Mariah's 2018 Comeback

[DiscoHeaven23 35,007]

Mariah Carey's crtiical comeback in 2018 continues. Caution is making so many year end best albums charts. Let's look at them:

 

BILLBOARD: #39 

If you needed yet another reminder as to why she remains the Supreme Diva, Mariah Carey's 15th album, Caution, continues to demonstrate her dominance as a chart fixture (it debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200) as well as a crafty songwriter and inimitable singer. Across just ten songs, the R&B luminary warns listeners to tread lightly when it comes to questioning her prowess -- whether she's dishing out the "I don't know her" dismissals of “GTFO” and “A No No” or proving that her hip-hop roots still run deep with the Gunna-assisted “Stay Long Love You.” After decades of making pop history, it still comes easy for Carey to wave off contenders to her throne with a simple flick of her diamond butterfly-embellished fingers.

https://www.billboard.com/photos/8489227/best-albums-2018-staff-picks

 

COMPLEX: #48

After her interesting year(s) in the public eye, which featured everything from an awkward reality show on E! to an equally awkward New Year’s Eve performance, bouncing back with a slapper of a 15th studio album didn’t seem like it was in the cards for the supreme diva—yet here we are. Ascending to her throne, Mariah Carey found a way to reestablish her unique blend of hip-hop, pop, and R&B into a release that flows effortlessly. Sure, tracks like “The Distance,” with a powerhouse of talented artists behind it (Skrillex, Lido, Poo Bear, and Ty Dolla Sign) should be no-brainers, but you’re still not ready for the emotional gut punch when the bass drops under that heavenly hook. Lil’ Kim’s “Crush On You” gets a fresh coat of paint on the empowerment anthem “A No No,” and current sensation Gunna finds a way to flex with Mariah like it’s nothing on “Stay Long Love You.” For anyone wondering if Mariah still has it, Caution is the perfect release to quiet that talk.

https://www.complex.com/music/best-albums-2018/mariah-carey-caution

 

 

 

VULTURE: #10 

Mariah Carey’s tally of Billboard chart toppers is second only to the Beatles, and this fall’s Caution, her fifteenth album, is a short, sweet reminder of reasons people love the diva (spoiler: vocals) and reasons to fear her wrath. Step out of line, and get memorialized in a hit single, like the poor souls who inspired the harsh “GTFO” and “A No No” must have. Play nice, stay put, and enjoy a shower of love and affection.

https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/best-albums-2018.html

 

 

 

SLANT: #12

“Caution” is an apt warning for those about to consume Mariah Carey’s first album in over four years. While the consummate diva may have botched the rollout of her last handful of singles, and her voice is a reedy version of what it once was, she makes it abundantly clear on Caution that she isn’t to be ****ed with in this or any other decade. She wisely relies on the rap-inflected R&B sounds that have been her bread and butter since Butterfly, while bringing in unexpected collaborators like Skrillex and Blood Orange. She also switches up the message: In the aftermath of a highly public breakup, a sense of inevitable heartache hangs over the whole thing, from the delightfully salty lead single “GTFO” (“I ain’t tryna be rude, but you’re lucky I ain’t kick your ass out last weekend,” she quips) to the even more savage “A No No,” in which she summons her verbally gymnastic falsetto for a Gilligan’s Island-related diss. The adoption of patois and clearly intentional use of “irregardless” suggest Mimi (still) has no time for notions of cultural appropriation or grammar, and appearances by Slick Rick and Biggie (via sample) let us know that her heart will always lie in hip-hop. Where it belongs. 

https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/the-25-best-albums-of-2018/P3

 

 

 

 

SPIN: #12

Mariah Carey has spent a few years fighting a losing battle against the world’s attention inevitably turning somewhere else. Her last big single, the mysteriously hashtagged “#Beautiful,” couldn’t save her 2014 album Me. I Am Mariah… the Elusive Chanteuse from being repeatedly delayed by a fruitless search for another hit. That album presented Carey as still clinging to some perception of the zeitgeist even as she successfully charted a course for her music in an era of post-relevance. With Caution, however, she appears unbothered by it all. The album was announced via a song, “GTFO,” as small and icy as a single snowflake, with the same fleeting sort of magic that seems to evaporate as soon as it appears. But it was also a harbinger of a record as colored by Carey’s unique blend of mischievousness and sentimentality as any in her deeply rewarding discography.

“GTFO” is a picture of weariness, but it is ballooned by a quiet levity: Mariah cites the exact label of red wine that is getting her through the whole ordeal before telling her man to grab his “tings” and excusing herself, in Italian, to call him a car. “A No No” takes the same emotion but makes it delirious, with Mariah namedropping her lawyer and comparing herself to both Edward Scissorhands and Ginger from Gilligan’s Island. For good measure, she slips into French, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese on the song’s outro as her melodies catapult into the sky. On “The Distance,” she brags about an eternal love while being egged on by the peppy chants of a disembodied team of cheerleaders.

