Good idea to re-visit this, Jasp. Interesting to see peoples views some time on.
To me, I'll always be dissapointed this album wasnt enjoyed more by the general public. Of all her albums, E=MC2 was her most diverse and seemed to have something for everyone. I do feel this could have been the Mariah that pretty much everyone could have gotten something from. That was perhaps a weakness of the album, it was too commercially designed so it lacked any real charm or consistency but it made up for with a lot of energy and variety.
Its no TEOM. There are no songs on there that match the heights of that album, the albums top heavy in quality (the second half wanders) and I really dont like her vocals on E - it sounds strained and held together by studio trickery on several parts. But its album that keeps you on your toes, jumping from raggae, synth beats, bouncy pop, WBT clones and dark subject matter pretty relentlessly. Its not a boring album by any means (unlike Memoirs). Its just pretty shallow and totally throwaway. The one night stand of Mariah albums I guess - fun for what it is and in that moment.
Its my second favourite album of the 2000's. It cant match TEOM for me but it beats out Memoirs simply for greater energy and variety.