Since her last album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel five years ago, Mariah Carey has been a judge on American Idol, starred in Lee Daniels' The Butler and more importantly had two children—Monroe and Moroccan—with husband Nick Cannon. This all led to her 14th studio album, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, which is letting the world know she's back and following her own standards.

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On her new album, Carey seems to be singing specifically for her lambs—aka her fans—who have stood by her throughout her almost 25-year career.

The album is filled with ballads, riffs and high notes bringing fans back to Mariah's Vision of Love days. She opens with Cry, which emphasizes her powerful vocals as does her cover of George Michael's One More Try. She ends with Heavenly, a track loaded with inspirational lyrics, something that's quite typical of Mariah's music.

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Nostalgia is also a major theme of the album, both lyrically and musically. On Dedicated, Carey and veteran emcee Nas reminisce on the earlier days of hip-hop while Money with rapper Fabolous sounds like it's from a different decade. The disco-era influence is also evident on one of the album's biggest gems, You Don't Know What to Do featuring Wale.

Despite the fact that You're Mine and Beautiful, featuring Miguel, didn't fare too well on the charts—for whatever reason—they are both well polished and standouts.

After a few delays and changes of direction, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse was worth the wait and makes it clear that Mariah Carey isn't going anywhere.

Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse will be released on May 27.

Tags: Mariah Carey