The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey
Oh man, was Glitter bad. It was such a flop, such a disaster that Mariah Carey’s label had to pay her in order to kill their contract. Charmbracelet, her 2002 follow-up, was not much better. So 2005′s Mimi may not have had very high expectations, but it bowled over the naysayers like a diamond-studded billy club. Produced by a myriad of studio stars — including Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri and the Neptunes — the album debuted at No. 1. The hit single “We Belong Together” made Carey the third most successful singles artist of all time (behind Elvis and the Beatles) and the most successful female one ever. We think that qualifies as a comeback.
