Retrospective of a songbird
rmcrae | Houston, Texas | 04/13/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Mariah Carey of 20 years ago is nothing like the Mariah Carey of the present day. Who knew the shy, slim, curly haired 20 year old from Long Island who belted out Vision of Love and danced in a field to Dreamlover would ditch her clothes and rub elbows with rappers on Honey? The journey is well worth a listen. Blessed with a velvety five octaved voice and piercing whistle register that could shatter glass and make dogs howl, it was obvious Mariah was destined to be a star. She later married her manager Tommy Mottola and the hits kept on comin'. Emotions, I'll Be There, Hero, Fantasy. After leaving her hubby, the hair got longer and the "ensembles" got shorter. Butterfly, the album and the song, was a reference to her divorce from Tommy and the freedom to take more control over her career. Some hot pants and roller skates later, Glitter! Let's not go there. Her former label Sony released a double disc of all the hits and it's the perfect choice for anyone who wants a more complete compilation of her songs pre-Glitter. The packaging is pretty skimpy (insert Mariah joke here) with no liner notes, but who needs that when you've got the tunes?"