"Don't Watch Me, Watch TV!"

by Alvin White

Religion, Race, and Reverend Wright

by Lisa Swanson

An earlier version of this article was originally posted at http://uuasocialjustice.blogspot.com/

On March 13, a media firestorm began surrounding comments made by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Jr., former pastor of Southside Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ. According to FOX News, “Sermon highlights [show] Wright . . . . portraying the country as institutionally racist.” FOX also called Wright’s comments, “anti-American invective.” Some news commentators went a step farther and condemned the entire Trinity United Church of Christ congregation as racist.

By now, many of us are familiar with Wright’s words, which expressed frustration and anger towards the United States government for its role in deaths from HIV/AIDs, the injustices of the Drug War, and the systemic racism of the criminal justice system.

These words have brought to the forefront the unique heritage and spiritual challenges that black Americans of faith carry to their places of worship and meditation. What does it mean to be living in a country whose government has authorized the enslavement, segregation and impoverishment of your race?

On the church's website, Trinity United Church of Christ describes the congregation's relationship with God as follows:

"God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.”

As Reverend Al Sharpton said, and as Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President Rev. Bill Sinkford has repeated, "People of color have a history, not a hallucination." Reverend Wright's words ministered to the real, legitimate, and righteous anger of congregants whose inherent worth and dignity have been discounted in North America on the basis of racial identity for over half a millennia. The hubbub over Rev. Wright’s expression of this anger has demonstrated that white and black people of faith are sometimes out of touch with one another.

In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "We must face the fact that in America, the church is still the most segregated major institution in America. At 11:00 on Sunday morning when we stand and sing that Christ has no east or west, we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation."

Taquiena Boston, the UUA's Director of Identity-Based Ministries, spoke about the reasons for segregation in faith communities. "It's why black people are sitting in black churches and not white churches--because white people do discount the experiences of African Americans, or in some ways require their silence to keep peace, so that [white people] can be comfortable. So when you spend six days a week having to calibrate and monitor and repress, when you come to the place where you're supposed to be honoring the holy, and when you have an understanding that God sees all, it just wouldn't do to be hypocritical or silent about the injustices and the oppression that you see operating in your life every day."

Unitarian Universalist Reverend Kathleen McTigue addressed this same issue at the Unitarian Society of New Haven in her February sermon A Way Out of No Way: The Black Church in America. "Where we stand affects what we will see and how we will see it," McTigue observed. "The undeniable truth is that the default center of our nation – in terms of power, language, definitions, history, money, privilege and most anything else you could name – has been and is white. And so still, in our time as in the past, in order to be black in America and also be strong, confident, proud and independent, something is required beyond what the general society is willing to give. That 'something' has resided for generations in the black church."

Ministers speak to the issues which congregation members confront in their lives. Experiences of economic and racial injustice may be a greater part of members’ daily reality and consciousness in some congregations than they are in others. As one member of Trinity's congregation said to ABC News, "I wouldn't call [Rev. Wright's words] radical. I call it being black in America."

The words of Reverend Jeremiah Wright embody a powerful, prophetic convergence of race, class, politics, and faith that have inspired both feelings of joy and affirmation, and feelings of shock and discomfort. If we wish to grow in our relationships with one another, we must be willing to listen to things that may make us feel uncomfortable.

Developing an anti-racist consciousness is a powerful experience, and as any anti-racist person of color or anti-racist white person could tell you, it is often neither easy nor comfortable. Listening to the pain of others, acknowledging your part in it, sharing your own pain, and asking others to acknowledge your truth is one of the most difficult processes for human beings to undertake together. It is also one of the most worthwhile.

We as a nation cannot effectively address the economic and ethical challenges that face us without listening to the experiences of those in our country who have been discounted and marginalized. People of all shades must learn how the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and discrimination has put and continues to put black people and all people of color at an economic disadvantage. Reflecting on reconciliation, Reverend Sinkford said, "Race and class in this country are inextricably intertwined. If our work for racial justice does not engage with the realities of class it is doomed to fail. Likewise, if we try to reconcile class inequities without acknowledging race, those efforts are equally doomed."

