Dear Pennies & Pens,
So at this point, Mariah needs no introduction. Like if you dunno who Mariah is. Exit stage left. Mariah is an ICON little baby. There’s no denying her talent and influence on pop music.
And last year, Mariah reminded us of why she’s one of the best to ever stand in front of the mic. Mariah dropped her latest album, Caution in November 2018. This album is my new shit! Like seriously. Mariah came back and showed us that her work is still relevant, real, and relatable.
The first track, GTFO is where Mariah shows us that she has a little hood in her. See when Mariah first dropped in the 90s, she was basically branded and marketed as a white/biracial Whitney Houston. In essence, her music was very upbeat and positive but like Whitney, her songs always showcased her powerhouse voice.
However on GTFO, Mariah goes off! Mariah never used to curse in her music but she was dropping all kinds of f bombs on this one and it was everything. I am so here for that shit. #PottyMouthPenny
With You is track number two and this one is somewhere between a slow song with slighty uptempo parts. This song feels really sweet and loving. It’s definitely similar to Mariah’s classics like Always Be My Baby and My All. I really like this song, it’s contemporary with old school vibes.
Caution – track number three and the title track is definitely a cool song. I really enjoyed the beat on this one. Mariah’s vocals are good too. But it’s the production that stands out to me the most. I do think this song sums up the whole album which is why it’s the title track.
A No No – is song number 4 and it samples Lil Kim/Lil Cease’s Crush On You beat. If that doesn’t make it dope idk what will. The Crush On You beat will never ever get old. That shit is just too epic. It works so well on this song and the way it’s arranged makes it feel new and contemporary.
The Distance – aka track number 5 is my new shit. Ty Dolla $ makes a cameo on this song. Idk anything about him and since I don’t feel like googling it, all I can tell you is that he’s an artist. He sounds cool on this song but Mariah doesn’t really need him. His ad-libs don’t really add any value to the track nor do they stand out in any particular way. It literally could’ve been anybody. But established artists will collab with new artists to connect with their audience so from that standpoint the collab makes sense. Anywho, the song is dope because Mariah brings back them old 1995 vocals. Her ass was sanging on this one.
Giving Me Life – track number 6 features one of Mariah’s predecessors, Slick Rick. The fact that Slick Rick is still rhyming is utterly dope. This nigga been making tracks since what the 80s? The 90s?! Black don’t crack. Not our skin or our music. This song is a straight up vibe. You’ll be grooving and moving to this one.
One Mo’ Gen – aka track seven is definitely sexual AF. But somehow, if you ain’t listening Mariah will have you thinking she’s talking about going back to old school music. But nah b, Mariah talking about doing the nasty one more time. So you betta start calling her, Miss Carey, if ya nasty. Cause her first name ain’t baby.
8th Grande – idk why track number eight is called 8th grade. But that beat is my shit. I be grooving to this one lil baby. Mariah does this talk-sing thing on the track and it totally works. Something about this song just makes it my shit.
Stay Long Love You – track number nine has a dope ass beat. That’s what makes this song ill. Idk about this Gunna person though. Those adlibs were highly unnecessary. I keep telling y’all Mariah can hold a track all on her own. She don’t these young’uns fuckin up her shit. He sounds like a bootleg The Dream or T-Pain. Negro please. You no mustache having…
Portrait is the last and final song. Lord Jesus, Mariah did what Mya did. Put some long, deep, and unnecessary song at the end of the album. This song is sooo slow. And sad. But it’s a deep song because Mariah is clearly analyzing her life and career as if it were a portrait but something about the song makes me sleepy. I usually skip past this one.
Overall, this is a solid album. Definitely not Mariah’s best but that’s because she already created her best shit. Mariah is doing this for fun at this point. She’s already proven herself. It’s these young chicks that are trying to get on her level. Don’t yall forget that, Pennies & Pens. Anywho, be sure to let me know what you think in the comments!
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
P.S. Did you like our album review? Want to ink your own? Find out how to #MakeUrPenLOUD here: http://bit.ly/MakeUrPenLoudEbook
