To Be Eaten Alive＜限定盤/Colored Vinyl＞

Mariah the Scientist makes a transparent move from RCA to Epic with To Be Eaten Alive, her third ten-song, half-hour album in five years. Although theres a near-complete turnover in Mariahs production collaborators -- only K Rain and WondaGurl return -- this is fluid in relation to Master and Ry Ry World, with Mariah continuing to refine her theatrical balladry, expressing and analyzing romantic instability in a way thats both downcast and alluring. This meanders a little more than the two previous albums and at times verges on dreary. Theres at least some movement to the WondaGurl-produced "Bout Mine," and "Out of Luck" is a woozy groove, unmistakably the work of Kaytranada. The mood lifts for the last song, "Ride," a light and tender duet with Young Thug. Title and shared release date notwithstanding, the longing "From a Woman" -- a highlight co-produced by London on Da Track -- bears little connection to Thugs "From a Man." ~ Andy Kellman