Covers are so important in music; I know we are not supposed to judge a book/album by its cover, but this was one of those instances. Thankfully it worked out and it was judged positively but sometimes it has the opposite effect. The cover is the first glimpse one sees if they had not heard snippets, they have no idea what the project sounds like. This is my first-time hearing Mariah The Scientist and I can’t wait for more. The album artwork when you see it can be controversial. There was even someone on twitter saying they wouldn’t listen to the project because of the cover itself. This tactic can be good and bad, on the one hand, it’s polarizing, on another it’s alienating others. Whichever choice is made the music is the element we came to discuss today.
Atlanta continues its dominance and reign over not only Hip-Hop but R&B as well. Mariah is an ATL native but once again in today’s R&B demographic and sound are not as synonymous as they once were. At 21 years old she still has her whole career ahead of her which is a testament to how good this album is. I am also saying this with no previous body of work from Mariah either, another anomaly that I have not seen before. One thing that is happening in the music industry is the ability to go to school and still become a musician. J. Cole is the one who pushed that in the early 2010s not Megan Thee Stallion and Mariah are continuing the model. It was through school how she got her name as well, as a biology major, she coined the term due to her love for science. At such a young age mentorship is very important, which is why an artist like Tory Lanez being by your side is a plus. She is already with an amazing label in RCA and is on the correct trajectory.
ALBUM REVIEW
Well, there’s the cover. To some it may be triggering to others it may be intriguing. No matter what I believe it garnishes some reaction to it right away. One thing I appreciate its that the album cover and title have everything to do with the content of the music. It’s a complete package and only adds to the overall presentation.
Track 1 begins with the beat being sped up to the correct tempo which I haven’t heard in a minute since Maxo Kream did it on the song “Still” with his father talking. Once the drums and bass hit, however, Mariah gets right into it spelling S-E-L-F D-E-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-V-E. Great way to begin a project by adding layers to a song and giving clues to what the album will be about as well. Mariah still doesn’t know what love is at this point in her life and is clinging on to the ideas of what she was told it is. To her LOVE is self-destructive as no good has come from the love she knows about and has dealt with. She claims that she has always been this way and that may be so, or it may be due to. The person she believed she was meant to be with made her feel this way.
Track 2 has an airy feel to it at first, once again it is an intro leading into the track itself where we hear the bass and drums like the previous one. With a track titled “In my Nightmares”, one can concur that this relationship she is in is not a very positive one. It originally starts as dreams but when she starts to describe them, she depicts being mistreated by someone. It then becomes clear that these aren’t dreams but in fact nightmares instead. Mariah is attempting to understand the way men operate and why they do the things they do as well. The relationship is so bad that she contemplates going with the man’s friend but she would never as she would feel remorseful if she did. This thought could’ve been what happened to her a but when she has the chance, she can’t go through with it.
Wanting someone and not wanting them at the same time is the worst feeling in the world. You don’t know which one is the correct feeling and which one you should follow either. This is the opening line in the short song. Mariah questions why her man/ex never calls but at the same time doesn’t want him to call because she’s over him (not really). On Track 3 she catches him in a lie when he raps about what happened and has a different recollection of what happened compared to hers, Mariah would love to air his shit out but she decides to spare him. All trust at this point is gone so there is love after him dubbing her calls over and over she wants no more, no matter how many times she wishes he calls, she doesn’t want him to call anymore.
After the minute and thirty-second song, Track 4 is an interlude with an effect on her voice. There’s a lot to unpack in this 46-second track. I believe Mariah uses a pool as a metaphor for dating and meeting new people. She is saying that while she is “just getting her feet in” her ex is “in the deep end” meaning that he’s already been out here with other people. She attempted on many occasions to buy time and save the relationship, but he didn’t care and just continued doing what he was doing it. At this point, she doesn’t know what kind of guy she likes because she has been so focused on him and the love was so real that she didn’t even envision herself with someone else other than him.
“Reminders” is the best song on the album and the most instrumentally pleasing song as well. Track 5 gives off an 80’s Phil Collins type of vibe which is dope because it’s seemingly out of nowhere. But Jesus Christ did the person who made the beat do his thing and RCA just let Mariah go off on this vocally. Everything down to even the tape changes was perfect too. It’s the subtle touches that make the most out of the record and this was no exception, it was the correct record for her to fully immerse herself into how she feels. The last experience she had was so toxic that every time she goes on a date, she sees a monster instead of a man which she calls “a killer”. Then, due to all the pain that she has felt she believes that she should kill him because all men are trash and are going to eventually do the same thing. Whatever she does with someone new she sees a “bad man” it was so traumatic that she remembers the fights when she sees cabinets and it reminds her of “blood” on marble floors. Throughout all this, she still says “I know you didn’t mean it”. This is in defense of the person that she is describing as a monster and has flashbacks of when she is with someone else. Throughout a relationship, you can become blind to everything a person does that you would tell others not to take which is where it gets tricky. Excuses are made and after each time you know it’s wrong but because of love you stick through it and attempt to make it better if you can. You remember who the person was not who the person is, which is a dangerous game.
Continuing the storyline, Track 6 showcases how lonely Mariah has felt. Even on her birthday she couldn’t enjoy herself or have a good time. Pain and disappoint are things that keep her up. Sleepless nights are not rare for her as she is used to lying in bed with her mind racing. We’ve all been there looking up at the ceiling contemplating whether or not she should be in this relationship. Mariah begins to believe that all of this was for nothing and it has not given her an ounce of pleasure the whole time she’s been in a relationship.
When things go wrong some may try to fix it by marriage. For some reason, this has been a tactic that people use to mask all the pain that’s been felt. It doesn’t work at all, yet it is the last resort to fix something that either can’t or shouldn’t be fixed. She is 100% lost in his trance and is stuck to the point that she contemplates being with someone that she continually thinks about negatively. He has a charm that she can’t escape, and she knows it but she will just go through the motions. All the while Mariah is wallowing over her ex-man, he has a new lady that she knows about but there’s something about him no one can replace. The same thing ends up happening in the end, they make up and have sex and temporarily things are fine, but sex nor marriage is the solution to this dilemma. She would rather die than be left alone by a man who is with someone else. Love is the scariest emotion because you will override all of your senses for someone.
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about how soulful this song is and how great of an artist Mariah is for crafting a song like this. You get so lost in the lyrics that her ability is not attributed enough in this project. This is arguably the slowest song on the project but she lets the beat rock and she flows on in a smooth manner. She is starting to lose love for him finally. She is high and reminiscing while telling him she was good for him in the end and that’s the best she could’ve done for him.
The only feature on this album came on Track 9 and did a solid job. This is the end of the road as well. There is still one more song but this is where Mariah draws the line. Instead of trying to get closure she is giving a “Disclosure”. One thing I will say is that the ending where her voice was warped was amazing and a great touch to the song.
Mariah is finally free and she is seeing all the differences instead of trying to make up for his lack of effort. He is doing his thing and it’s time to do hers. He can do what he pleases because he treated her like shit all the time but over and over again Mariah forgave him for what he did.
ALBUM SCORE & RATING
OFFICIAL RATING: 8.5/10
STANDOUT TRACKS
- “NOTE TO SELF”
- “NOTE TO YOU”
- ★“REMINDERS”
- “BEETLEJUICE”
- “NOT A LOVE SONG”
For a debut project, this has shown so much promise and Mariah has a bright future ahead of her as well!!!
