On The Road Again: Mariah Carey "Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (Australia, Def Jam Recordings, 3744049)"

sábado, 31 de mayo de 2025

Mariah Carey "Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (Australia, Def Jam Recordings, 3744049)"

Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on May 27, 2014 in the United States, by Def Jam Recordings. The record had been in development since 2011; during its production, Carey hired collaborator Randy Jackson to manage her career, before firing and replacing him with another frequent collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. The album consists of guest appearances from Nas, Miguel, Wale, and Fabolous, in addition to Carey's twins Moroccan and Monroe. On the deluxe edition of the album, R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige respectively make appearances on remixes of two songs, "Betcha Gon’ Know" and "It's a Wrap", taken from Carey's twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009). These remixes were originally intended to appear on Carey's cancelled remix album, Angel's Advocate (2010).

Originally titled The Art of Letting Go, Me. I Am Mariah... was scheduled for release in 2012 but, following the commercial failure of the single, "Triumphant (Get 'Em)", featuring Rick Ross and Meek Mill, additional songs were recorded for the album causing the release date to be pushed back several times by the record company throughout 2013 and again in 2014. Together with Bryan Michael Cox, Carey and Dupri were executive producers on the album. It is named after a self-portrait that Carey drew as a very young girl that she captioned "Me. I Am Mariah". The portion of the album called "The Elusive Chanteuse" is a nickname Carey gave herself for the album.

Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse was promoted through several media appearances by Carey, as well as The Elusive Chanteuse Show. Singles released from the album included the US Hot 100 top twenty song "#Beautiful" (a duet with Miguel), "The Art of Letting Go", "You're Mine (Eternal)", and "You Don't Know What to Do" (featuring rapper Wale). Of these, "You're Mine (Eternal)", peaked at number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

On September 29, 2009, Carey's twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, was released. Following the cancellation of Angels Advocate, a remix album of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, it was announced that Carey would return to the studio to start work on her thirteenth studio album. It was later revealed that it would be her second Christmas album. The album, titled Merry Christmas II You, was released alongside an accompanying DVD, and was sent to retailers on November 2, 2010. Merry Christmas II You debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with sales of 56,000 copies. It also became Carey's 16th top ten album in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it only the second Christmas album to top this chart. Following the birth of her children, Carey began work on her fourteenth studio album.

The first indication that Carey had begun work on her fourteenth studio album was in February 2011, with Carey stating: "I start writing for my new album this week-but it's just the beginning...." In March 2011, Carey's representative said she will donate royalties for the song "Save the Day", which she had written for her upcoming studio album, to charities that create awareness for human-rights issues. Her husband Nick Cannon told Billboard in May 2011 that Carey had already completed a good amount of recording for a new album, a few months before during her pregnancy: "She's planning on having a [new single] out this year. She's been working away, and we have a studio in the crib, and [the pregnancy] has totally inspired her on so many different levels." Additionally, Cannon confirmed that Carey was inspired by her debut self-titled album and its follow-up, Emotions.

In January 2012, Cannon updated everyone on the album, saying: "My beautiful wife is planning to make her return to the music scene after taking time off to focus on the pregnancy and the birth of our two wonderful babies, Moroccan and Monroe." On August 3, 2012, Carey released "Triumphant (Get 'Em)", a collaboration with rappers Rick Ross and Meek Mill, which was originally claimed to be the lead single for her upcoming studio album. The single garnered low impact both critically and commercially, and was eventually removed from the album. The Island Def Jam Music Group was shuttered by Universal Music Group on April 1, 2014. Island Records and Def Jam Recordings operate as separate entities, with Carey being transferred from Island to Def Jam.

In September 2011, producer and friend Jermaine Dupri took to his social network Global14 to reveal that he's back in the studio with Carey working on new music. In August 2012, Bryan Michael Cox said about the album: "She was committed to making it before she got pregnant. Then she got pregnant and she took the time off. Then after she came back, we started really vibing again and we picked up right where we left off. I just feel like between [record producer] Jermaine Dupri, myself and her, we came up with a few things that [are] really, really a solid body of work". In September 2012, Carey was in the studio with R. Kelly.

Carey said about her fourteenth studio album: "I'm collaborating with a lot of my favorite people but the main thing is [that] I'm not trying to follow any particular trend, I want it to be well received. I want to stay true to myself and the music that I love and make the fans happy".[19] Some of the people that Carey worked with on the album include: DJ Clue?, Randy Jackson, Q-Tip, R. Kelly, David Morales, Loris Holland, Stevie J, James Fauntleroy, Ray Angry, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, James "Big Jim" Wright, Hit-Boy, The-Dream, Da Brat, and Rodney Jerkins.

Carey gave Billboard an exclusive interview in their March 9, 2013, issue, stating: "It's about making sure I have tons of good music, because at the end of the day, that's the most important thing.... There are a lot more raw ballads than people might expect... there are also uptempo and signature-type songs that represent [my] different facets as an artist.... Wherever we go with this project, I've tried to keep the soul and heart in it." Billboard also asked Carey about the title of the album, but she declined to reveal it.[22] In late March 2013, Carey stated that she "has more than enough songs" but "she's in the process of finishing things and mixing and all that". In mid-2013, she was seen in the studio on separate occasions with Mike Will Made It and Young Jeezy, Wale, and Nas. In October 2013, Jermaine Dupri was announced as Carey's new manager.

