By Sky Pinkett
Staff Writer
With a steady flood of newcomers streaming out onto the music scene every day thanks to social media and streaming platforms, getting new music from a familiar face feels like coming home. Especially when that familiar face happens to be the legendary Mariah Carey.
Carey released her 16th studio album “Here For It All” on Sept. 26, her first album in seven years since 2018’s “Caution.” Considering everything she’s been through recently, it is a triumphant declaration and a testament to her perseverance.
Carey lost both her mother and her sister on the same day last year, and most, if not all, of the 11 songs on this record were made during that period of grief.
When speaking about her loss and upcoming album to CBS Morning’s Gayle King, Carey said, “I don't know how I processed it. I just know that it was extremely difficult for me to navigate."
Despite this anguish, “Here For It All” shows no traces of the dark place Carey was in when she created it. Instead, from the very outset, she reestablishes her diva status with the blunt track, “Mi” where she states, “I don’t care about much, if it ain’t about me / Let the money talk first, conversations ain’t free / I’m the D-I-V-A, that’s MC.”
Carey’s cutting confidence continues to shine through on tracks like the hip-hop laced “Type Dangerous” and the tropical “Sugar Sweet,” both of which were singles. Carey uses legendary hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim’s “Eric B. Is President” as a sample in “Type Dangerous,” giving it an effortlessly cool sound as she opens with, “I came in the door, dripped in Balenci’ / Cropped leather coat and some nine inch Fendis / The crowd opened up and I started to strut.” The hip hop homages continue throughout the song as she references Slick Rick’s 1988 “Children’s Story” with the line, “Then came in three hatin’ a** hoes / They don’t know the meaning of water nor soap.”
Even though “Sugar Sweet” goes in a more bubbly and sweet (as the title suggests) sound than “Type Dangerous,” Carey still sings like she’s having fun with features from Jamaican singer Shenseea and R&B mainstay Kehlani.
In the lineup after these two singles is “In Your Feelings,” one of my least favorite tracks on the record. It’s nondescript type of slow groove would have made it forgettable at best, but the clunky addition of “I think you might be getting a little bit too,” which Carey sings rapidly in order to make it fit within the melody, makes the listener take off their headphones, make a face, and ask themselves, “Why did she do that?” It’s a poor representation of Carey’s sharp pen game that lovers of her discography have come to look forward to.
Carey’s clever songwriting still shines through on one of my personal favorites, “I Won’t Allow It, “So watcha gonna do when your face all broke / And you’re hot inside, lost your pride / Can’t obtain any Accutane / Should have been more proactive.” That classic dance beat and choir backup in the chorus amplify Carey’s refusal to let this person, presumably an ex, take advantage of her accomplishments.
“I Won’t Allow It” and my absolute favorite song on the album, “Play This Song” had Carey collaborating with Anderson .Paak, where he contributed his mellow, 70s-inspired sound from his Silk Sonic days. The song is classic R&B perfection, and Carey and .Paak’s chemistry on the record and in the music video feels as sensual as a slow dance, so much so that the listener almost comes to believe that there may be some credence to the dating rumors about them.
As songs like “Confetti & Champagne” suggest, the album feels like one giant party for the most part. But the listener is quickly reminded of Carey’s struggles with songs like “Nothing is Impossible,” which comes closest to being a reflection of her pain with lyrics such as “Seemed like I’d never rise again / Surely, I couldn’t find a friend / Haunted by desperation.” But even this song carried the album’s ever-present theme of triumph and prevailing over obstacles.
Carey’s motif of flight (which can be found in so much of her discography, including one of my personal favorite albums from her, 1997’s “Butterfly”) is present on “Nothing is Impossible,” with the pre-chorus saying, “But I was never all alone / The spirit lives in my soul / So I never let go / I knew deep down inside that I could fly.”
And she does just that on the six-minute album closer and title track “Here For It All,” where her mature voice soars to beautiful heights. They don’t call her Songbird Supreme for nothing.
She delivers the kind of multi-layered and emotive vocal performance that modern day artists can only dream of. Her classic whistling and calls to trust in God for strength is a nod to her “Fly Like A Bird,” which was a similar album closer to 2005’s “The Emancipation of Mimi.”
The music scene has changed so much throughout Carey’s 30 plus year long career. But all “Here For It All” proves is that time and change are no match for Carey. As she’ll tell you herself on “Mi,” “I don’t acknowledge time, I do whatever I please.”
