#1's - Carey, Mariah (Cassette 1998)

The concept album is something that has been around in the music business for years and years but some people fail to realize that. The most common, the greatest hits disc, has become a necessary part of every established artists' discography; some artists even release multiple editions. Another type of concept album, the live album, is made most by people who are confident with their live vocal skills and who want their fans to get the full experience without the pricey tickets or the lousy concession food.

One type of concept album that I personally have rarely seen is the number ones album. It could be that not many artists even have enough number one songs to put together an album. One artist who will not have that problem is my baby mama, Mariah "Brickhouse" Carey.

Released in 1998, this album consists of all of Mariah's #1's up until that point in time as well as four bonus tracks. This multi-octave diva had at least one number one for every year of the 1990's. Seriously. Now you're kind of getting the reason that she did this rather successful concept album. Us lambs got a present from her, to kind of tide us over.

Special thanks to my homie caffienatedyak who told me to review this while I was stuck on what to review for my "comeback".

Tracklisting:
Sweetheart featuring JD (*** 1/2)
When You Believe featuring Whitney Houston (**** 1/2)
Whenever You Call featuring Brian McKnight(*****)
My All (**** 1/2)
Honey (****)
Always Be My Baby (*****)
One Sweet Day featuring Boyz II Men (*****)
Fantasy Remix featuring ODB (*** 1/2)
Hero (*****)
Dreamlover (*****)
I'll Be There featuring Trey Lorenz (*****)
Emotions (**** 1/2)
I Don't Wanna Cry (**** 1/2)
Someday (*****)
Love Takes Time (*****)
Vision Of Love (*****)
I Still Believe (**** 1/2)

The album starts out on rather awkward footing with the hit-and-miss duet with producer/rapper Jermaine Dupri, the hip pop Sweetheart. One of the four non #1 tracks present, it seems that Sweetheart captures the Mariah that a lot of the older fans have grown to dislike with her seductive cooings and whispery tones that serve their purpose but really have zero form to them and can easily grate on your nerves. Her vocals are decent at best with no belting, no high notes worth mentioning and about no personality added. She's got charisma pouring out of her ears but this song isn't up to her full capabilities. She does, however, work well with JD (primo chemistry, I must say) and the not-too-produced, bassed-out-of-its-mind beat that gets overshadowed sometimes. The little one throws in a tolerable verse toward the end that is quite entertaining if you go into the song with an open mind. This song could've been better but is passable.

Another disappointing track is the should-have-been-monster> ballad, When You Believe featuring the once fabulous Whitney Houston. Both ladies sound phenomenal for this song; they never really go overboard with the ad libs (well, for them) and both know when and how to sing what they've got. Mariah drops some of the whisper and gets a bit competitive toward the ending section, which was breathtaking. The choir was the X factor in getting that segment up to the level that it was. Although it's a wee bit on the cheesy side (heck, the whole song is. It's a Disney song, ya know.), it sounds great. The more instrumented and orchestral vibe suits both singers who, despite an obvious lack of chemistry, need more of these songs to stay relevant in the music business. Both are certainly in their element and let go of any inhibitions that they might've had. The lyrics are so gawd awfully cheesy There can be miracles/ When you believe/ When hope is frail/ It's hard to kill but it's overlooked.

One of the tracks that I wasn't as familiar with was Whenever You Call, a duet between Mariah and soul brotha Brian McKnight from 1998. Despite my naiveness toward the track, it ends up being one of my favorites. You think the track is going to be some schmaltzy piano ballad with zero soul and heart but it's just the opposite. The strictly piano intro smoothly fades into a more orchestral track where the piano works magic with the elegant synth work. Don't get it twisted; this track is much more bare and genuine than the previous. Just because they both tend toward the orchestral side doesn't mean they're the same track. Both vocalists turn in truly amazing performances and complement each other so well. McKnight's vocals come close to matching levels from Anytime or Back At One while Carey fails to disappoint with her full and supple falsetto that is the best we've heard in a while from her. They don't try and outdo one another when the superb ad libs come around, which is a definite pro. The lyrics are unlike a lot of recent Mariah material in their maturity, their heartfelt sincerity and their poise; the track is the direction that I'd like Mariah to go in. I won't ever be too/ Far away to feel/ I won't hesitate at all/ Whenever you call

Another track from the Butterfly album, the forlorn My All, is up next. Kind of like the part one to the recent Mariah track I Only Wanted, this bare soulfully swaying jam has some of Mariah's best ad libs that pop up around the 3:00 mark and really enhance the song. Accompanied by a dreamy guitar, deeply felt percussion and no obvious synth work, Mariah really mesmerizes you on this track. She definitely has everything going on: the longing, the vulnerability and the sensuality which she has became infamous for. She works all parts of her vocal range like a true pro and leaves you wanting more. The lyrics are actually pretty good; Mariah doesn't use this topic to death and the originality clearly shows. Overall, a stunning track that never gets old.

