Over the years, Mariah Carey has been known for many different qualities — for both her singing and her outlandish personality. Whether it is her incredibly powerful voice, or her “diva” behavior on American Idol, she has managed to stay in the public eye for over two decades. Now, she will be releasing a new album, entitled Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse. The album, with its unusual title and other odd promotional tactics, has been the subject of both praise and criticism.

The first single from the album, called “Beautiful” received positive reviews and was a commercial success, reaching the 4^th spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The Los Angeles Times called it a “perfect pop song.” However, there was no word on whether or not this was a stand-alone single or it would be coming from an album. She then came out with the song “The Art of Letting Go,” which received positive reviews, but failed to chart on the Hot 100.

Then, reports began to swirl around the music world about the possibility of her dropping the album unannounced, in a Beyoncé sort of way. However, she then became less private about it and posted a video online describing the album artwork and name. The front of the record — a photo of Ms. Carey standing in a bathing suit on what seems to be a clear, mystical ocean — was criticized for looking “highly photoshopped” and “too airbrushed.” In the video, she spoke of the back of the album, which featured her “first self-portrait,” a childish drawing with the name “Me. I am Mariah,” defining it as a “creative visualization of how I saw myself through the purity of a child’s heart before it was broken.” She then said that she has received many nicknames in the past, and her newest moniker is “The Elusive Chanteuse.”

While Ms. Carey may be making an attempt at being mysterious, or perhaps “elusive,” it seems as though she is falling short of trying to establish a new persona, proving that the number of tricks up her sleeve is getting low, and that she may have to work on her publicity skills.  Many reviewers have called it “absurd” and even “insane,” ubiquitously panning her advertising methods.

Mariah Carey has always had what many artists nowadays lack — talent. However, is this being wasted on tacky album artwork and confusing titles? We shall soon find out on May 27^th when the album is officially released.