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Overall rating
Artwork & Design
Packaging & Jacket
Sound Quality
Track Distribution
Not many artists can pull off a phoenix move, rising from the ashes of their careers to hit the charts like it’s their birthday party—again. But then, Mariah Carey isn’t just any artist. After the world and its cousin thought she had sung her last high note, she busted out with The Emancipation of Mimi, her 10th studio album, and boy, did she school everyone on what a comeback looks like. Why is Mariah considered a music icon? Because she didn’t just bounce back; she soared higher than ever, proving that you should never count a diva out.
Well, let’s dive into the rollercoaster that was Mariah’s early 2000s – buckle up, it’s a wild ride! After the, let’s call it, “glittery mishap” of her debut feature film, Glitter, and its soundtrack not exactly setting the world on fire, and some public appearances that had everyone raising their eyebrows (and not in a good way), Mariah found herself waving bye-bye to Virgin Records. (Oh, the drama! It’s like a prime-time soap opera, but for the full tea, you’ll have to check out her book, The Meaning of Mariah Carey.)
But here’s the plot twist – in 2002, just when everyone thought the credits were rolling on Mariah’s career, she pulled a classic Mariah move. She bounced back with a new album, Charmbracelet, under her very own label, MonarC, cozied up with the Island Records/Universal Music squad. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark with critics and fans, sparking whispers that maybe, just maybe, Mariah had left her golden era in the dust.
But hey, knowing Mariah, she’s always got an ace up her sleeve. So, was it really the end? Spoiler alert: Absolutely not. Mariah’s resilience is like vinyl – classic, enduring, and always ready for a comeback. So, here’s to the divas who stumble, dust off their glitter, and keep the show going. Because let’s face it, we’re all secretly rooting for an encore.
Well, that’s when Mariah said “Not so fast, dahling!” and proved everyone wrong in 2005 when she unleashed the power of Mimi on the world, essentially giving new meaning to the word comeback.
The Emancipation of Mimi spawned six hit singles, including Mariah’s 16th number one Billboard Hot 100 record, We Belong Together, which stayed at the top for 14 non-consecutive weeks and became one of the longest-running number one songs in U.S. chart history. Fun fact: the follow-up single, Shake It Off, peaked at #2 on the chart and could have easily reached #1 had We Belong Together not been so firmly established at the top.
Regardless, The Emancipation of Mimi still gave Mariah her 17th number one when Don’t Forget About Us reached the coveted top spot as the first single from the album’s Ultra Platinum Edition. To date, Mimi has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and earned Mariah several Grammys, Soul Trains Awards, and Billboard Music Awards, among various other accolades.
The Emancipation of Mimi is arguably Mariah Carey’s best album of her career. I can hear the gasps already because yes, throwing this out there knowing full well the sacred space Daydream and Butterfly hold in our hearts is bold. But here’s the scoop: this album slaps differently because it’s Mariah unchained. It’s like she finally got to spin her own records after years of dancing to the tune of her ex’s label demands. Diving into this album feels like you’re in on Mariah’s personal renaissance, and honestly, the title couldn’t be more spot-on if it tried.
From the get-go, there’s not a single tune you’d want to skip – it’s like each track is Mariah Carey’s love letter to solid songwriting and killer collabs. Picture this: bops with hip hop swagger like It’s Like That and To The Floor get your head nodding, while soul-huggers like One And Only and Circles are pure ear candy. Then, smooth as silk, R&B vibes with Shake It Off and Say Somethin’ slide in. Mimi’s basically schooling us on what the dream R&B album sounds like.
For the longest time, owning The Emancipation of Mimi on vinyl came with a hefty price tag. A very limited number of records were pressed back when the album first came out, making it a collector’s item going for more than $200 per copy on online marketplaces like Discogs and Ebay. Thankfully, to celebrate its 15th anniversary and as part of the MC30 campaign commemorating Mariah’s 30-year career, Universal Music decided to re-release the album on vinyl and even include five additional tracks that were not part of the original pressing: We Belong Together (Remix) feat. Jadakiss and Styles P, Don’t Forget About Us, Makin’ it Last All Night (What It Do), Sprung, and Secret Love. It’s a little disappointing that this release doesn’t feature So Lonely (One and Only Part 2), which was included in the original Ultra Platinum Edition of Mimi, but hey – there’s no complete happiness!
To celebrate its 15th trip around the sun, Universal Music dropped three different variants of The Emancipation of Mimi: classic black, crystal clear, and opaque gold. But, oh boy, was the rollout a mess, complete with shipping snafus and graphic design face-palms. Ready to dive into the juicy deets? Let’s crack this vinyl tale wide open!
Artwork & Packaging
Unlike the original 2005 release, this one comes in a gatefold cover, and like the rest of the MC30 vinyl releases by Universal, the cover is made of gloss coated paper. But just like the original 2005 vinyl edition, the album’s cover art diverges from the standard CD and digital versions. Rather than the widely recognized full-length image of Mariah posing with her right hand behind her head, the vinyl release features a closer shot of her, with the names of the artist and album inscribed at the bottom in gold letters.
And here comes the most upsetting thing about this new release – if you look at the front cover carefully, you will notice that the words “Mariah Carey” are not centered, or justified, to fit from one end of the line to the other. Instead, they are slightly aligned to the left, leaving people with OCD-like attention to detail like me in eternal purgatory. I don’t know how this got approved to go to print looking like that but the text on all covers in this release, including the color LP variants, is misaligned like that. What’s even more upsetting is that, three years and several represses later, this error still has not been fixed.