Here's Honey, Mariah's coming out party of sorts after her divorce from that dirty old pervert...err...I mean, Tommy Mottolla. Honey is one of the first Mariah singles where she started to use hip hop although this track lacks any obvious hip hop influences in it's beat. Mase guests for a small part, though. Mariah goes a bit more on the sex kitten-y side of things on this song and hasn't looked back ever since. The dog whistle notes are absent, though. This song really isn't about vocals, more like the whole slick and sassy vibe of the entire song. You focus on the entire presentation rather than just one certain element which is quite welcome. It was also one of the first Mariah songs to contain coquette-ish sexual innuendo with the erotic undertones So I'll spoon you/ For another taste of your honey of the hook and the somewhat oversexualized vibe leading the way. I like the fact that she tried something new and wanted to explore different aspects of herself. This is a good song but it doesn't come close to comparing to some of her other material.

A song that encompasses some fond memories for me is the innocent and uber sweet Always Be My Baby which will always remind me of the video. Maybe it's because the song is so closely correlated with the video. In any case, this track is just flat out great. Surprisingly produced by JD, Always Be My Baby captures one of Mariah's crispest and most purely sang vocal performances on the album. She still has that bubbly, rather good natured vibe around her that was one of the first things about her that I noticed. You can imagine the head motions, the finger wagging and the bright smile that went on during the recording. Her voice goes so well with the acoustic-meets-synth-meets-old-school-r&b beat that you kind of lose youself in the song. It's unlike a lot of the music that she's done; her voice more than controls the track; she really flexes her performance muscle on this song. The back-up is a superb addition, giving the song it's signature intro and old school atmosphere. The hook is instantly addictive while the delightfully demure lyrics suit the song very well. Overall, a song that highlights all the pros about this legendary diva.

The Mariah single of the 1990's was her duet with once popular boy band Boyz II Men, One Sweet Day. This grandiose, larger-than-life ballad of loss and acceptance really struck a chord with listeners due to its honesty, its depth and its overall relatability. I mean, everyone has lost someone and what better than to write a song about it. To me, Boyz II Men are her best duet partner that she's ever hooked up with. The chemistry is just there right off the bat, everyone turns in tremendous vocal performances and it just works so well. You'd think with five people and this type of song that everyone would be clammoring for attention but it's just the opposite. The music is one of the more r&b ballads of Mariah's early career, at least singlewise, but that's not really explored as much as the obvious gospel tendencies. The group and Mariah provide their own choir-like back-up and just tear the ad libs up; the ad libs are more like a joint effort instead of Mariah and the group going off on their separate ways. She definitely works her magic and has such a powerful track in her repertoire. She should be proud. Sorry I've never told you/ All I wanted to say/ And now it's too late to hold you/ Cause you've flown away

The Fantasy Remix featuring ODB...er...Big Baby Jesus...er...Dirt McGirt is a song that I honestly never got into at all until the recent release of Mariah's remix album. The song is still the same beatwise (the Tom Tom Club sample's bass is amplified a bit more) while ODB (the artist formerly known as ODB?) throws in about :30 of just nothing toward the end of the song. I've grown more tolerable to it; it contains that infamous line Me and Mariah/ Go back like babies and pacifiers which I now enjoy. The ending section is quite cheesy but this song is definitely listenable. On the totally opposite end of the spectrum is the Mariah standard Hero, an inspirational sobfest which gained some airplay after September 11th. Its hook is definitely emotional When you feel like hope is gone/ Look inside you and be strong/ And you'll finally see the truth/ That a hero lies in you and carries the song into classic status. When someone asks you about this song, you repeat the hook, right? I rest my case. This song's lyrics are magnificient, of course, with Mariah going in a different direction than anyone had seen her go before, more or less. She performs the hell out of this song; her crystalline multi octave range really comes in handy. She's very clear, precise in her notes and just oozes every last ounce of emotional (some say saccaharine emotion but I digress) from the lyrics; she really makes you feel this soaring piano driven ballad deep down instead of just taking it at face value. Overall this song is just amazing in all aspects and shines.

Dreamlover is what everyone thought Mariah should be striving to be like both musically and imagewise. This peppy, airy and uber upbeat relaxed head bobber has one of the hottest hooks on an upbeat Mariah song that I can remember; it's totally different from the verses and is a great thing to center this 3:52 feel good jam around. The opening xylophone taps are dreamy and stay with the song on a much more toned down level while Mariah's ad lib crooning and finesse dog whistle notes really "hey, this song is going to be pretty good". The bass is kind of all over the place but still holds up the song nicely. The song's half-r&b-half-pop vibe will satisfy all fans of Mariah's; the pop fans will like the squeaky clean atmosphere while the r&b fans will enjoy the soulful hook and ad libs. This isn't exactly Shakespeare but it's not supposed to be.

