Mariah Carey discography

Next week, Mariah Carey will release her 11th studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Like I did with Whitney Houston, here's a look back at the first ten:

Mariah Carey (1990). Is there a more lovely opening note to a career than “Vision of Love?” Nineteen years later, the soulful love ballad that launched one of the most successful pop careers of all time still gives me tingles. While it was the best song on her debut, Mariah Carey has a lot of good moments—mostly ballads like “I Don’t Wanna Cry” and “Love Takes Time,” but upbeat moments work great too like playful “Someday,” do-gooder “There’s Got to Be a Way,” and keyboard-heavy “All in Your Mind.” Best: Vision of Love, Someday, I Don’t Wanna Cry, There’s Got to Be a Way, Love Takes Time, All in Your Mind, You Need Me (4.5/5).

Emotions (1991). In contrast to her debut, Emotions kicks off with an energetic first single, and populated with several Clivilles and Cole-produced tracks, Emotions was a ploy to subtly shift the focus toward a younger audience than her adult-pop debut. Otherwise, Emotions sounds a lot like Mariah Carey, with big, baudy ballads like “And You Don’t Remember” and “Can’t Let Go.” While sounding similar, somehow the songs just weren’t as good this time. “You’re So Cold” is so over-the-top it’s corny, and “If It’s Over” sounds like “Vanishing” part 2. Dramatic “So Blessed” is a nice surprise though, underscored by a chord progression she would use again (“Forever” from Daydream). Best: So Blessed, Can’t Let Go, Emotions (3.5/5).

Music Box (1993). This was much better and broader, effectively incorporating both fun, upbeat songs like “Dreamlover” and memorable ballads like “Hero,” as well as R&B (“Never Forget You”). Even the dance pop was better this time, with the decent Clivilles & Cole productions “Now that I Know” and “I’ve Been Thinking About You.” My favorite track though is “Without You,” a power ballad that finds Carey singing in contrasting styles—her lowest register yet during the chorus and controlled soprano during the chorus. Best: Without You, Dreamlover, All I Ever Wanted, Hero, Now that I Know, Anytime You Need a Friend (4.5/5).

Daydream (1995). Although it’s not a personal favorite, Daydream is probably Mariah Carey’s most acclaimed album. It certainly produced the hits: its three U.S. singles collectively topped the Billboard Hot 100 for over 6 months. There’s really little difference between this and Music Box: frothy “Fantasy” serves as this album’s “Dreamlover,” “One Sweet Day,” her duet with Boyz II Men, it’s “Hero” power ballad, “Open Arms” its remake of a pop classic a la “Without You.” New touches include the lovely doo-wop ballad “Forever,” the clubby “Fantasy” remix “Daydream,” and a bit of R&B flavor to the upbeat songs like “Long Ago” and “Fantasy.” Best: Fantasy, One Sweet Day, Always Be My Baby, Forever, Underneath the Stars, Open Arms (4/5).

Butterfly (1997). As the ‘90s wore on and the mainstream embraced hip-hop while moving away from adult pop, Mariah Carey shifted her sound in that direction. Butterfly was her first album to feature rap guests, and quite frequently the marriage works well. Opening track “Honey,” which features Sean “Puff Daddy” “P. Diddy” “Diddy” Combs, is a particular delight—a breezy, groovy, upbeat pop song. The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony matchup, “Breakdown,” is also pretty good. Appropriately soaring “Butterfly” is one of my favorite Mariah Carey ballads, such a lovely song, although it’s a shame this where Carey introduced a nasal quality to her singing (perhaps because she was losing her ability to effectively sing in higher octaves?). “Whenever You Call” is another gorgeous love ballad, showcasing Carey’s vocal abilities. Lovelorn “My All” is also good and gave the singer her fifth consecutive #1 hit (her second run of five #1s in a row). “Babydoll” has a laid back vibe and skittering beats typical of R&B production of the time. The remake of Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” is a little pointless, since it adheres so closely to the original. Best: Honey, Butterfly, Whenever You Call, My All, Breakdown, The Roof (4/5).

Rainbow (1999). Carey’s final Columbia release is a head-scratcher. Despite having been a fan from the beginning, I took a pass on this album, and I’m still not really interested in it. “Heartbreaker,” while a fun song, is basically a “Fantasy” repeat—in fact sampling the same song. “Thank God I Found You,” her collaboration with Joe and 98 Degrees, is uninspired. Her remake of “Against All Odds” is decent, but I like the duet version with Westlife better (not part of the U.S. release). Best: Heartbreaker (not rated).

Glitter (2001). Glitter was the much-maligned movie and album project that found Mariah Carey at a career lowpoint, best remembered for her wacky MTV popsicle appearance. Like many such supposed downfalls (think Madonna’s Erotica), it deserves a closer look, for Glitter—the album—is actually not bad. Nodding to the film’s setting, there are quite a few nice ‘80s touches—years before that was so in vogue. “Loverboy” is goofy but fun. “Didn’t Mean to Turn You On” has great ‘80s stylings in the vein of The Time, while with you, which features Eric Benet(!), features a cool late ‘80s pop production style that recent ‘80s-inspired work has overlooked. “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” is probably the least interesting of the ‘80s retreads, although it does feature an early appearance from Kanye West. “Lead the Way” is a lovely piano ballad, and “Never Too Far” succeeds with a classy strings and guitar arrangement. The lowpoint is the Ja Rule collaboration “If We,” which sounds like an uninspired “I’m Real.” Best: Lead the Way, Didn’t Mean to Turn You On, Never Too Far, Loverboy, With You (3.5/5).

Charmbracelet (2002). This is the other Mariah Carey album I don’t own. Following Glitter, she needed something to restore the public’ faith, but this didn’t do it. The reviews were not positive. What I’ve heard of the album is rather bland, and it’s only major single, “Through the Rain,” is just mediocre. Best: Through the Rain (not rated).

The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The Emancipation of Mimi was a big comeback for Mariah Carey, who hadn’t had a major hit in years. The album’s effective blend of modern and old school styles introduced the singer to a new generation while still pleasing older fans. Upbeat hip-hop leaning tracks like “Shake It Off” and “Get Your Number” work as effectively as the modern ballads like “We Belong Together” and “Don’t Forget About Us,” as well as the soulful older-sounding stuff like “Mine Again” and “Circles.” Best: We Belong Together, Shake It Off, It’s Like That, Mine Again, Say Somethin’, Get Your Number, Don’t Forget About Us (4/5).

E=MC² (2008). When Mariah Carey hits on something that works, inevitably the album that follows is quite similar. Such is the case with E=MC², which continued in the modern, R&B-flavored pop vein of The Emancipation of Mimi, although with fewer retro touches. Sadly, a mistimed single (“Bye Bye”) threw this project off, resulting in the album having only one major hit (frothy “Touch My Body”), but there are lots of good songs here, particularly “I Stay in Love,” one of her best love ballads. Best: Migrate, Touch My Body, I Stay in Love, I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time, Cruise Control, I’m that Chick (4/5).