As an anti-racist ally who has lobbied against the crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing disparity, I am moved by Wright's bold condemnation of injustice in the criminal justice system.

As an advocate for economic equality who has volunteered in post-Katrina New Orleans, I experience a feeling of sorrowful affirmation upon hearing Wright's critique that the United States government has at times treated its citizens of color as less than human.

As a citizen of the United States, I feel pride that our faith leaders can publicly urge the government to greater accountability.

And as a Unitarian Universalist, I view Reverend Wright's insights about race and class in our nation as a part of the UUA’s second source of faith: "the words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love."

It is easy for faith communities to “get stuck” on how to address issues of race & racism. The recent media storm is a challenge to all of us to listen, to hear, and to get unstuck.

"It is not racism to name this truth [of the reality of racism and white privilege]," Rev. Kathleen McTigue wrote in her sermon. "It is a form of racism, I believe, to ignore it. Talking about race is difficult. Listening to the experience of those who have suffered racism is painful. But this listening is what black UU minister Mark Morrison has called “a passive act of power.” He said, 'To open ourselves to that which we know will be painful is an act of strength.' May we choose that act of strength. May we listen. May we respond."

Amen.

Who the Hell Am I?

by Michael Hutson

Today’s social landscape is more unique than it has ever been before. We now have minds that are growing to be as diverse and individual as humanly possible. And the best part about it is that there is no longer a fear among the population to be “different”, so we thrive on creating new ways of thinking everyday. One of the signature concepts of our time is that of adaptation; with so many different forms of technologies, musical genres, socio-economic and political perspectives, and the like, there are probably more subcultures today than there are people to inhabit them. In today’s world, once things become commonplace, it becomes “common” for them to change that very instant -- and they’re doing so at an alarming rate.

It also seems that change is no longer problematic for us to deal with. Although we do attempt to hold on to things long enough to actually cherish them, we as a people are embracing the concept of change quicker with each innovation. We have not only taken a vested interest in all that is new and technological, but we have also acquired a taste for having things given to us quickly, because this is what we have come to know in the recent past. No longer do we need to have permanence to have satisfaction.

Although it is a dire assumption, the concepts of “remembrance” or “history” are not ones that are held as highly as they probably should be on our society’s agenda. It is with this thesis in mind that I declare that the simple knowledge of one’s history, and the sincere ability to embrace the totality and emotion evoked by that history, is itself one of the greatest things that one can do to create a brighter future for themselves and for others. This truth resonates twice as brightly for youths and minorities.

Many young people of my generation look upon their history as something that is a hindrance to their very being, their very existence. They view it as something that is there for them to deviate from in order to blaze their own legacy to be cherished. It is naturally inherent and symbolic of youth to feel this way. However, they will find this apprehension of history, and thus themselves, to be of no reward to them. For regardless of contemporary opinion, and popular culture, all humanly things eventually fade, and all humanly things change; yet it is this same history that has proved that the endeavors of the soul will remain constant through time. I trust that we can make our own legacy while simultaneously appreciating and building upon what those before us have already accomplished. It is through history that we gain the wisdom to know what it is our forefathers have done, and subsequently what we can do in our day and age, to make things better for everyone as a whole.

What one person can do to contribute to a brighter future for themselves, their family, and the greater portion of humanity is greater than most perceive and more easily done than most would believe. It may not be by single-handedly “bringing the world together” simply because Dr. King said so, or “making sure everyone shares (by any means necessary)” simply because Malcolm X said so, but simply by understanding that it is through the self-preservation, appreciation, and documentation of one’s history that you begin to complete the intricacies of yourself as a person. To be a productive member of society, in whatever field you do or whatever background you come from, you must first know where you stand with yourself. This is done by knowing who you are by definition, understanding why that knowledge is important and relevant to your situation, and being able to effectively transmit that information into a positive outcome.