In an interview in February 2014, Carey added that there are songs on the album that are about her husband Nick Cannon as well as songs that she wrote specifically for her twins Moroccan and Monroe. That same month, Carey announced to MTV News that she has added three new songs to the track list, one extra Hitboy record and two new remixes and stated that she is in the process of choosing a new title for the album. The two remixes are of the songs "Betcha Gon' Know" and "It's a Wrap", previously featured on 2009's Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel; R. Kelly features on the former, while Mary J. Blige features on the latter. The cover versions were confirmed to be George Michael's 1988 single, "One More Try", and cover of a Mary Mary song, "Can't Give Up Now", with a slightly different arrangement and additional writing credit by Carey. There is also a cover of the patriotic song "America the Beautiful" for the Japanese CD edition of the album.

Consisting of fifteen songs and four deluxe songs Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse is an R&B album with a diverse musical style that incorporates hip hop, hip hop soul, soul and elements of disco and gospel. Mike Wass of Idolator described the album as being a concept album that journeys through the eras of R&B, from Motown to the '90s, disco and early hip-hop.

Writing for The Boston Globe, Sarah Rodman said "Me. I Am Mariah... offers up rhythmic hip-hop pop, gospel-inflected power ballads, old-school soul, and straight-up disco fantasias"; Rodman described the album's production as being built over a "pulsating atmosphere" and "fidgety rhythmic tracks." Jim Farber of New York Daily News said the album as a return to form after Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), which Fader described as a "disastrous". He noted the album's musical content as containing "grand balladry, and formal melodies."

Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly, noted "nostalgia" to be a big and recurring theme both lyrically and musically, continuing to comment on this saying the "arrangements that borrow from Inner Life's disco rave-up 'I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)' and the O'Jays' Philly-soul classic 'Let Me Make Love to You'." Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine noted the album's lyrics to be "personal, crazy. Crazy personal," Henderson continued calling the album's lyrical content an "deliberately confusing innocence with insight, obliviousness with bliss." Carey's voice on the album was described by Elysa Gardner of USA Today, as "artful melisma, robust belting and decorative high notes." Gardner continued, noting Mariah's use of her "supple middle and lower registers to convey feeling simply and directly."

On June 16, 2013, Walmart put the album up for pre-order and revealed its title as The Art of Letting Go. The following day, producer Jermaine Dupri confirmed that Walmart was correct and that the album would be called The Art of Letting Go.[66] In February 2014, Carey expressed dismay that the album's title had leaked and confirmed that a new title would now be chosen. The album is now titled Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, a two-part title taking its name from two things personal to Carey. The first part is the caption from Carey's "first and only self-portrait", a drawing she drew as a child which is included as part of the album's back cover, while the second half is a nickname she's adopted recently. Summarizing the title and album's concept, Carey said "This album is a reflection of some of the peaks and valleys that made me who I am today. I've always known me. I am Mariah." Carl Williot from Idolator called the album title both "absurd" and "insane". He also lambasted Carey for including "annoying" punctuation in the track listing, including a hashtag (#) for the song "#Beautiful", a period (.) for the song "Cry." and appending characters to the song "Money ($ * / ...)". Time's Dan Macsai called it the "greatest, most over-the-top album title of all time."

On the standard edition cover, Carey poses with her arms behind her head, while wearing a nude-colored crocheted swimsuit. The deluxe edition features a close-up of Carey's face, on the same sun-kissed background. Jeremy Blacklow from Yahoo! Music commented that some fans felt that the album covers "look retouched to the extreme".

In the April 2012 issue of Shape magazine, Carey stated: "I've started writing songs for a new album, which I hope will come out in 2012. Getting back in the studio and making music again-which I truly love doing-is the best way to end this crazy year". In August 2012, Carey's then-manager Randy Jackson told Billboard that the album was set for release in March 2013. Carey told Ryan Seacrest in September 2012: "I want[ed] [it] to [be released] sooner, but I guess it wouldn't be ready until around January 2013, somewhere around there. I wanted to put another single out, a ballad. I love it, but I'm still writing, I'm still working. So, you never know what it's going to end up being".

In February 2013, Carey stated that she wanted to release the album as soon as possible. The album was delayed to May 2013, which soon changed to July 23, 2013. However, the album was again delayed. On February 10, 2014, it was announced that the album was then set for release on May 6, 2014. Carey discussed issues around the failed singles and push backs during an interview with Billboard, for the magazine's cover story. She said that she wanted fans to hear the album as a full body of work and thus performance of individual singles was less important. Carey also considered a "Beyoncé-style surprise digital release" – Beyoncé released her self-titled album to the iTunes Store in December 2013 without any prior warning, but Def Jam confirmed that Carey's album would receive a traditional release with pre-orders starting May 1, 2014, and a pre-announced album cover, track listing and release date for May 27, 2014. The album also was released early to stream via USA iTunes 'First Play' on May 20, 2014. The album served as Carey's final release under her deal with Def Jam.

In the United States, Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart with sales of 58,000 copies. It was her 17th top-ten album in the US since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991. It was present on the US Billboard 200 for a total of eight weeks, becoming her album with the shortest chart run to that point. As of April 2015, Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse had sold 122,000 copies in the United States, making it her lowest-selling album at the time. Billboard speculated that its initial ratio of first-week sales to its sharp decline in sales thereafter suggested that interest in the album came primarily from a decreasing group of die-hard fans.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number fourteen on the UK Albums Chart, with sales of 6,547 copies. In its second week, the album dropped forty places to number 54, before completely falling out of the top 100 in its third week.

Track listing

Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse – Standard edition