The back cover looks the same as the original vinyl and CD release, but with rearranged track listing to reflect the additional songs.
Step into the gatefold, and bam! On your right, you’re hit with this stunning glossy shot of Mariah that pops way more than it did back in the 2005 release, where it was just chilling on the lyrics sheet.
Then, swing to your left, and what do we have? The word “emancipation” spelled out for us, not tucked away with the lyrics like before, but shining in its own spotlight. And why? Because it’s screaming the vibe of the whole album at you. It’s like Mariah’s saying, “Catch the theme, dahling!” And honestly, it’s pretty genius. It’s all about setting the mood, making that statement, and letting the album’s soul jump right out at you. Welcome to the emancipation show – vinyl style!
This edition of The Emancipation of Mimi comes pressed on two LPs – with four tracks on side 1 of record 1 and five tracks on all remaining sides.
As mentioned before, three variants of this album were released – we had the classic black, the sleek clear, and the oh-so-chic opaque gold. Naturally, I went for gold because, let’s face it, it screams album aesthetic. But, in a twist worthy of a daytime soap opera, I initially ended up with the standard black due to that rollout that was messier than a toddler’s birthday party. But plot twist! Universal Music recently had a moment of clarity (pun intended) and decided to repress the clear variant, selling it exclusively through their online shops – uDiscover Music and Urban Legends. And yes, I snagged that faster than a cat video goes viral.
Now, let’s talk sleeves. Universal, bless their hearts, keep wrapping these precious records in plain white paper sleeves. It’s like serving a gourmet meal on a paper plate – it just doesn’t do justice to the special vibe of a vinyl, especially one that’s supposed to stand out. I mean, if they’re not down for the glossy or the fancy rice paper-lined anti-static sleeves, could we at least get a sleek black sleeve? It’d match the album’s vibe so much better and keep us vinyl aficionados from feeling like we’re just going in circles (pun intended again – Lambs will understand).
Finally, you’ve got this lyrics sheet insert. Printed on both sides with the song lyrics because, let’s be real, we all have that friend who’s more enthusiastic than accurate when it comes to belting out tunes. Now, both of you can jam out without any of those “Wait, what did they just say?” moments.
The sheet? It’s a cool extra, not mind-blowing, but definitely a nice touch. Imagine, though, how awesome it would’ve been with printed sleeves featuring those lyrics plus some killer photography. Holding out hope for the 20th anniversary edition to really bring it!
Sound Quality
The most disheartening aspect of this release is its disappointingly low volume, a flaw that seems not unique to my copy, as similar concerns are echoed in other reviews. This volume issue with vinyl records leads to an unavoidable hissing noise when the volume is increased, particularly noticeable during slow jams and between tracks, which unfortunately renders the album’s audio somewhat flat.
But hey, even with its flaws, this vinyl’s still got a special place in my collection. Think of it as that one friend who’s fun to hang out with but always forgets your birthday. You can’t help but love ’em, but, you know, a little more QC could’ve made this the life of the party. Here’s to hoping the next release has that extra sprinkle of magic!
Other Available Versions
Standard black variant
Clear variant
Standard black variant
The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Edition) came out in three different versions – standard black vinyl, clear vinyl, and opaque gold vinyl. The clear variant was originally promoted as an exclusive to Mariah Carey’s official store, while the opaque gold vinyl was touted as an Urban Outfitters exclusive.
Here’s the full story of the messy variant rollout:
After months of delays for shipping the non-black variants, it turned out that people who had ordered the clear vinyl from her online store were actually receiving the gold edition, and people who had ordered the gold vinyl from UO were getting the clear vinyl. Once the retailers realized the mistake, UO asked for the clear version back and promised to send people the gold variants once they became available to them. Unfortunately, that never happened, so they simply ended up providing refunds and discount codes for future purchases. UO is yet to re-release the gold version for sale, and they might never do at this point.
At the same time, Mariah’s official store, which is managed by Live Nation, failed to actively acknowledge the mix-up for the longest time, leading to a lot of frustration among the fans. Said frustration was understandable since people had to pay about $12 for shipping on a single album from her webstore. That’s about $50 for the album when tax is added, which is honestly too expensive, and another reason why I didn’t originally bother with the clear version. The silver lining there, though, is that everyone who ordered the clear vinyl but received the gold one got to keep the gold one and Live Nation ended up sending them the clear variant as well. In other words, they got both color variants for the price of one. Well, congrats to those lucky ones 🙂
So can you buy any of these variants anywhere other than re-sell marketplaces? The answer is yes and no.
- The standard black variant is widely available online and at physical record shops.
- As mentioned above, the clear variant comes in and out of stock on Universal Music’s online shops: uDiscover Music and Urban Legends. As of April 2024, it’s available to order and ship immediately!
- The opaque gold variant is the most elusive of them all but if Merchbar is to be believed, it might get the repress treatment very soon!
See below for the best places to buy each variant.
Where to Buy
You can buy the Mariah Carey – The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Edition) from the following online retailers:
Gold
What do you think about this release?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this release or The Emancipation of Mimi, in general. Do you like the album? How do you think it compares to Mariah’s other albums? Were you among the ones who were able to snag a color variant (or both)? Let me know in the comments below!
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