I seek to know the origins of my ethnicity because I wish to improve myself, since I realize that he who knows most, knows nothing at all. I seek the stories of old because it is through seeing myself in those circumstances that I gain humility and break conventional thinking. I seek tradition because it gives enrichment. It is with these things that I believe that the backgrounds and convictions of one’s race or culture, and the pigmentation of a person’s skin, does not pigeonhole that person into being a particular character or force them into having a particular liability on their hands. Rather, it gives them a unique asset which enables them to view and operate in the world through a perspective others can benefit from. Because it is only through the insight of others that one can attain the characteristics that lead them to positively influencing those around them.

Regardless of the changing times, things such as wisdom, the circle of life, and tradition will never grow old.

The Legitimacy of Racism

by Seke Ballard

Over the course of fourteen months in the Republic of Georgia, I have come to accept that my daily jog will unfailingly morph into a sport that I have coined “dodge the gypsy.” The begging Roma run after me, grab my person and, as baffling as it may seem, sometimes physically assault me. My runs, therefore, are a fun game of avoiding them to the farthest extent possible. Today, however, was a special day. Instead of running, I sat on a bench and observed a local native from across the street. With her baby strapped to her back, she went door-to-door and loitered at each store front until the owner, out of frustration that she was driving business away, appeased her with a few coins. Utilizing this observation and my general experience, my mind went through a catalogue of possible analogies. The behavior of a parasite seemed to fit precisely. After coming to such a seemingly racist conclusion, my follow-up observation was certainly more introspective, but to no avail.

The progressive ethic would have you believe that it is wrong to observe behaviors and, then, characterize whole groups of people based upon such viewed behaviors. (This practice, in simple terms, is commonly known as stereotyping.) I happen to disagree, however. Human survival—in all of it’s historical glory—has been founded upon using observations to generalize events and behaviors via probabilities. For example, suppose that I stop at a light on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, at 3 AM and a woman donning a halter-top, an exceedingly short skirt, four-inch heels and fishnet stockings approaches my vehicle and knocks on my window. Culling knowledge from my past experience—that a woman dressed in such a way on arguably Los Angeles’ most renowned street for prostitutes—I assume the woman is probably a prostitute. (The resulting stereotype: all scantily clad women on Sunset Boulevard at 3 AM are prostitutes.) Similarly, if I happen to walk down a dark street at night and find a man following closely behind and, as Fate would have it, taking all the same turns that I take, using my past experiences and current observations, I assume that this man is trying to rob and/or harm me. (The consequential stereotype: all men who follow me down dark streets are “up-to-no-good.”)

Is such a conclusion irrational?

Believing that Asians are smart, black people are criminals and Hispanics are all Mexican is, unfortunately, no exception to this concept of human survival. Lets look at the facts: Asians, while only 5% of the US population, comprise a disproportionately large percentage of students at American universities (46% at Berkeley), in 17 states blacks represent over 50% of annual prison admissions and of the Hispanics entering my home state of North Carolina, nearly 73% come from Mexico. An objective observation would state that members of these groups of people consistently fit with one or two specific ideas, more so than those of any other group. What logically follows, then, is an assertion that a particular group, on the whole, is more likely to exhibit these traits. Stereotyping based on these particular characteristics, therefore, is no less valid than assuming that darkly clothed men who follow you in poorly lit areas likely fall into the category of robbers.

Again, I must ask: Is such a conclusion irrational?

Stereotyping and one of its byproducts, racism, are, indeed, a very natural part of the human experience. So natural, in fact, that we’ve illogically grouped the values embodied by those who stereotype and/or are racist with the behaviors that tend to follow stereotyping and racism, when in fact they are two separate phenomena: one is a value (or belief regarding another group) and the other is an action based upon such a value. The value, alone, is valid for several aforementioned reasons. The action, though, is reprehensible—assuming it harms the group to which it is applied.

