Does Mariah Carey even want to perform anymore? That was the question on the minds of concerned fans and casual onlookers alike this year after a series of middling public appearances and shows that saw the normally-engaged singer looking uncharacteristically downcast and detached.
On her long-awaited 16th studio album, Here for It All, Carey doesn’t definitively answer the question, with 11 tracks that mostly play it safe and stay in her pocket, though there’s no denying her voice is still intact. Compared to 2018’s well-received Caution, which put Carey at the pinnacle of contemporary R&B, Here for It All leans into a decidedly retro vibe, with soulful ballads reminiscent of Motown greats and uptempo tracks that draw from disco and funk. Even lead single, “Type Dangerous,” sampled Eric B. and Rakim’s “Eric B. Is President”… from 1986.
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Carey is as pitch-perfect and lyrically-assured as ever, even if her heart may not be fully into it. The singer has had a difficult few years, with the passing of her mother and sister just hours apart, followed by a copyright lawsuit over “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (that was ultimately dismissed), and well, being the mother of precocious teenage twins. If she’s been feeling a little unsettled lately, can you really blame her?
The singer seemingly addresses the chatter on the song “Nothing Is Impossible,” which is another gem in her catalog of self-empowerment anthems. “Gone for a while but I’m much better/Covering my eyes was so unpleasant/Ain’t gonna lie, it wasn’t very nice,” she sings, before declaring that, “I knew deep down inside that I could fly.”
“My Love” is a stirring cover of the Paul McCartney and Wings classic, and Carey plays it straight and steers clear of the histrionics in favor of a more honest, tender delivery. Carey sampled Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (by way of The Fugees) for 2020’s “Save the Day,” and “My Love” offers the same warm, unhurried vibe of Flack’s best R&B cuts, with that chorus you’ll be humming back after one listen.
Much of the new album actually harks back to jazz and soul classics, with songs that may not ignite a stadium, but would play well in a piano bar or lounge. You can almost picture Carey kicking off her heels and gabbing it up with patrons on the bluesy “In Your Feelings,” which plays like a sequel to last year’s viral hit, “It’s a Wrap.” The live instrumentation and stream-of-consciousness lyrics sink into an old-timey 6/8 beat as the singer scats, “I think you might be getting a little bit too in your feelings. Why do we feel so estranged?”
The Clark Sisters join her for the spirited “Jesus I Do,” which could’ve easily been a Stephanie Mills cover, with a rollicking bass line and rousing gospel chorus fit for a revival. And Carey subs in for Bruno Mars on the Silk Sonic-esque “Play This Song” with Anderson .Paak, though it’s neither as memorable or playful as advertised.
The singer fairs better on “I Won’t Allow It,” which rides a disco-funk groove as she dares a paramour (or rival?) to try upstaging her again. Carey’s pen is in fine form on the track, working an unlikely brand shout-out into one of her cheekiest disses to date: “So whatchu gonna do when your face all broke… can’t obtain any accutane? Should’ve been more Proactiv.”
Carey’s lyrics are as sprightly as ever, with album opener “Mi” embracing her over-the-top public persona while referencing 2005’s Emancipation of Mimi. “I’m a D-I-V-A that’s MC,” she sings on the electro-tinged R&B track. “Harry Winston diamonds and some Louis XIII – I ain’t check the price since Emancipation me.”
The one-two punch of singles, “Type Dangerous” and the under-appreciated “Sugar Sweet,” meantime, are easily the most radio-friendly hits on the album, while “Confetti and Champagne” is a slinky, alternative R&B cut destined to soundtrack an Uber XL ride for a night out.
Carey’s vocals are more measured on the new LP, and album closer and title track “Here For It All” is perhaps the closest thing to an expected “Mariah ballad.” It’s also the most impassioned track on the album, with the singer finally letting loose as she pledges to be with a loved one despite, “things I don’t care to recall.”
The go for broke notes finally arrive at the end of the song, but it’s missing the emotional heft of “We Belong Together” or the swing for the fences release of “Heavenly (No Ways Tired/Can’t Give Up Now)” from 2014’s Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse.
Compared to other albums in the singer’s storied catalog, “Here for It All” feels relaxed, yet restrained. In many ways though, this feels like exactly the type of album Carey should be making 35 years into her career. After decades of pushing her vocals to the brink and pouring her heart out on stage, the embattled superstar finally seems calm and carefree. If some are questioning whether Carey still wants to perform, the album declares that she’s tired of being performative. All of the songs feel like something the accomplished singer-songwriter wrote with old friends “just for laughs” or “just for the nostalgia,” as she would say, rather than catering them for the charts. The result is a collection of tracks that feel surprisingly sincere and perhaps the most true to who she is at this point in her life.
“Here for It All” proves that Carey’s voice is still present and powerful as ever, but it’s her album and she’ll (only) belt if she wants to. And if she also wants to take an extended break, the music legend has left fans with an album that’s ultimately full of timeless, endearing cuts that can tie them over until this Butterfly returns. If this is the only music we get from Mariah Carey for awhile, consider “Here for It All” a well-deserved victory lap.
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