|
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel | 
| Artist: Mariah Carey
Label: Island
Category: Music
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $3.25
as of 2/9/2010 19:41 EST details
You Save: $16.73 (84%)
New (42) Used (29) from $3.25
Seller: SourceMedia
Rating:  254 reviews
Sales Rank: 305
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 5 x 0.4
MPN: 001322602
UPC: 602527133652
EAN: 0602527133652
ASIN: B002DSM8UC
Release Date: September 29, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Betcha Gon' Know (the prologue) | | • | Obsessed | | • | H.A.T.E.U. | | • | Candy Bling | | • | Ribbon | | • | Inseparable | | • | Standing O | | • | It's A Wrap | | • | Up Out My Face | | • | Up Out My Face (the reprise) | | • | More Than Just Friends | | • | The Impossible | | • | The Impossible (the reprise) | | • | Angel (the prelude) | | • | Angels Cry | | • | Languishing (the interlude) | | • | I Want To Know What Love Is |
Disc 2
| • | Obsessed Remixes (Cahill Radio Mix) | | • | Obsessed Remixes (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit) | | • | Obsessed Remixes (Jump Smokers Radio Edit) | | • | Obsessed Remixes (Friscia and Lamboy Radio Mix) |
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is packaged in a beautiful 3-panel softpack. A must-have for all Mariah fans, it will include: - The CD - A 2nd Enhanced CD featuring the "Obsessed" video, a remix video, and 3 remixes - a 36 page Elle mini-magazine that's an inside look at Mariah. First came the emancipation, then came energy and power, and now come Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, the new album by international superstar Mariah Carey, scheduled to arrive on September 29th. The first new single pick from Memoirs is "Obsessed,". The video for "Obsessed" is directed by Brett Ratner. "Obsessed" was written and produced by Mariah, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, who are responsible for the majority of tracks on the new album. Memoirs was executive-produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, the 12th studio album of Mariah's career, is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her RIAA platinum-selling album E=MC² (released April 15, 2008), and her worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation Of Mimi (released April 12, 2005). Both were Soundscan #1 debut albums that made chart history for Mariah in the U.S. and numerous territories around the globe. The Emancipation Of Mimi generated three Grammy awards (including Best Contemporary R&B Album), two #1 singles, and countless more honors during its 18-month chart stay. The album debuted at #1 on first week sales of 404,000 copies, Mariah's highest first week sales total (until E=MC²;). Soundscan's biggest-selling album of 2005, 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 career singles respectively. They tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. Three years later, E=MC²; debuted at #1 on first week sales of 463,000 copies, which now stands as the highest first week sales total of Mariah's career. The album's success brought total sales of Mariah's albums, singles and videos to more than 160 million worldwide, distancing her even further from the pack as the top-selling female recording artist in history. E=MC² spun off four singles: "Touch My Body," "Bye Bye," "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time," and "I Stay In Love." Of these, "Touch My Body" made history when it became Mariah's 18th #1 Hot 100 hit, thus surpassing Elvis Presley. "Touch My Body"'s two weeks at the top also marked Mariah's 78th and 79th cumulative career weeks at #1, which tied Elvis' long-standing all-time high of 79 weeks at #1, as calculated in Billboard.com. At the same time, 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.
Album Description
Limited U.S. two CD edtion in three panel softpack includes a bonus enhanced CD featuring the 'Obsessed' video, a remix video, and three remixes. In addition, the package includes a 36 page Elle mini-magazine that serves as an inside look at Mariah. 2009 release, the 12th album from the biggest-selling female recording artist in history. Featuring `Obsessed' and `I Want To Know What Love Is' (a cover of the Foreigner classic ballad), Memoirs... is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Mariah's multi-platinum-selling album E=MCý, and her worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation of Mimi. Mercury.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 254
Don't be put off by first listen - this is a slow-burning masterpiece! October 10, 2009
Mathew A. Crane (UK)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful
OK - so let's clear things up. Is this the best Mariah album of all-time?...probably not, but don't be confused by some negative press, slack first week sales or even first impressions. This is a slow-burning hit! After a few listens you stop obsessing about how this isn't a typical Mariah album and begin to appreciate this as possibly her most cohesive body of work since her debut. This is a superby crafted album, with each story interwoven via interludes and repeated phrases to create a consistent piece of artistic expression. What initially comes across as everything sounding the same - after a couple of listens reveals each song as one chapter (or memoir) in Mariah's love/life story and is exceptional. So it's not the same as everything else she's done - true - and if it had of been would she have been criticized for trying to recreate Mimi?
