 E = MC ² received a 63 / 100 ( indicating " generally positive reviews " ) on the website Metacritic , which averages professional reviews into a numerical score . Stephen Thomas Erlewine , senior editor of Allmusic , rated the album three out of five stars , and wrote " it 's misleading to judge Mariah based on her new record of possessing the most number one singles , as she 's not about longevity , she 's about being permanently transient , a characteristic ' E = MC ² ' captures all too well . " Billboard 's Gary Trust felt that on the album , Carey was in " pristine form " , stating , " She 's proclaimed emancipation before , but Mariah Carey 's never sounded as free as she does on her 10th album . Carey 's made a pop album with equal parts levity and gravity . " Writing fir Entertainment Weekly , Margeaux Watson graded E = MC ² an ' A- ' , and described how the album 's goal was to prove " her comeback was no fluke " . She continued complimenting the album 's several collaborations , and wrote " the result is a largely enjoyable mix of flirtatious club jams , midtempo love songs , and emotional ballads anchored by hip @-@ hop beats that handsomely showcase the singer 's powerful vocal chops . " Though Carey 's voice had been criticized since her 2002 release , Charmbracelet , for not being able to deliver the " gravity defying vocals " from the 1990s , Roger Friedman from Fox News wrote " Her infamous eight @-@ octave range has suffered a little wear and tear over the years , but Carey still can flutter from great highs to mellow lows like no one else . " Alex Macpherson from The Guardian gave the album four out of five stars , heavily describing the singer 's vocal state throughout the album : " Carey 's voice has been mocked , bizarrely , as being a triumph of technique over soul - an argument that fails to comprehend that technique and soul are intertwined , that technique primarily exists as a means to convey emotion - but she is on fine vocal form throughout ' E = MC ² ' , whether belting out massive ballads , or layering her voice into a swooning bank of a hundred Mariahs . " Macpherson concluded his review with , " When she sings elsewhere , " Them other regularities , they can 't compare with MC , " " it is hard not to agree " , referencing a lyric on " For the Record " . 
