面可以寫...所以只好拿咪咪的來騙歌迷!!