The interesting part about this argument is how it relates practically, especially when applied to the deeply flawed human-race. People, by and large, are simply too stupid to be racists without pulling off some atrocity like Sudan, the Holocaust or black-American slavery. These sorts of activities are the result of stereotypes and racism that are either allowed to go unqualified or applied unfairly to the individual member against whom a social injustice is applied. Take my earlier statement that black people are criminals. Such a stereotype shouldn’t be positioned as something inherently true of blacks, but should try to explain the context for why there is higher criminality among blacks. A partial explanation may reference poverty, lack of opportunity and discrimination.

My conclusion, therefore, is that stereotyping and its resulting discrimination are not completely wrong, in and of themselves, but instead, they are made wrong because humans have proven themselves incapable of being holding stereotypical beliefs without perpetuating horrific crimes against humanity, be they large or small. Leaders, therefore, have found it pragmatic to issue blanket reprimands on the institution as a whole, rather than on the actual culprit: an individual’s choice to disregard another’s humanity.

Music Review: Dianne Reeves - When You Know

by Clayton Perry

One does not have to be in love, in order to love Love. Such a statement could be brushed off as the whimsical declaration of a hopeless romantic. Dianne Reeves’ When You Know proves this assertion as fact.

When You Know showcases Love—from a woman’s perspective—in all of her different stages, utilizing a dynamic assortment of old and new standards. Highlights include “Over the Weekend,” “Windmills of Your Mind,” which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1968, and the album’s namesake, “When You Know,” which was prominently featured in the romantic comedy Serendipity (2001). The album’s true gem is “Today Will Be a Good Day,” a Reeves’ original that pays tribute to her mother, Vada Swanson. Rest assured, one does not have to be a jazz aficionado to appreciate When You Know, because Love, as every human knows, is the force that inspires, unites and uplifts us all.

Dianne Reeve’s vocal interpretations are brought to life with the support of master guitarists Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo, both of whom joined the Denver-bred chanteuse on her European “Strings Attached” tour. Of the ten tracks on When You Know, Malone plays on seven, while Lubambo plays on nine. Such a “bare bones” production—two guitars and a voice—would challenge the skills of many contemporary vocalists. Reeves voice soars, though, behind the power of her vocal and performance devices, as producer George Duke sets each song’s trajectory beyond the moon.

Although jazz standards albums have become quite the cliché, When You Know contains some of Dianne Reeves’ best work. With raw emotion and technical grace, she manages to make each song her own—a hard task to accomplish in the face of familiarity. Reeves’ take of “Lovin’ You” avoids overuse of the whistle register for which Minnie Ripperton’s number-one hit was very well-known. The unexpected twist does not detract from the original working, however, since it draws more focus to the song’s lyrics, rather than the song’s performance. Such changes are plentiful on When You Know and bear the mark of Reeve’s signature styling.

When You Know covers nearly a half decade of vocal performances and highlights Reeves’ versatility across different musical styles. The track listing, along with a notation of song’s original or best-known performer, is as follows: “Just My Imagination” (The Temptations), “Over the Weekend” (Mabel Mercer), “Lovin’ You” (Minnie Ripperton), “I’m in Love Again” (Peggy Lee), “Midnight Sun” (Ella Fitzgerald), “Once I Loved” (Shirley Horn), “Windmills of Your Mind” (Dusty Springfield), “Social Call” (Betty Carter), “When You Know” (Shawn Colvin) and “Today Will Be a Good Day” (Dianne Reeves).

As a four-time Grammy winner, Dianne Reeves stands in a league of her own. She is the only singer—across all music genres—to win the vocal category for three consecutive recordings. To date, Reeves has been awarded “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” for In the Moment (2001), The Calling (2002), A Little Moonlight (2003) and the soundtrack to Good Night, and Good Luck (2006).

Interview: Dianne Reeves, Jazz Singer Extraordinaire

by Clayton Perry

Dianne Reeves is one of America’s most revered contemporary jazz singers. Standing on the shoulders of her forbearers, Reeves’ name has been added to the ranks of Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn, her vocal inspiration and personal favorite.