The Mariah single that really wasn't supposed to be released was I'll Be There featuring friend Trey Lorenz which was featured on Mariah's Unplugged special. The day after the tremendously successful special, airplay was booming and the rest is history. Here we have Mariah's sixth #1. If you doubted Mariah's vocal prowess, listen to this song as I happily serve you a heaping helping of crow. On live tracks it seems that Mariah's vocals are better; they gain a raw sense of grit that they lack otherwise. She shows some realness in her otherwise superhuman voice and that is just flat out cool. Her voice is still gorgeous; the haunting tones during the verses, the genuine way she sings the hook, the passion during the ad libs. You can tell that she's really putting her all into this track and effort really makes the track more enjoyable. Lorenz is a surprising addition and more than holds his own against Mariah. The music is elegant with the bare piano intro (the piano being the centerpiece of the song), the ghoustl;y back-up vocals are quite entertaining while Mariah interacts with them a bit. She more than does the song justice and actually makes it her song, something that a good cover song should be.

The energetic Emotions is next up on this consistent time capsule of the lovely Mariah's fabulous career. This is the song where she really WORKS her range the most and strays the most from the token Mariah Carey song formula in all aspects. The notes at the 3:50 mark (the ad libs) are the highest she goes on the song and you begin to wonder if Mariah's not part bird. There are simply not enough words to express my love for her vocal performance on this song. This is how this type of singer should do an upbeat song. She performs all parts of her range to the best of her ability over this driving r&b track full of piano crashes and a hot little bassline/claptrack that was really in when claptracks weren't so played out in urban music. The lyrics are a bit on the lovey dovey side (the hook especially) but are given more of an edge than they would've had otherwise by the music and Mariah. If this song was a ballad, it would be the cheesiest thing ever. But it's not. Hurrah.

I Don't Wanna Cry is my least favorite of the four #1's off of her prolific debut album. I still adore it , don't get me wrong. It just has a lot to live up to. This track is way on the AC side of the spectrum with a very dejected sounding Mariah during the verses,a wafting string-y backbeat and some of the better lyrics on the album, including this epic section. Every moment we're together/ It's just breaking me down/ I know we swore it was forever but/ It hurts too much to stay around Someday, on the other hand, is my favorite single from the debut for its sheer spunk, attitude that you don't expect and Mariah's vocal performance that is worth the price of the CD alone. The song, which is heavy on percussion, has a pure fire electric guitar solo before the main ad libs that really cements the song's greatness. Mariah's lyrics are a precursor to the independent woman, "I don't need your a*ss" anthems of the late 1990's and are quite enjoyable.

Love Takes Time is like I Don't Wanna Cry with more keyboards and a seemingly more positive outlook although that's not necessarily the truth. This ballad of loss, in the same vein as One Sweet Day, ismuch more genuinely sang than some of the other material on this record. You can really feel the pain in Mariah's voice and it really endears her to you. Composed with former writing partner Ben Magulies, this track is quite human and is relatable to most. Vision of Love is the song that started it all. You've heard this song countless times so I'll spare you.

The final track is I Still Believe,a cover of the song from the woman who gave Mariah her start, Brenda K. Starr. Mariah takes the pretty good (but kind of bare and empty sounding) midtempo and turns it into a lush, sexy and fitting end to the disc. This track has some of the least artificial soul on the record; Mariah mixes her cooings with her signature powerful belting and offers a track that's worthy of being with the classics of her career. Mariah also mixes her natural playful wordplay with a sophistication that some of her material can tend to lack.

If you haven't caught my drift from the gushing review or my two others, I'll break it down for you. I am a huge Mariah Carey fan. She's fine, she's got a personality and a half, she writes and produces all of her stuff and she can belt it out like no other. This would be the perfect album for casual fans of hers with only the most known singles on here as well as four bonus track which both casual fans and hardcore fans can enjoy. On this album you can really tell Mariah's evolution (yes, dammit, artists evolve) from semi schlocky AC-meets-r&b balladeer to purring sex kitten who belts it out for our canine homies more than us regular folks. She still has the voice in the same condition it was once in and if the material she writes would come close to the early singles, she'd be in business. Another plus for all you hardcore MC fans: only two hip hop tracks are present. I'll always be a Mariah fan, despite the jokes about her supposed mental instability, the jokes about her sometimes over-the-top persoanlity and the jokes about her physical appearance being enhanced. This lady deserves any success she receives. If you haven't bought anything from her, please buy this first, as kind of an intro to her music. If you're a hardcore fan, I'm sure you've got this in your collection.

First of all, this is not a greatest hits album! it's too soon. I haven't been recording long enough for that! This album is a thank you and an acknowledgement of my gratitude to all of you out there for making these records #1 on the charts...This is a tribute to my fans for all your love and support since day one... - excerpts from the liner notes