E=MC2
by Mariah Carey
  • Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Apr 15, 2008
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. Rolling Stone
    60
    Nearly every song confines Carey to four-note verses, offering little room for her glorious range, and the six ballads are drenched in yearbook-quote lyrics that never quite work themselves into the froth of "The Emancipation of Mimi."
  2. AllMusic
    60
    Like so much of "Emancipation" and E=MC2, which is a virtual replica of its predecessor in almost every way, 'Touch My Body' is all about sound, rhythm, and texture and not so much about song, something that helps sustain Mariah Carey's run at the top the charts, but something that also pushes melodic hooks, and in the process singing, into the background.
  3. Hartford Courant
    60
    That leaves the expected collection of highly buffed beats, a dozen producers deep, which occasionally generates material that ranks with Mariah's best.
  5. NOW Magazine
    60
    There is some insubstantial filler here, but more often than not, E = MC2 hits the mark.
  6. Los Angeles Times
    50
    E=MC2 is a little better--the songwriting is more consistent, the feel a bit more natural--but it too lacks a ruling temperament or artistic vision.
  7. The New York Times
    40
    It is in the same vein [as "The Emancipation of Mimi"], but much less good.
  8. PopMatters
    40
    At the end of the day, however, E=MC2 is nothing more than a shallow imitation of its predecessor, the unexciting kid cousin of an arena-sized R&B watermark.
  9. Uncut
    40
    Adhering to commercially fixated standards of production line R&B, E=MC2 charms soon melt away. [Aug 2008, p.87]
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Most Discussed Album of 2008
56
#56 Most Shared Album of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 382 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 194 out of 382
  2. Mixed: 90 out of 382
  3. Negative: 98 out of 382
  1. PEDROMFR
    Feb 18, 2021
    5
    So, yes, definitely this album is a breath of fresh air after Mariah's last projects, since it brings a bigger pop influence, making the albumSo, yes, definitely this album is a breath of fresh air after Mariah's last projects, since it brings a bigger pop influence, making the album more pleasant to listen to, but it still has too many ordinary songs, that nothing add to the singer's discography. "I Stay In Love" is, without a shadow of a doubt, the highlight of the album.… Full Review »
  2. HonestMuusic
    Nov 4, 2022
    6
    The Follow up to the hugely successful "Emancipation" Mariah finds a mellow R&B Groove and doesn't stray to far from the formula, although theThe Follow up to the hugely successful "Emancipation" Mariah finds a mellow R&B Groove and doesn't stray to far from the formula, although the Auto-Tune especially in a few of the opening tracks becomes an annoyance they are still at least perfectly calculated tracks to keep our interest.… Full Review »
  3. italoverdade
    Nov 10, 2015
    10
    album with great commercial potential as well as mixtures one Mariá more fri and classy, dipping into R & B and hip hop if not for thealbum with great commercial potential as well as mixtures one Mariá more fri and classy, dipping into R & B and hip hop if not for the mismanagement of his label would have been higher than the last.… Full Review »
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