To date, the Recording Academy has bestowed Dianne Reeves with four GRAMMY awards—making her the first singer to win “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” for three consecutive recordings: In The Moment (2001), The Calling (2002) and A Little Moonlight (2003). Reeves garnered her fourth GRAMMY with the soundtrack to Good Night, Good Luck (2006), a movie in which she was also featured.

On April 15, 2008, Dianne Reeves released When You Know, an album that showcases Love—from a woman’s perspective—in all of her different stages. Upon review of When You Know, Dianne Reeves managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry— reflecting on life, love and, of course, jazz.





In 1977, you embarked on a musical journey—introducing your spirit to the world with the release of Welcome to My Love. Much of your recent mainstream success has been in the last decade, however, with a string of historic GRAMMY wins. What kept you motivated during the early years and what do you attribute to the longevity of your career?

In those early years, I was trying to find out who I was. I had the opportunity to record. I was touring, I had my own band – that just kept me going. I think that’s the same kind of thing that still works and keeps me going now – it’s the journey of all of this. Throughout the journeys, there have been more and more accolades, more and more people who have come to know what I do and who I am.

One song that you have revisited in this journey a couple of times is “Better Days.” You appear to be telling a specific tale about you and your grandmother, but the lyrics really reach out to a lot of people on a very personal level. What is the significance behind the song?

Well, I grew up in a family that told stories, that celebrated one another and kept people’s memories alive through storytelling. I think when my grandmother died, it was the story that I wanted to tell about her. I listened to her story all my life – and my mother’s and everybody’s. They were stories that gave me inspiration, gave me another kind of way of looking at life and dealing with things. These stories still reinforce a lot of things in my life now. So when my grandmother passed, I thought the most befitting thing was to tell her story. What happened from that was people said, “No, this is my story.” Interesting.

The storytelling is shown in “Today Will Be A Good Day,” which was one of my favorite songs on When You Know. How did you decide to put that track on the CD?

When we were recording, I was really excited about what was happening. I just started writing. Some of these things I said, “Well, I’ll just leave for the next record.” “Today Will Be A Good Day,” even though it is recorded different, still fit the concept of the record. It was one of those things that was for my mother: her philosophy in life and how that particular philosophy really helped me. I thought that would be befitting.

Sarah Vaughan is one of your favorite jazz singers, but you were still able to develop your own particular style apart from her influence. Was that a natural growth or did you purposely want to go in a certain direction?

Oh, no. I think Vaughan was really important to me because she showed the possibilities of what a person could do with their instrument, you know. When I was growing up, I had this really raw instrument. I was singing and doing all kinds of stuff, but I didn’t realize how much one’s instrument possessed color, timbre and these kinds of things that you can do. It was through her that I started to hear all kinds of things to be able to define and refine myself.

As you talk about honing your own sound, I am reminded that a lot of singers of yesteryear were raised in the church and sang for that purpose, as opposed to singing for the crowd to become a star. What is your opinion of current musical styles?

Interestingly, I grew up listening to people who were very popular who came out of the church. The one thing that everybody did at that time was seek their own unique ability. I hear that more among the rappers today than among the pop singers, because it seems like in the pop industry, music executives are focused on saying, “We want the next this and the next that.” You will find the original and then five other clones underneath. I think that’s really unfortunate. The beauty of life - and the most amazing thing that God has given us - and the miracle that we see everyday is that we are unique. Each one of us is unique and we have unique things that we can say or do. This uniqueness is one of the things I think the industry just doesn’t really promote enough.

Jazz started off as an exclusive genre. How do you make it appealing to a new generation that might think it’s too old school?

Most of this stuff that people think about jazz is because they never really listened to it. I go out and tour and perform, and there are young people in colleges who say, “I didn’t know that was jazz. I didn’t know. I love what you do.” Jazz artists are just as unique within the community as anybody else, so everybody has a different sound. What I really hate is when somebody says, “Oh, yeah, she’s like the next Billie Holiday,” and they’ve never even heard of Billie Holiday’s records to know who she really was and why people celebrate her. I think the mystique that surrounds jazz music, even with jazz critics, always makes it sound like this elite club, for-members-only kind of music. And it is really not.

