Mariah says Emancipation is a transitive verb and you better believe it!

by Rick Dunn

Comebacks are not always for the best.

I enjoyed Mariah Carey during her crazy days. She was infinitely more interesting and possibly a little bit dangerous, something that pop culture is missing at this particular moment. I adored those post 9-11 photographs of a USO-supporting Mariah, popping out of tanks wearing a camouflage binki-top, breast threatening to explode like over-ripe tomatoes. Of course, I for one had fantasies about Mariah commandeering that tank and doing some real damage, but nothing good happens these days.

Now Mariah is “Emancipated,” even though I’m not quite sure when she was ever enslaved. With four million copies sold - the disc already comes in several versions - Mariah is giving us “The Ultra-Platinum Edition,” just in time for the holidays. She’s tacked on four new tracks, including her current single “Don’t Forget About Us,” since Island Records was unable to mine the first edition for another hit. “Don’t Forget” picks up exactly where her recent smash “We Belong Together” left of. Actually, think it’s the same song, but why quibble. Mariah (and covert agent Kelly Clarkson) is still our best defense against the Ashlees, Lindsays and Britneys from assuming the top spot.

The disc is now 18 tracks strong, including “Mine Again” and “Circles” that prove if Mariah’s lost it, it’s not her voice that’s suffering. The disc also comes packaged with a DVD featuring four videos that look like the build-up segments to hardcore action. The liner notes not only offer a full definition of the word "emancipation" (it's a transitive verb - god, Mariah's smart!), but they reveal that “We Belong Together” is credited to 10 songwriters. Is it Christmas yet?

This "review" originally appeared on http://www.edgeboston.com