Disco de Mariah Carey: “Charmbracelet”

2001 was not Mariah's year. It started in an upbeat mood when she signed an $100 million dollar contract with Virgin Records. Her first movie, GLITTER, tanked at the box office. The soundtrack failed to present any huge hits or the sales that the label desired. She was payed out of her contract and let go. In between it all, Mariah suffered from personal problems, breakdowns, and more.

On CHARMBRACELET, Mariah lets us into her world, and offers up what might be her most personal offering yet. The album opens with the first single "Through The Rain", a fitting choice knowing what she has been through. It is an inspiring song of hope and determination, realizing you have the strength to make it through the rain and face another day. It's a classic Mariah ballad, in a similar vein of her past hits "Hero" and "Can't Take That Away". I was not sure what to expect with this album, but I am not too disapointed in it. Once again she has the collaborations, however thankfully there are not as many on here as on her past albums like GLITTER or RAINBOW. Cam'ron joins Mariah on the bouncy "Boy (I Need You)", Jay-Z and Freeway join her on "You Got Me", West Side Connection on "Irresistible", and Kelly Price & Joe on the "Through The Rain" Remix.

The strength of the album lies in the ballads, which are very personal. "I Only Wanted" is one of my favorites, it looks in retrospect at a relationship and the promises made, wishing the outcome was different. A sentiment and experience I'm sure many people have been through in their own lives, I know I have. "My Saving Grace" is a nice uplifting ballad, with excellent vocals from Mariah. She does another cover song here as well, on "Bringin' On The Heartbreak", originally done by Def Leppard. "Clown" is rumored to be about her brief relationship with Eminem, its definately a tongue in cheek song full of attitude.

Perhaps the saddest, most personal moment on the album lies in the song "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy", a song she sings about her father who passed away earlier this year. According to Mariah, she only sang this song once through. "Lullaby" and "Subtle Invitation" are upbeat funky numbers fans are sure to love. My only complaints are, the collaborations, once again not necessary, and the high level she is singing at. She is singing even higher than she did on RAINBOW, and at times it sounds strained and its hard to hear what she is trying to convey, but at times it does work.

Overall, whether or not this album performs well commercially is not the question. Mariah has returned to form on this CD, by singing and writing from the heart. That is the greatest reward, and the fact she is sharing this with her listeners.

I saw Mariah on a recent HBO movie. I loved it. I loved her, and I was super happy in how the whole team of producers, writers, etc were careful to produce a touching piece, without ever going over the edge to mawkish. (Sentimentality to the point of nauseation-which this flic did not do. My hats off.) Charmbracelet isn't the first CD that I have bought of Mariah's. I was hoping for previous results. I have to give it to you short and sweet. She is very skilled in micro musicry. Her voice moves intricately in and out of phrases, using her incredible range, and ability to go from a whisper to a crecendo note in an instant. It stops there. If you would like to hear an entire album of micro great moves, this is the one for you. The problem is the album is not big. Their isn't one song in the entire piece that is big. You know, a great song. One that you can't wait to hear again and again. Like "Hero" before the radio stations wore it out. I'm looking for the macro music. A song that touches your heart, without having to have a large production prep surround it, in order to be begging for fulfillment.

Mariah is beautiful, self made, motivated, intelligent, and yes hot chocolate and whipped potatoes all wrapped up in one. Delicious. She seems like she is very personable as well, and would make a great friend. She has sold more albums that any other female recording artist in history. I'm sure with that kind of history, this one will do very well. It is not one that I will be playing repeatedly, like some of her others.

My hope is that she gets some fresh influences that are reminiscent of where she has been when she made the charts come alive with her name.

I'm glad to see she is back, and I hope this is the first of many more albums for her. I guess you can tell by the fact that I am calling it an album that I am of the slightly older generation. The guttoral rap thing is not my gig, know what I mean? This album touches on that, like a distant cousin.

It is my hope that Mariah touches her inner spirit and produces chart topping songs once again. Welcome back.

"Charmbracelet" is one of Mariah Carey's best albums to date. When there are 15 tracks on a record and you have 14 favorites (the extra one being the lead single) - you know it's a hit.

There has been too much talk about Mariah's so-called "comeback". This album screams "I've never left and I am here to stay!"

Mariah's "charms" as she refers to them, take us "Through The Rain" and onto the catchy "Boy (I Need You)" which plays to the beat of a recently popular Cam'ron song, and even features him. A rhymically soothing R&B track fills the air. Then we get other fantastic tunes by a group of producers who need no introduction, such as Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and American Idol's very own Randy Jackson. Some of the other songs on this CD include a gospel track that stirs your emotion, a latin ballad, a bittersweet ode to her deceased father and even a track recorded with a live band. "Charmbracelet" has it all.

Of course, with keeping the Mariah tradition alive, the best is yet to come. A mid-tempo number that has of late been rumored to be a diss at Eminem, "Clown" has an unmatchable combination of lyrics and a unique singing style, that if performed by any other could never be pulled off. A personal favorite of mine is the dazzling remake to the 1981 hit "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" by none other than Def Leppard. Mariah brings new life to this song with breathtaking vocals, this track is a sure hit.

Bottom line - if you're a fan of GOOD music and/or talented artists - get "Charmbracelet". You won't regret it.