Recently, Herbie Hancock received a GRAMMY Award for "Album of the Year." What effect do you think his win will have on the jazz genre?

I know one thing: it says to me that anything is possible. To me – whether it be jazz, classical, whatever – it wasn’t the norm for a jazz artist. He’s of great stature, but maybe not as a celebrity like Kanye West. But at the same time, Hancock’s work stood up. He was voted by his peers to receive that honor. So that was pretty amazing.

Indeed it was. Do you find yourself singing to a different audience than when you first started?

Oh, God, yeah. My demographic is so broad. I think that people hear the record and it is one thing. When people come to my shows, they’re like, “Oh, boy we get it,” because it’s so alive and in the moment. My audience has just grown. And a lot of the recent reason is because of the movie Good Night, and Good Luck.

How did you become involved in that film? I know that you said George Clooney picked the tracks.

I was on his radar. He made sure that they got in touch with me. When I heard about it, they sent me a script. I thought “Wow, they just want me to sing.” I didn’t realize that I would be in the film. With that, I had a whole different approach and performed with respect to the time. I really enjoyed that a lot.

How do you feel when you go abroad? How is your reception?

Well, it’s funny because black music in general – whether it be jazz, R&B, Gospel – is looked at as very exotic in Europe because of the freeness of the music and because the music always has an edge of celebration – because it’s living music. So when we go to Europe, people are chomping at the bits because they don’t understand the spirit, the soul, and the roots of this music. They are very, what I call, active listeners - extremely sophisticated listeners. They want to let go and hear and feel everything that is to be felt and heard.

What artists do you listen to and which artists do you feel are freely expressing themselves?

I love to listen to artists who are clear about what their voice is. Of course anytime I speak of voice, I’m talking about spirit, because everything else is the instrument or the means for that to be heard. I love artists who really delve deeply into the spirit. I get really inspired when I go hear somebody else and they make the hairs stand on my arms and I go, “Wow, I never even thought about doing it that way or doing it this way.” So, I listen to a lot of different kinds of music.

Any artist in particular that you would call your favorite right now?

I just got a couple of really amazing compilations of stuff, like outtakes of Aretha Franklin. I got some really, really wonderful stuff on Sam Cooke. I love him. I’ve never really delved into him as I have lately. I have not seen her live but I really like this young woman, Chrisette Michele. I think she’s authentic and I think that what she talks about is really, really wonderful. Her lyrics are rich and it’s about respect and love and compassion and all kinds of stuff. I really like that about her.

Wow, good stuff. If you were talking to someone who perhaps doesn’t know anything about jazz, who would you tell them to be on their introductory list to the jazz genre?

I think I would start down the line of Bessie Smith. Then I would say Billie Holiday, then definitely Dinah Washington. I would tell them to listen to Carmen McRae, then Sarah Vaughan, then Ella Fitzgerald. In there, as well, I would say Mahalia Jackson, because when you start with Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday or Dinah Washington, you’re really starting in the church.

A group that recently got some appreciation is The Clark Sisters – they finally won a GRAMMY for "Best Gospel Performance."

I know – The Clark Sisters, oh my God. Those ladies and Shirley Caesar. I was listening to Shirley Caesar’s “Blessed Assurance” and it just wore me out. I had to go listen to it again and it makes me cry. It’s one thing to sing a song and another thing to believe in the power of the words.

In listening to your older CDs and comparing them to When You Know, there’s a lot more emotion behind the CD, especially the title track, “When You Know.” How did you go about selecting that particular song for the title track?

Well, it’s like the sentiment of when you know. I grew up with, “when you know that you know that you know that you know”. I loved that. And I feel that this time in my life there are a lot of things that I want to know, there are a lot of things that I really do know for certain. So the song, while it has a certain kind of dimension on the record, takes on a multi-faceted dimension live because there are so many things that are a part of what’s being said in that song. I thought it was appropriate.

