Pros: Introduces us to a future queen. Oh, and Vanishing.
Cons: A few dated tunes, but overall not many.
The Bottom Line: Even though it does sound kind of cheesy and it has some filler, it's a solid debut showing why Mariah is where she is now: that voice.
LindsayBW's Full Review: Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey
Ever since I was young, I've known who Mariah Carey was. It was a common sense thing. It was like knowing to chew your food. Everybody just knew Mariah Carey rocked.
Once I got older and learned about the music industry a bit more, it was still hard to conceive there wasn't a time when Mariah Carey was belting out power ballads and midtempo fluff on television and radio. And though I remained a fan, it took me over a decade to discover where it all started: Mariah's debut album.
Vision Of Love is a song all Mariah fans, all non Mariah fans... everyone knows. It kicks off the album nicely, introducing us to Mariah's powerful voice, her powerful range, and her excellent song writing skills (or... whoever wrote the song. Too lazy to look). It's obviously mainstream radio fluff, but it's great. There's Got To Be A Way has a distinct early 90s feel, but it surprisingly ages well, her voice sounding better than it has on any of her recent album, even if it is a little dated. Mariah busts out some of her handy back up singers on this one, making for a nice little early 90s unity tune.
Next it goes into another classic Mariah ballad, I Don't Wanna Cry. This song is particularly successful in showing off Mariah's lower range, but it also shows how her powerhouse voice always rocks. Listening to it a decade later, you can hear it's age, but it's still a guilty pleasure of a song, and Mariah oozes emotion into every note she sings in it. Someday is also a well known Mariah song, very obviously old, but still holding out that classic Mariah charm through out. It's a nice change from I Don't Wanna Cry, showing that Mariah can be as tough as she can be vulnerable.
Next is the masterpiece known as Vanishing, the sole reason I bought this album. It's my opinion that Vanishing is one of the most under rated Mariah songs ever recorded, and it just may be my favorite. It balances a terrific piano, some nice back ups, and of course Mariah's undeniable voice. Every artist has unreleased treasures, and I believe Vanishing is Mariah's most valuable treasure... it shows off every vocal trick she knows so tastefully, and stays true to classic Mariah style. This song makes the album worth the entire purchase, even if someone could possibly hate the rest.
It's hard to follow up it's incredible predecessor, but All In Your Mind still remains a decent song. It's nothing to shout about, but Mariah does sound great. It has a weird jammin' feel to it, something almost Carribean, which is just kind of... weird. Afterward is a midtempo song that is pretty obviously filler called Alone In Love. It's decent, but like All In Your Mind, nothing that you really remember after completing listening to the album.
You Need Me is distinctly diverse from the rest of the album, an uptempo song with an electric guitar sparsed throughout it. Mariah's voice sounds especially intense and angry in this song. It really is a testament to the emotions she can convey through her vocals, but it's still kind of cheesy. But even for being early 90s, it has a lot of energy and her voice rocks. Sent From Up Above sounds quite a bit ahead of it's time. It could easily be on one of Mariah's later albums, as it has a little bit of an R&B feel to it, something not as dominant in music of this time period. It's a nice addition to the album. Prisoner is another angry track from Mariah, and it's pretty godawful, if only for the rap in it. We all know Mariah's current releases are infested with rap, but it seems awkwardly out of place in a tune this dated. Other than that, her vocals are good, but, come on... it has rap in it...
The album closes with another classic ballad, Love Takes Time. Mariah's voice, of course, sounds awesome, like it does in all of her power ballads, but it's a nice ending to the album, ending where it left off: Mariah marking her trade. It's a classic song, it's an awesome song... not much more to say.
Over all, it's a pretty solid debut. While it does have it's share of filler, it is actually impressively diverse than most other debut albums of its time, and it definitely shows why Mariah is the big star she is today: that voice. You can feel its age throughout, but it's not so bad you notice it. If you're a Mariah fan, it's definitely pivotal as it is her first, and even if you're not, it's quite a good addition to anyone who's a fan of extreme vocal talent. Oh, and Vanishing. Definitely Vanishing.
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