| Wednesday 18 December 2002 |
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Mariah Carey shines through the rain
Two Grammys, eight American Music Awards, 15 number one hits (in which only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have more number one hits), most weeks at number one (passing up the Beatles), best selling recording artist of the 90's, and best female recording artist ever. Two words. One name. Mariah Carey. Those are just a few of Carey's many accomplishments that she has made in less then 12 years. The list goes on and on.
After an emotional and physical breakdown, an embarrassing movie bomb "Glitter", an accompanying flop soundtrack, break up with Latin superstar Luis Miguel, and the death of her father, Mariah Carey is back. Carey may not be an actress but she is a singer and a writer. She has written every one of her songs, with the exception of the cover song "I'll Be There" by the Jackson Five.
With the release of "Charmbracelet", Carey is trying to change her image. She is doing that by using her best asset, her voice. Using her five-octave voice range, she is pulling old Mariah fans back. Her first single from "Charmbracelet" is "Through The Rain", a self confidence balled that tells people that if they have a problem, then just hold tight to their faith and they will make it through their problem. It refers to Carey's troubles in 2001. Other songs that would attract old Mariah fans back are "Yours" and "My Saving Grace". "Yours" is an up-tempo pop song about being in love. The famous Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who have worked with several artists, including Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, and legends Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight, produce it. "My Saving Grace" is a gospel ballad about finding yourself and getting the strength to get back on the right track.
For the fans that like the "hip-hop Mariah", she hasn't left you all out on this album. She includes a few songs with guest appearances from some rappers. Rapper Cam' Ron appears on the song "Boy (I Need You)", which is a remake of his 2002 hit "Boy". Rappers Jay-Z and Freeway appear on the track "You Got Me". Jay-Z appeared on Mariah's 14th number one hit "Heartbreaker" in the year 2000. Rappers Mack 10, Ice Cube, and 2 Dub C appear on the track "Irresistible (West Side Connection)".
Other guest appearances include R&B singers Joe and Kelly Price on "Through The Rain (Remix)". Joe appeared on Carey's 15th number one hit "Thank God I Found You" in the year 2000. Rapper and Producer Jermaine Dupri produced "The One" and "You Had Your Chance" on "Charmbracelet". "The One" is a low tempo R&B type song about how it feels when you finally found the right person but is afraid of being hurt again. It is set to be Carey's next released single. "You Had Your Chance" is a low tempo song with a hip-hop beat about a guy wanting to get back with a girl, but she doesn't want him back. Dupri has worked with Carey before on the song "Sweetheart" and her number one hits "Always Be My Baby" and "Honey".
Carey also gets in touch with her rock side. She did a cover of Def Leopard's "Bringin' On The Heartbreak". Surprisingly, it turned out better then what it sounds like it would. Along with all the drama in Carey's Life, there was that brief few months when she dated rapper Eminem. Due to the rumors that they were intimate and his diss to her on his album, Carey wrote the song "Clown" which is a diss back at the rapper and to set the record straight, in which she says, "You should've never intimated we were lovers, When you know very well we never even touched each other" and then she continues to diss the rapper.
After the loss of Carey's father, on July 4, 2002, to cancer, she decided to dedicate this album in loving memory to him. "Sunflowers For Alfred Roy" is a song that she wrote for her father. It thanks him for everything he has done for her. It is called "Sunflowers For Alfred Roy" because he used to grow sunflowers in his yard. In her "Through the Rain" video, as she is singing in the church, at the end, there are sunflowers all over, in the background.
Yes, 2001 was indeed a horrible year for Mariah Carey. But that was 2001 and this is 2002. It seems like people enjoy kicking her while she is down. What did she do to deserve this, besides work herself into a wall? People are judging her for being human. Wouldn't working 22-hour days for 4-5 months put you in a hospital? People should move on and stop knocking her down for what happened last year; "Charmbracelet" shows that she has obviously moved on. "I still believe that after every storm eventually a rainbow appears. This album is like a Charmbracelet I'm passing to you. Here's my story..." - Mariah Carey. (by Catherine LaRoche, staff writer)
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