Music Box, Mariah Carey

When packing for my trip to NYC was becoming tiresome and I was feeling a little bummed that Mariah's Emotions hadn't quite lived up to her debut album, Music Box came around and pulled Mariah Carey right back to her dance-pop/R&B/ballad perfection.

With this being album number 3 I've listened to from her, she had the chance to either get me to come back for even more or chill out on her albums for a bit-- Music Box pulled me right back in the way her debut album did.

Stand-out tracks: "Dreamlover" "Now That I Know"

My favorites: "I've Been Thinking About You""Without You"

Mariah Carey knows how to open an album-- "Dreamlover" has whistletones to die for and a gentle boppy beat. This album has more intriguing gentle songs than either of her previous albums did-- between "Hero," "Music Box," "Never Forget You," "Without You," and "All I've Ever Wanted," we get a healthy dose of heart-wrenching, angelic, soaring ballads on this album. And while there are definitely a lot of them (and one more probably would have been overkill), 90s R&B ballads that show off vocal talent is the domain where no one holds a candle to Mariah Carey. All those gorgeous ballads makes the listener appreciate the fun and sass of "Now That I Know" and "I've Been Thinking About You" all the more impactful.

All I have to say in response to Music Box is-- you've got me hooked, Mariah.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING:

FULLY OBSESSED