About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Simply the best of Mariah Carey's solo albums. The release of the kickoff single "Fantasy" is a career high water mark.



Pros

• Perfect blend of uptempo hip-hop inflected dance music and mellow ballads.
• Truly inspired use of Tom Tom Club sample on 'Fantasy'
• Mariah Carey and BoyzIIMen are a vocal match made in musical heaven

Cons

• Some of the ballads are bland and lifeless
• Uninspired cover of Journey's 'Open Arms'

Description

• Near-perfect blend of uptempo r&b/hip hop and lush ballads.
• Songs here spent an amazing 6 months on top of the pop singles chart.
• Vocal confidence oozes from nearly every song.

Guide Review - Mariah Carey 'Daydream'

The bumping beat of Tom Tom Club's classic "Genius Of Love" underlying "Fantasy" is utterly irresistible. The upbeat songs here venture further into hip hop territory than on previous Mariah Carey albums. The result was massive pop and r&b chart success. "Fantasy" debuted at the top of the pop singles chart and camped out for 8 weeks.

On "One Sweet Day" Mariah and BoyzIIMen are a perfect vocal match. Together they turn what could be a rather morose ballad into a truly inspiring and hopeful performance. Audiences agreed and this single shattered previous records by spending an incredible 16 weeks on top of the pop singles chart. Adding another 2 weeks on top by "Always Be My Baby," singles from this album spent an unprecedented 26 weeks, or 6 months, at the peak of the pop singles chart.

This album is not flawless, however. Covering Journey's "Open Arms" seems to be simply uninspired song selection. Some of the weaker ballads here drown in Mariah's vocal gymnastics. Even with those concerns, this remains a very strong album and the peaks are high indeed.