Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

Review

Common Sense Media says

Pop diva's tunes are clean but lack their usual fire.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the sexiest thing about Mariah Carey remains her skimpily-clad promotion photos: as on past albums, the lyrics in her latest record omit foul language, egregious sexual references, and mention of most other adult content.  

  • Positive messages1
    Though Carey talks a lot about being broken hearted on this record, she advocates for staying strong in songs like "It's a Wrap" -- and keeps the conversation pretty clean overall.
  • Positive role models2
    Mariah Carey has been around a long time, achieving (and maintaining) her superstar status yet managing to keep her songs and image fairly clean.
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex1
    Just a few mild references like "I know you want to hit it like the lotto..."
  • Language1
    Only a couple of s-words, but Carey is careful with her language, even going so far as to say "f-ed up" in place of the real f-word.
  • Consumerism1
    A few product specifics, including Jimmy Choo shoes and McDonald's.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    One or two mentions of drinking, and, in the song "Obsessed," a reference to "E" (the drug ecstasy).
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What's the story?

MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL is the first new album from Mariah Carey in more than a year-and-a-half. During that time, Carey has settled into a life with new husband Nick Cannon that has seen decidedly less drama than her earlier years. This record is a reflection of her newfound stability, with lyrics that celebrate her solid relationship with Cannon and give good-riddance to those who’ve done her past wrongs. As always, Carey keeps her lyrics relatively clean, avoiding graphic language, detailed sexual descriptions, and overt references to drinking and drugs.

Is it any good?

 

While Mariah Carey gets the most props for her powerful vocals, a large part of her appeal lies in the light-hearted quality of her music (i.e., “Dreamlover,” “Always Be My Baby,” etc.). That quality is missing from this record, which includes a lot of somewhat monotonous songs that have more of a lackluster drone than a fun wow-factor. With that in mind, it takes effort to distinguish one song from the other -- never the sign of a knock-out album.    

 

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What families can talk about

  • How can a positive relationship like the one shared by Carey and her husband, Nick Cannon, help a person to overcome personal problems?

  • What is Carey's secret to becoming a mega-music star without releasing obscenity-filled songs?

This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Teen, 17 years old
October 17, 2009
AGE
13
 
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This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Artist:Mariah Carey
Release date:September 29, 2009
Label:Island
Genre:Pop
Parental advisory:No
This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
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