It has been a whopping four years since the Queen of R&B (Beyonce who?) last released an album, but frankly, her new release, “Me. I am Mariah”—which lacks her typical “wow” factor—wasn’t quite worth the wait. With songs like “#Beautiful,” “Thirsty” and “Betcha Gon’ Know,” Mariah confuses listeners with her shaky exploration of hip-hop gone wild. The album features other well-known hip-hop and R&B artists such as Mary J. Blige and “Trapped in the Closet”–crooner R. Kelly.
We hear the old Mariah here and there, but the silly song titles and lyrics cause everything else to go awry. This album, much like Mariah’s post–“We Belong Together” music career, flounders around like a fish out of water. “Me. I am Mariah” will work for some fans that have enjoyed her not-so-recent stroll down hip-hop lane, but others may be disappointed by the lack of… je ne sais quois? Maybe she should stick to singing her version of Christmas tunes when the holidays roll around and just continue playing house with her twins and hubby Nick Cannon.
Grade: B-
Download: “#Beautiful” or “You’re Mine (Eternal)”
Sounds best when playing softly in the background while you’re focused entirely on something else.