Nonetheless, Caution is at heart a modest album lit from within by the warm glow of nostalgia. On “With You,” Carey sings to a lover who first fell for her in 1997 (“ever since that Bone Thugs song”), celebrating time spent “playing Confessions and our bodies blending.” Later on she samples Lil’ Kim and conjures a verse from Slick Rick, who floats through “Giving Me Life” as cool as a fall breeze. Perhaps the most affecting moment, though, is the outro of “8th Grade,” on which Timbaland emerges to converse with Carey as if he’s an oracle, muttering and beatboxing like it’s 1998. If it feels like he suddenly commandeers the album to call out to Aaliyah, you can understand why—Mariah makes a compelling case to join her in peering into the past, even as she continues to march into the future. 

https://www.spin.com/featured/best-albums-2018/

 

 

 

 

POPCRUSH

Mariah Carey continues her reign with the short, but oh-so sweet, Caution, her 15th studio album. One of the many things fans love about Mariah is that she doesn’t chase trends. She loves R&B and hip-hop, and you will always hear that at the root of her albums. Mimi might work with current hit-making producers (like Skrillex on album standout “The Distance), but the sound is always undeniably Mariah. With Caution, Carey has truly crafted a cohesive, soulful album that’s somehow modern and nostalgic at the same time. Must-hears include “GTFO,” “Giving Me Life,” “8th Grade,” and the moving, introspective closing ballad, “Portrait.” 

http://popcrush.com/best-albums-2018/

 

 

 

Muumuse: #2 

Toni isn’t the only diva who made a comeback this year.

First of all: Mariah Carey doesn’t make bad music ever, dahhhling. But Caution is really good. While Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse felt a bit more ambitious in scope and sound, Caution feels effortlessly fresh – and laser-focused. It’s a sexy and entirely modern-sounding set, and certainly of her tightest, cohesively speaking, from the moody, oh-so-Mimi kiss-off “GTFO” (which would be breathlessly hailed as “revelatory” if it came from someone like, say, Ariana Grande, but that’s another story) to the ultimate dream collaboration, “Giving Me Life” with Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) – an obvious standout, complete with Babs and Marilyn shout-outs and a to-die-for outro.

There are plenty of single-worthy selections, including the slinky title track and Lil’ Kim-sampling “A No No.” “With You” – the album’s Real Lead Single – is the only song that feels less than interesting. (Naturally.) For the Lambily, closer “Portrait” paints a more introspective picture of the Imperfect Angel. Her press tour for the record has leaned in on deep cut chat and overlooked moments (#JusticeForGlitter was a wonderful surprise cherry on top), all while keeping the conversation centered around her genius songwriting prowess. (Put “Mariah Carey Wrote ‘My All'” on my tombstone.)

We don’t deserve Mariah Carey in 2018, but she’s here for us, anyway.

https://muumuse.com/2018/12/the-top-10-albums-of-2018.html/

 

 

[SharGaga 2,688]

I love to get high to the album so props to her really.

[Enno 706]

I'm addicted to this album. I did not know that I was a big Mimi fan. In my opinion this is her most cohesive album since The Emancipation Of Mimi.

[That J 12,166]

It truly is one of the best albums of the year and what's really great is how the more ya hear it, the better it gets. I hear something new with each new play. 

[RuPaul 242]

Portrait has become one of my favourites from the album since it came out and I hope the A No No remix smashes as hard as it deserves!

[Kimmo 76,574]

She forever my first Queen, her voice, her diva attitude, everything about her screams Supreme!!!! 

Sorry Gaga but you’re my second but I still love You forever !!!  

[androiduser 7,087]

Billboard 200

Caution
5 -> 55 -> 163

[Akiki 3,900]

The album is a Gem. I was surprised cause I never thought she could come with anything good after all these years. 

 

 

[Babel 40,887]

it’s truly one of the best albums of the year. I’m proud of her. 

[BlingNotTheMusic 25,580]

Not to be a downer but "comeback"?! Let's choose our words carefully 

[DiscoHeaven23 35,007]

1 hour ago, Acsnpdx8 said:

Not to be a downer but "comeback"?! Let's choose our words carefully 

 

specifically stated "critical comeback" in OP. Yes, yes it is

 

[Othon 32,238]

I still can't believe it's this good. Where did this come from?!   She hasn't put anything out this consistent and cohesive in decades.

[BlingNotTheMusic 25,580]

52 minutes ago, DiscoHeaven23 said:

 

specifically stated "critical comeback" in OP. Yes, yes it is

 

I legit never hear about her except on this cult site but comeback... Sure! 

[doppelganger 3,740]

Love the album. It signals a new era for Mimi where she's no longer after chart success, and the music is better for it. I love that she's making relevant music (after years of WBT rehashes), and showing the young-ins how it's done. 

[DiscoHeaven23 35,007]

10 hours ago, Acsnpdx8 said:

I legit never hear about her except on this cult site but comeback... Sure! 

lol, again, it's not a commercial comeback

 

it's critical, meaning the critics are finally praising her again.