Mariah Carey

We've never been more ready for a remix than for the dance versions of "Obsessed" at the end of Imperfect Angel. Coated in slow booty snaps and that vintagey, sex-kitten-at-the-candy-shop vibe Mariah loves, Angel is a breathless, cotton-candy come-hither invite to join her as she reclines in her boudoir and languidly stretches for the occasional high note. It's sexy and exquisitely steeped in contemporary R&B, but after 16 tracks, the boudoir starts to induce bedsores. And then -- then -- comes the big, passionate, gospel-choir-infused cover of "I Want to Know What Love Is," and we remember why we were so hot for Mariah to begin with.

Mariah Carey, comedian? Jokes have never been Carey's forte, but on her 12th album, she
gets in touch with her funny bone, adding a cheeky marching-band coda to the thumping
club jam "Up Out My Face," threatening to out a cheating lover on national television in
"Betcha Gon' Know" ("Oprah Winfrey whole segment, for real"); even poking fun at her own
vocal signature, those stemware-shattering falsetto trills ("Love me down till I hit... More >