The Weekly Coos

After listening to Mariah the Scientist’s last album, Ry Ry World, I became fixated by her attempt to retain a sense of creativity through themes very typical to the genre she inhabits, bringing a grounded sense of reality. She brings an emotional soul to the front, giving them these tenderer moments that never open themselves to overediting, and buoys you through some of the weak components of her music—i.e., the features. For the most part, they have been rather forgettable or outright just poorish with their simplicity. Though I had some enjoyment with her collaborations alongside Young Thug, whenever she diverges with others, it loses luster, as if it has become more about featuring emerging or prominent artists to become an element that bolsters the writing and range of the music and range in demographic appeal. She did so with Lil Baby on Ry Ry World, and it continues with To Be Eaten Alive, where they barely move the needle, while the solo tracks highlight her strengths, despite slightly rushed pacing and tested writing that leaves you feeling indifferent, whether or not the vocals sell you.

To Be Eaten Alive opens on a high note with “Heaven Is A Place On Earth;” taking from the Belinda Carlisle song, the title speaks to similar themes of love and home, which, for Mariah The Scientist, holds a lot of weight considering her relationship with Young Thug. The production is hollow, creating an echo for Mariah’s solo verse. It becomes a glossed sentiment that hides beneath the text of the music, even when she speaks on past loves or builds depth around her kinship with Thug, further making some of these personal recordings more empowering and attachable. Though much, if not all, the tracks center on love, Mariah the Scientist takes a modest detour from love with “From A Woman” as she looks at empowerment through the relationship-centric lens; beyond her, she doesn’t expand her horizons, delivering content that has become known to attract ears, but can become mundane after a while. Mildly put, the songs don’t have the cadence or elegant worldview that’s grounded and focused on a descriptive element that’s recognizable beyond emotions. It’s one reason I was very fond of Ry Ry World—Mariah uses items to emphasize her emotions or question her brain.

I know I can’t be one to harp by loving past recordings as I’m here to reflect on the new, but there is little to say here, especially from Mariah the Scientist, who seems to fall back on skewing toward content that is relative but simple. It’s unlike previous albums, where she took niche perspectives within a centralized theme and brought a sense of cultural ingenuity, like how she did with “Impalas & Air-Force 1s” or “Aura”—though it’s present with “From A Woman,” “77 Degrees,” and “Heaven Is A Place On Earth,” they have little presence in making me want to return unlike the more direct and soulful “Different Pages” or the more rhythmic “Out of Luck,” which adds some colorful melodic flows in the singing. With “Good Times,” it’s this nuanced, late 80s, early 90s influence, with a tender and slower, reminding me of something more loverly and fitting of the emotional weight bearing on Mariah as she sings her heart out. There is stuff to like here and enough to warrant a listen but not to leave me pigeonholed to feel the floor is low.

Bolstering Mariah the Scientist’s vocals are some solid R&B/Hip-Hop production hybrids that do enough to highlight and center her vocals despite never being as full-on glamorous. They twist in the sounds emanating from your listening device by allowing the minimalist drum patterns to amplify the more subdued coatings in the synths, or strings, or other percussion. It’s an absorbing array of beats that work beautifully in tangent with many of her performances; unfortunately, they get wasted due to a lack of variety from Mariah and some weak features from Vory and 21 Savage. Vory’s appearance in “40 Days n’ 40 Nights” is bland and loses the sex appeal established by Mariah the Scientist, and when they convene for a proper duet, it loses all luster in came in with. Similarly, 21 Savage’s verse downshifts what aims to be a beautiful piece of “wearing your heart on your sleeve,” specifically when those arms are sleeveless. 21 Savage’s verse is rudimentary and lacks creativity as he goes about the same stuff while lacking interpersonality. Unlike them, on the final song, “Ride,” Young Thug delivers a fantastic performance over these tantalizing piano keys that adds harmonious bliss to Mariah and Thug’s melodic vocals.

I wasn’t crazy about To Be Eaten Alive, or not as crazy about it compared to Ry Ry World, but there is something here to maintain a presence as Mariah the Scientist grows more as an artist. She has a voice and an ear for beats that allow her to represent her best self, even when the work can be monotonous. It’s a constant flow that keeps you entwined with the music, but ultimately, it’s hard to recommend this more than her last project; if you’re a fan already, there is something for you to take something out of, unlike me.