Any particular stories from recording the album?

The musicians were the glue in pulling the album together. There was such joy. When the arrangements were done for the music, we tried to keep them light. When we go in the studio, the music takes form because all of the musicians that I’ve had the opportunity of using – they’re impeccable. When they come in, they’ll start putting in their thing, then it becomes something totally different than what the sketch was. The sketch becomes colorful. Everybody contributed so much and we all became co-creators of the sound. I love that.

You are often known for your live performances. What is it that elevates the performance or takes your instrument to another level?

It’s being able to jump into the unknown and know that it’s going to be good. And that’s what I tried to create in the studio with this record, more than any other record I’ve ever done. When you’re in the studio, you have the safety net of going in and fixing things. Still, I wanted it to be a live set. I wanted everybody to be feeling and grooving on each other and have this kind of excitement and playing.

Well, it’s definitely a great album.

Thank you so much.


For more information on Dianne Reeves, visit her official website: http://www.diannereeves.com

Music Review: Mariah Carey - E=MC2

by Clayton Perry

Mariah Carey is back! And so is the proverbial elephant that looms in the corners of our minds.

It goes without saying that the Emancipation of Mimi allowed Mariah to rise from the ashes, like the mythical phoenix. In fact, the album proved to be her “second coming”—a successful “comeback” that celebrated fifteen years of her long-standing career and garnered GRAMMY awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. That being said, E=MC² faced the inevitable task of trying to avoid the label of Emancipation (Part Two) or resembling one of its ill-fated predecessors: Charmbracelet, Glitter or Rainbow.

Luckily, E=MC² is no Rainbow. And while most of the album’s songs glitter, they definitely are not all made of gold. By and large, E=MC² more closely resembles Charmbracelet. And that, dear reader, is not a bad thing.

While Emancipation is the masterpiece etched into the public’s conscious, few remember Charmbracelet, Mariah’s post-breakdown release, which followed a tumultuous departure from Virgin Records and public move to Island Records. Going back to basics, Charmbracelet Unfortunately, “Through the Rain” flopped at radio, and due to poor sales, few were able to hear the raw emotion of “Sunflowers for Alfred Roy,” a song spurned by the death of her father. showcased the diva’s elegance and grace.

Although none of Charmbracelet’s singles managed to break into Billboard’s Hot 100, the album’s formula was replicated on the Emancipation of Mimi. And E=MC² follows in its footsteps—featuring a host of urban radio mainstays like T-Pain (“Migrate”), Damian Marley (“Cruise Control”) and Young Jeezy (“Side Effects”). Jermaine Dupri has three unlisted guest spots as well, with ad-libs on “Love Story,” “Last Kiss” and “Thanx 4 Nothin’.”

While no established artist should ever stifle their creativity, Mariah’s genre-bending experimentations consistently prove that she is at her best when standing alone on a track. This diva needs no introduction, let alone a sideshow. Nevertheless, Mariah continues the sonic transition of her Butterfly days, despite the fact that only three of her eighteen number-one hits have featured guest spots in their original form: “One Sweet Day” (featuring Boyz II Men), Heartbreaker (featuring Jay-Z) and “Thank God I Found You” (featuring Joe and 98 Degrees). For better or worse, her repertoire is largely composed of power ballads. Unfortunately, the contemporary production on E=MC² makes all of her ballads sound like pop confessionals of love. Even so, lovers of Emancipation will be attracted to “Last Kiss,” “For the Record” and “I Stay in Love,” because they offer an air of familiarity. A casual listen of “Bye Bye,” for example, will evoke fond memories of “We Belong Together.” This time around, though, the focus is on the pain of a love that has been lost, instead of a search for an old love’s affection.

To be certain, E=MC² will sell well and fly off the shelves. Unfortunately, the album, like its Einsteinian title, is too formulaic. But that’s ok. Science has always been based on observable phenomena. With “Touch My Body” becoming Mariah’s eighteenth number one single, we at least have proof that Mimi has not only been emancipated, but will also be around for many years to come.