 Writing for Vibe , Michael Ehrlich claimed the song would " cut across generations " , while Cinquemani felt it would revive " faith in Mariah the balladeer " . Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic chose " We Belong Together " as a " top Pick " from the album , while Todd Burns from Stylus Magazine described it as " beautifully cadenced " . Echoing Cinquemani 's comments about the song and Carey 's past as a balladeer , Jozen Cummings from PopMatters wrote " Carey makes the song her own , reminding fans of her ' Hero ' days with full , throaty vocals and a crashing climax at the end . The dichotomy between ' The Emancipation of Mimi 's ' first two tracks is the album ’ s bread and butter . " Since first hearing the song on the radio , Sherri Winston from South Florida Sun @-@ Sentinel claimed she " knew it would be a smash " , complimenting its understated beat and Carey 's vocals . Billboard 's Michael Paoletta described " We Belong Together " as one of the album 's strongest cuts , claiming that it highlighted the strongest focal point on the song : Carey 's voice . Slant Magazine ranked it 2nd on their best songs of 2005 list . 
