CRITICARCHIVE

Solid pop splendor.

She's not about longevity, she's about being permanently transient, a characteristic "E=MC2" captures all too well.

There is some insubstantial filler here, but more often than not, "E=MC2" hits the mark.

Without some of Carey's stellar outings from the 2000s, like "We Belong Together" and "Fly Like a Bird," the disc is far from a definitive collection.

"Memoirs" is an album, not a collection of tracks, possessing its own flow and mood, which gives it a personality the slightly desperate "E=MC2" lacked.

Unfortunately, "Memoirs" sees Carey slip back into default mode, trying to breathe life into a set of fairly listless, mid-paced R&B jams.

Apart from that pair of stiff originals, the whole thing is cheerful and engaging, a worthy sequel to its predecessor.

Carey unfortunately doesn't feel nostalgic for the succinctness of her early albums, but this shows that she's still capable of delivering 40 minutes of strong, supremely voiced R&B; when she's up for it.