While some tracks feel more album filler than floor filler - there are some perfectly crafted songs which resonate with warmth, cutting homour, sarcasm and heartbreak - indeed it seems ironic that Mariah would write the best break-up album of her career (with the arguable exception of Butterfly) when she is happily married! Stand-out tracks are "Betcha Gon Know" (possibly the classiest slice of R & B Carey has ever produced), "Obsessed" and it's slightly darker sister track "Standing O", "H.A.T.E.U", "Inseperable", the superb "Up Out My Face" (which is a sure-fire number 1 if marketed correctly) and "Angels Cry" - in my opinion the best Mariah ballad we've heard in years. With every song concentrating on love and heartbreak - the only thing the album lacks is an anthem. Carey's ability to write universal songs of inspiration and reflection such as Make it Happen, Hero, Can't take that away (Mariah's theme), Close My Eyes and so on have often been the tracks that have been most requested and most treasured by her adoring fan base, and the lack of one on "Memoirs" is noticeably absent.
Ultimately - this album may not sell what it deserves to as people may surf the samples once and not re-listen, which would be a great shame. For my money, Mariah has written, sung and co-produced a bravely different album which deserves high-ranking status in her back-catalogue, and once again proves that Carey's platinum voice and under-rated song-writing deserves it's already cemented place in music history.
 Great Album!! October 5, 2009
Lauren Glenn (Atlanta,GA)
21 out of 26 found this review helpful
I love Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. I feel that many songs have grown on me as with any new album. I also feel that she could have done without The Dream & Tricky Stewart on a few songs but they are what's hot now. I know people who initially hated the album but after a few more listens they are loving the songs. The "90s" Mariah is gone so get over it and stop making that a reason to HATE the album. People grow and CHANGE with the times. Current favorite songs:
1. Betcha Gon Know
2. Candy Bling
3. Ribbon
4. Standing O
5. It's A Wrap
6. Inseparable
7. Up Out My Face
8. The Impossible
9. Languishing (This grows on me more and more.)
I just can't believe true Mariah fans can't find at least one song they love on this album.
MARIAH didn't do too bad.....she actually did great! October 6, 2009
Grace (ATL)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
MY REVIEW ---> 4/5
I will say the album is a grower, the more you listen to it the better it gets. The only song that still hasn't caught on right away is Standing 0, but the rest is flawless.
Mariah spills out her personal perception of the beauty and ugliness of love & relationships. Her lyrics depict relatable stories and captures her frolic personality.
Songs like Ribbon, Impossible, Inseparable, and More Than Just Friends paint a romantic, mushy picture of falling in love.
However the following moody songs lie in complete contrast: Betcha U Gonna Know and H.A.T.E U delineates the tough process of heartbreak, betrayal, and bitterness when love goes wrong.
Fun, sassy songs like It's A Wrap, Obsessed, Up Out My Face, and Standing 0 take sardonic shots at the person on the other end of the relationship.
Candy Bling, Angels Cry and Languishing are played as beautiful melodies, yet tainted with lingering sadness as each song exposes fear, emotional memories, and reminscent love stories.
Lastly the main theme of the album ends off with Mariah's own soft-powerful interpetation of the song I Want To Know What Love Is Throughout the album love came and left soon after. Her desperate plea to understand what love is, it rather appropriate for this album (despite the criticism)
Epic & Masterful : The Artist as a Visionary October 6, 2009
Cabir Davis
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
For longtime followers of Mariah Carey's music, "Butterfly" from 1997 remains her most enduring work - a gorgeous collection of tracks that worked as a 'concept album', and also individually - and some of the lesser known works from the album - "Fourth of July", "The Roof", and of course, the seminal "Breakdown", remain some of the greatest songs ever recorded in R&B history.
Which is why "Memoirs" is interesting on so many levels. Not only has Carey decided to revisit her R&B roots, she also pays homage to certain key musical forces along the way, most noticeably Marvin Gaye, and Sade. Those influences permeate this recording, and while it can loosely be called a 'concept album', it is sequenced in breathtaking fashion, with every song in the right place, not a note wrong; and Carey's infamous whistle register arrives at just the right places.
The great thing about Mariah Carey's music is that despite the glossy and overproduced elements of her early 1990s work, she has learnt to go with the times and make music that is current, yet always with a hint of throwback. Sadly, her last two records, while being eminently memorable, weren't quite in keeping with her usually solid output (I also consider 'Charmbracelet' to be a winning CD; though highly underrated). "Memoirs" corrects that, because it seems to reject radio-friendly pop, and rather immerse itself in the very root of R&B - some songs sound like love-children of Maxwell, India Arie and Erykah Badu, and this can only be a good thing.
The Erykah Badu comparisons are also very valid on certain key tracks on this record. Shades of Mary J. Blige (especially on a key track entitled 'Hate U') are all over the place, and Carey indulges the more bizarre sides of her (an entire two minute track is composed of a high school brass band repeating the same line ad nauseum), and her lyrics often veer into strange, almost transcendent madness. Consider this: "Not even a nail technician with a whole lot of gel and acrylic can fix this when I break; If we were two Lego blocks, even the Harvard University graduating class of 2010 couldn't put us back together again". Granted, things aren't always this far out. On most tracks, Carey sings about what she knows - love and relationships; but it wears thin after a certain point.
