MCSparklingDiamond wrote:
OK, I'll put on my lamb hat for this thread, because that's what E=MC2 does to me.
Let's see. Ranking E=MC2 songs, out of 10:
Migrate - 10 (needed to be a single. I don't care what anyone, L.A. Reid included, says)
Touch My Body - 10 (an iconic song for Mariah, especially in this era of pop music where songs needn't last longer than their immediate impact)
Cruise Control - 7.5 (only because I feel like it's too similar to SIO. The +0.5 is for the acapella line she sang of it in the E=MC2 epk)
I Stay In Love - 4
Side Effects - 1 (It joins "Bliss" as the second only song in Mariah's entire catalog which I cannot listen to.)
I'm That Chick - 10 (needed to be a single.)
Love Story - 10
I'll Be Lovin U Long Time - 10
Last Kiss - 100 (not a typo. one of my all time favorite MC songs. I miss you JD!)
Thanx 4 Nothin - 9
O.O.C. - 9
For The Record - 10
Bye Bye - 6 (an opportunity gone wrong. Mariah can pull off this schmaltz, and I have no problem with it. My problem is that it was a misguided production. Is it a pop ballad? is it R&B? This song doesn't know what it wants to be. The "this is for my peoples"/"put your hands up high" and then wasting Jay-Z on the remix just doesn't work for this type of production.)
I Wish You Well - 10 (some of her best vocals since "Daydream", and more honest/raw vocals than anything on that album)
Heat - 9
4Real 4Real - 8
Overall - one of Mariah's most consistent albums. It is exactly what she described it - a FUN record. Even the ballads are fun (save for the banal ISIL) and the uptempos are spectacular.
I loved it when it came out, and I love it now even more. To me it stood the huge test of time, the songs on it only got better (ironically, "Migrate" is the only one that doesn't sound as "fresh" anymore).
This is my second favorite album after "Butterfly" and I think it is light-years better than its predecessor "Mimi".
To me it will go down as one of the most "missed" projects of her career. I just can't get over the poor 2nd single choice, and the poor handling of everything after that, like the decision to release "I Stay In Love". I think even after "Bye Bye" flopped, this project still could have been saved. "Migrate", "I'm That Chick", "For The Record", "O.O.C" and "I'll Be Lovin U Long Time" deserved to be radio hits.
Mostly agree, the only huge objection I have is your diss of Side Effects. I mean, I guess we all have different tastes, but I'd think as a fan, you would at least appreciate the lyrics.
But the rest of what you said rings true to me.