MARIAH CAREY
writer: Chauncy Jackson

If you listen to her speak about her new album, The Emancipation of Mimi, you might believe that Carey has overcome all of the problems that have plagued her and returned better than ever, "Everyone expects [an album title] like Rainbow or Butterfly. So I thought The Emancipation of Mimi was cool-that Mimi side of me coming out as opposed to the 'Mariah Carey' celebrity or stigma or whatever preconcieved notions people have of me as a person."

On her first collection of original songs in three years, Carey teams up with hitmakers like Kanye West, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, the Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, and Twista, producers who she hopes will transfer her songs into hits. She says the music reflect her life at this moment. The ballads, the party athems and even a hint of gospel, "The songs flow together really well," she says "Like you're going out, you're coming down from going out, and then another song picks you back up."

Highlights include "Mine Again," "Circles," One and Only," and the possible next single, "Shake It Off." "That's probably one of my favorite songs on the album," she adds, "Whatever personal dramas we go through, put that song on and you lose the anxiety or the intensity of the moment."