However, the music often makes up for the dubious lyrical content. Lead single 'Obsessed' is the worst thing here, and sadly, some of the interludes could have worked as full-fledged songs themselves. Prime amongst these is "Languising", easily Mariah's greatest ballad since the incomparable "Close My Eyes" from "Butterfly". The songwriting here is stellar, and only serves to reiterate that when Carey does it right, she really nails it. This one track is easily mightier than the entire output of "E=MC2", and marginally better than most anything on "Emancipation" (save for 'We Belong Together').
Also surprising are song choices that open and close the album. The Foreigner Cover at the end doesn't sound quite appealing in the beginning, but a repeat listen convinces you of its' greatness, at least for the first verse and chorus. This isn't a terrific song to close any album with, but it sounds comfortable and inspired enough to hold everything that came before it. And the gems here are many - "Angels Cry" has a killer chorus that would do great as a commercial single, and "Standing O" is something that grows on you, much like the latter half of her previous album.
Whats especially convincing about "Memoirs" is that Mariah isn't trying very hard to 'sell out' or garner any more No. 1 singles (whether or not that happens is of no consequence anymore). What she HAS done is create an album that rivals 1997s' "Butterfly" in terms of novelty and creativity. The unfortunately titled "Candy Bling" is actually a stunning tune and lyric that acts as a befitting sequel to "Underneath the Stars", and almost every song here some sort of reference point on "Butterfly". For that alone, I can award this five stars.
An artist in her element. Listened to purely as an auditory experience and not as a commercial product, this ranks very highly amongst Carey's vast back-catalog. Five Stars.
 Read my inital thoughts. Please. September 29, 2009
Adrian the Complex Lonely (USA)
23 out of 31 found this review helpful
September 29th, 2009
Mariah's 12th studio album, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel is a slight grower. You might not love it initially but some tracks will grow on you.
Is this her best release? Not by a mile. That title belongs to Daydream (1995). Is it her worst? No.
But I think it could have been better. There are some tracks that could have had more umph like "Inseperable" which was just there (and notably seems to be a fan-favorite here). "Standing O" (the next track) isn't that great either. The latter almost feels like a song BY The-Dream (who helped co-write the whole album with Mariah herself and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart).
My favorite track here by far is "It's A Wrap" which is right in the middle of the disc and brings flavor and fun to it. It almost feels kinda shoo-op ish or jazz-lite.
The big problem I have with this disc is that it is pure mid-tempo madness. Mariah goes fast on like two tracks and there are like 3+ ballads. The rest of the tracks are neither slow or fast really, they are at a medium tempo and start to blend after a while. Not that they sound exactly the same but I think that's an issue.
The lyrics on the album are OK. For modern Mariah nothing is bad, nor should you be surprised by any of the content.
I'm a huge fan of Mariah and expected a lot of this album. I anticipated it for months and months and months (after the slight disappointment of E=MC2). The vocals here aren't bad at all, although to be fair they are less whispery than they were on Charmbracelet. To all of the ones worried that her voice isn't gonna be the same as it was in the early-mid 90s - it's true, it won't be that good again. And I'm fine with that. Her voice doesn't deter me much at all on this effort (so try not to listen to the haters). There are also a lot of high notes.
There are a couple of other good tracks such as the highly anticipated "H.A.T.E.U." which is one of the few ballads on the album (and is the best) which is solid throughout. "Up Out My Face" has its own swagger going on and "The reprise" following it is an even better (and underrated) highlight with a featured marching band. "Obsessed" is also another high point (which I found strange because although I liked it, I didn't think it was going to be one of the better tracks) as well as the decent but short cover of "I Want To Know What Love Is" which is led into perfectly by the nice "Languishing (interlude)" which should have you reminiscing of Mariah's "Petals".
The former track comes in at 3 minutes and 27 seconds when the original is just over 5 minutes. I don't know what happened there. Candy Bling had to grow on me for a bit but lyrically, yes, I agree with others - it reminds you of Underneath The Stars and Fourth Of July.
No, I didn't talk about all of the tracks but the notable ones did make the review. Not all of the tracks on this album in my opinion are worth speaking on.
3.75 stars is the most accurate rating I could give it.
3.5 is what it's awarded based on my current rating system.
DOWNLOAD:
It's A Wrap
H.A.T.E.U.
Up Out My Face/Up Out My Face (The Reprise)
Angels Cry
Candy Bling
end note: I expected "Angels Cry" to be epic, but it was just solid. I've owned this album for about 5 1/2 hours and have listened to it about 4x through. I've edited this review many, many times.
DON'T FORGET TO RATE HELPFUL (OR NOT).
Showing reviews 1-5 of 254
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Proud member of the Celebrity Pro Network. Make sure you check out these other great Celebrity Pro Network sites:
Lyrics Database
Celebrity Blog
Celebrity Thing
Celebrity PC
Celebrity Latest
Portal Site
Travel Photos
Quotes
Flash Games
|
Is there a better
price available?
Find out:
|
|
|
|