I have been a fan of Mariah Carey since she first debuted in 1990 and I have forever loved her one of kind voice. She is a beautiful and extremely talented singer but what goes unnoticed mostly is the fact that Mariah writes ALL of her music excluding remakes. During the infamous image change in '97 with BUTTERFLY, I stood by her and for the record that album is her best ever, musically, lyrically and vocally. True she doesn't belt songs like she used to, on her first 4 studio albums, her voice was the main attraction, not the songs or instrumentation. As a matter of fact, in fact although by the release of BUTTERFLY in '97, Mariah already had 11 #1 songs and had sold tens of millions of albums worldwide she didn't have any substance to her music. Songs were interchangable and at times forgettable, you could basically swap "Can't Let Go" with "Love Takes Time" and "Someday" with "Make It Happen" or "Fantasy" with "Dreamlover". The word that comes to mind is uninspired. Yes she sounded great but there was no passion or verve there, she was churning out a new album every year almost like a robot manufactured by Sony Music. Yeah she's had her troubles but with CHARMBRACELET, she re-embraces her former glory as a balladeer while still keeping it 'real' with her hip-hop love affair. This is my 2nd FAVE Mariah CD trailing only the incomparable BUTTERFLY. RAINBOW was subpar at best and GLITTER was given an extremely undeserving bad reception but this CD is her best and most consistent since BUTTERFLY. With such gems as "Through The Rain", "Yours", "Clown" and "The One", Mariah demonstrates an uncanny ability to give real emotion to these tunes making you almost believe they are autobiographical in a way. "Boy (I Need You)" and "You've Got Me" are excellent in their hip-hop essence featuring rappers Cam'Ron, Jay-Z and Freeway, hot producer Just Blaze gels well with Mariah's vocal and lyrical stylings. Of course the stand out tracks are several ballads that catch you immediately, especially "I Only Wanted" which surely deserves a single release, it puts you in the mind of "My All" but its not a direct clone of that song as "After Tonight" from RAINBOW was, its more in the spirit but has more emotional punch, the longing in MC's vocal really shines through on this song. "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" which I'm sure will be released as a single is possibly Mariah's BEST candidate at a return to #1 on the Hot 100 in a long time and if promoted right this song could be one of her biggest hits. Her voice soaring among the choir and the electric guitars is certainly spine chilling and awe inspiring. "Subtle Invitation" is the most unconventional yet original song Mariah has ever done, you don't expect to hear a live band on the track or even Mariah doing a jazz song and surprisingly she succeeds at this genre, again her vocals on this track in particular are noteworthy. Mariah doesn't overdo it on this disc instead of relying on guest artists, excessive production and overblown vocal histronics, Mariah uses her God given talents as a singer and songwriter to full effect. She proves again that she is one of those rare talents, combining stunning beauty and enormous talent providing music with one of its few 'real' divas.

OK, let's allow Mariah some leeway from last year. She had a really rough year-a flop of a movie, a nervous breakdown, and a companion soundtrack album that like the movie, tanked. It didn't help that the album was released on 11 September, when consumer confidence really crashed. Then her new label, Virgin, dropped her unceremoniously with a cash settlement. That was then.

With a new label (Def Jam) and a new album, she's back in form, although not returning to the peak she achieved in Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995). "Through The Rain" is a return to the Mariah Carey that we know. OK, so it doesn't top such classics such as "Hero" or "One Sweet Day," but it's a second wind of sorts. It's one of her inspirational songs: "I'll make it through the rain/I'll stand up once again/On my own and I know/That I'm strong and in time/I can mend." It also continues the thematic concept story of a romantic and personal breakdown first explored in Rainbow. So is this Rainbow Part 2-the second Arc? Well...kinda, and this would have been a better followup to Rainbow than Glitter.

There's still the styling of songs integrating hip-hop and intrusive rappers that began with the Rainbow album, such as "Boy" featuring Cam'ron, and "You Got Me" featuring Jay-Z and Freeway, the latter whom I assume is the helium-voiced singer here. Jermaine Dupri's annoying ratty voice is a major debit here, as it ruins mid-paced songs like "You Had Your Chance." Still another hip-hop/pop hybrid is "Irresistible," featuring Ice Cube.

"Yours" is another ballad filled with Mariah's overwrought vocals, but seeing as how the last album was a critical failure, this return to the Mariah we know is a thankful return. "I Only Wanted" is a quieter cousin of "My All", with Spanish guitar, piano, and sound effects of water drops.

One thing I noticed on "Clowns" was a veiled reference to a Smokey Robinson song--on how nobody notices the tears of a clown.

"My Saving Grace" is another winning ballad but veers on the religious side. Note: by each song lyric, there is a bracelet that symbolizes the theme of the song. There's a cross by this one. Anyway, her vocals rise to that usual Mariah crescendo towards the end of the song.

From her MTV Unplugged EP, Mariah began to do one cover song per album. Here, she does, are you ready for this-Def Leppard's "Bringing On The Heartbreak" I AM NOT KIDDING! Naturally, there isn't any heavy guitars present in the original version, but it's not bad. She had better luck covering songs by Journey and Phil Collins. What's for the next album, I wonder, something by Cradle Of Filth?

"Sunflowers for Alfred Ray" is a hymn to her late father, whom she (or rather the main character) remembers her father during her time of emotional crisis. Chirping birds and waterfall sounds are included in this piano ballad. After that is a remix of "Through The Rain," with help from Joe and Kelly Price, and some uninspiring strings. The first version was way better.

This is a more confident Mariah, who has gone more spiritual. The only trouble I can see for her is that many upcoming artists have taken her style and actually have the chance of out-Mariah-ing her-q.v. Kelly Clarkson's "Before Your Love" so next album, she better have something else up her sleeve, other than doing a Glitter Part 2 album, of course.