These songbirds recently released their latest urban/dance offerings, The Emancipation of Mimi from Mariah Carey and The First Lady from Faith Evans. They've gone through a lot in the past few years in both their personal and professional lives. As they try to take a deep breath and continue to move forward, we look to see how they are faring.

It's no secret how her marriage in 1993 to ex-Columbia Records bigwig Tommy Mottola was no walk in the park. The pair separated, and Carey released Butterfly in 1997 as a statement of independence from the allegedly controlling Mottola. Since then, numerous stories have arisen depicting the relationship as detrimental to Carey.

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Another marriage under the magnifying glass of the press was that of Faith Evans and Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls. Their whirlwind marriage was a strained one. Toward the end, rumors swirled that Biggie was having an extramarital affair with Lil' Kim and that perhaps Evans had taken up with 2Pac. On that sorrowful day of Biggie's passing, the two were already separated, though they had not taken the legal steps to make it formal.

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Carey was portrayed as a fresh-faced girl from Long Island when she married Mottola. She emerged from the failed relationship stronger and wiser, coming out of her "cocoon" to become the butterfly of her 1997 release. In 2001, however, this metamorphosis took a turn for the worse. Carey suffered from a very public breakdown that flabbergasted fans and critics alike. During this rough period Carey released the dismal film and accompanying soundtrack Glitter, her first and last album for Virgin Records. Carey kept going, though, and the albums Charmbracelet and The Emancipation of Mimi have since been released, hopefully carrying her up and away from her troubles of recent years.

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Evans was understandably devastated when the world was robbed of Biggie Smalls so early on in his life and career. Through her grief Evans stayed strong and kept working, including with P. Diddy on the popular tribute track "I'll Be Missing You." She released her second album in 1998, Keep the Faith, and her third in 2001 titled, Faithfully. She also collaborated with heavy hitters such as DMX, Whitney Houston, and The Neptunes. In January 2004 Evans and husband Todd Russaw were arrested in Atlanta for drug possession. Regarding the arrest, Evans states, "It was over a long time ago, half of what was reported was not even the case. It's been over for a long time. It's not on my record. I didn't go to rehab. I don't recall seeing any evidence ... or being tested for anything." The track "Again" on The First Lady mentions the case. The album is just another example of Evans holding her own and moving forward.

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Carey started out on Columbia Records with Tommy Mottola at the helm. She then moved to Virgin, signing an unheard-of $80 million deal. This turned into quite a famous debacle and ended with Virgin paying Carey $28 million to get out of the deal. Since the release of Charmbracelet, the singer has been on Island/Def Jam with her own label, MonarC Music.

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Evans recently made the move from Bad Boy to Capitol Records. Bad Boy had been her home since the start of her career, but surprisingly the move ruffled few feathers. Evans states, "I can't say I was able to fully benefit from the hype and popularity and success of Bad Boy. It certainly set me up well and I did achieve success. But everybody wants to get better. I want to sell more records. I want to reach more people."

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Carey's track record was near flawless until her debut album Glitter for Virgin. The singer has had multiple number one hits. In fact, in the 1990s she was the first artist to have a number one single each year of that decade.

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Evans has enjoyed a steady upswing since her debut, gaining steadier footing as she goes. Her last release, Faithfully went platinum and her latest release, The First Lady, debuted on Billboard at number two, the highest of any of her previous releases.

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The hope for The Emancipation of Mimi is to both satisfy current fans and win back fans that Carey may have lost during her career hiccup a few years ago. The album will hopefully give Carey another chance to show her true self and her true talent in order to continue a bright career and many more successful releases to come.

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Evans seems to be on an upward curve, and right now it appears that anything is possible for this superstar. It seems that her talent knows no bounds. She has come out of a heart-wrenching, sudden death of a loved one as a stronger, wiser woman. Keeping the faith instilled in her name, she seems to be of the mind-set that there's no looking back.

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Mimi Croons On

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The First Lady is On Top - Again