What people search:
 | Title : Rainbow
Author : Mariah Carey
Release Date : 19991102
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.97
Amazon.com Price : $3.50
(81
%)
VISIT AMAZON.COM'S PAGE |
Editorial Reviews :
Rainbow, Mariah Carey's seventh studio long-player, is something like a concept album. Its theme is the various stages of the 'emotional roller coaster,' as she puts it, of her divorce and subsequent rebound. Carey continues to walk the line between streetwise hip-hop soul and adult-contemporary acceptability, with the former not surprisingly offering most of the disc's high points. 'Heartbreaker,' the first single, is a likeable piece of bubble-gum R&B with grit borrowed from guest Jay-Z; the remix, with Missy Elliott, Da Brat, and DJ Clue on board, is a different enough piece of work that its appearance only a few cuts after the original version doesn't jar. Another groove-intensive track, the Snoop Dogg duet 'Crybaby,' is so sly that one hopes the two collaborate again. Of course, it wouldn't be a Mariah record without at least one major lapse in taste; here that bill is filled with a cover of Phil Collins's melodramatic 'Against All Odds.'
Buyer Reviews :
The sticker on the front of the CD cover says that Mariah Carey is the number one female artist of the 90's (no doubt Whitney will be slightly miffed...), and after such an impressive string of hit singles and albums - including 1998's appropriately titled best-of collection '#1's' - it has to be said that 'Rainbow' is a little disappointing.
The first single lifted from Mariah's latest offering, 'Heartbreaker', sounds very similar to 'Fantasy' her hit a couple of years back, which suggests that maybe Miss Carey is running out of ideas ... luckily, 'Heartbreaker' is very likeable with a good mix of pop, rap and R&B, and the more hip-hop intensive remix (Track 7) is also a highlight.
The obligatory powerballads are oddly not featured too heavily here - 'Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)' is classic Mariah, sounding vaguely reminiscent of 'Hero' and features a series of notes towards the end of the song which are very intense and nothing like she's ever sang before.
Sadly this album, unlike some of Mariah's earlier efforts, suffers from an abundance of fillers. 'Bliss', Track 3 on 'Rainbow', sounds like 'Fourth Of July' (from the 'Butterfly' album) except with more of an edge. The song is basically a series of high notes weaved over some cleverly mixed Mariah harmonies and is way too long. 'How Much' is catchy but very average, as is 'X-Girlfriend' which is too much of a 'novelty' song for Mariah with odd synthesised sounds (much like Pink's 'There You Go') just detracting from the song itself. 'After Tonight' should be called 'My All (Part II)' but is nowhere near as good as its musical counterpart.
Mariah's cover of Phil Collins' 'Against All Odds' is a fantastic version which reminds me of early Mariah, sort of 'Love Takes Time' or something. 'Crybaby', which some critics raved about, is just another unimaginative filler as is 'Did I Do That?'. The penultimate song, 'Petals', is undoubtedly one of the best songs on the CD and is similar to 'Butterfly' or 'Everything Fades Away' (on the Oz version of 'Music Box').
A couple of interludes (geez, I hate interludes, although these ones aren't that bad...) and the soulful 'Thank God I Found You' round up the basic gist of the album. Whilst this isn't a bad album, it certainly isn't one of her best. The sleeve photos, however, are lovely and kind of compensate! 'Rainbow' seems to have done quite well on the charts, but it's for real Carey fans only.
(by Glitterama)
back
What people search:
|
|
