this decision and felt that the live vocals made the album sound more authentic. Composition The Emancipation of Mimi was Carey's most expressive album to that point according to Fox News; it signified her creative freedom, as she had been oppressed by the expectations of record executives in the past. They noted the album's motif of professional and cultural emancipation throughout many songs. In an interview with the Hartford Courant, Carey spoke about the album's lack of creative restraint she felt was not featured on Charmbracelet. The latter album harbored on reviving Carey's popularity among the adult contemporary radio audience, following her decline with Glitter, which found the singer sampling 1980s melodies. While featuring ballads similar to those on Charmbracelet, the songs on The Emancipation of Mimi drew influence from R&B and hip hop, and were composed at an elevated tempo. According to Dimitri Ehrlich, an editor from Vibe, the album includes many musical facets: Mimi pulls Carey in two opposite directions. Most of the tracks find her paired with the hottest hip hop producers of the day; there, she exercises restraint and settles into a groove. But on the rest, she does what comes most naturally to her—belting to her heart's desire, perhaps to mollify those who don't care much for her detours into raunchier rap territory. The Emancipation of Mimi explores various genres; Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune felt that the album effectively combines "elements of hip-hop and rhythm and blues into pop songs that appeal to a broad cross-section of listeners." According to Billboard staff, "Carey's emancipation is drenched in hip-hop and old-school R&B ballads". Alyssa Rashbaum of MTV deemed the record "a predominantly pop and R&B effort [...] tinged with hip-hop inflections. Meanwhile, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered The Emancipation of Mimi "a slick, highly crafted piece of dance-pop". Aside from the ballads and uptempo tracks, The Emancipation of Mimi incorporates elements of soul and 1970s-inspired genres, as evident on the gospel-tinged closing track, "Fly Like a Bird". While most tracks derive instrumentation from live bands and musical instruments, some of the uptempo songs feature computerized arrangements and synthesizers. Stylistically, critics considered the album Carey's most diverse record in years, and one that highlighted many different production choices and techniques. "It's Like That" was written and produced by Carey and Jermaine Dupri. It features hand claps and whistles, as well as ad-libs and verses from