Amazon.co.uk Review
Mariah Carey's
#1's is as much a time capsule of 1990s pop and R&B as a record of one woman's chart toppers: the disc chronicles a shift from the sweet, nearly '50s-style "Vision of Love" to more recent hip-hop-lite grooves featuring heavy input from Puffy Combs ("Honey"), Jermaine Dupri ("Sweetheart"), and O.D.B. ("Fantasy"). Some hit, some miss, but all feature the fluttery swoops that Carey substitutes for expression of feeling. Depth is beside the point, but few of these tracks are even fun. Still, after eight years, there seems to be no stopping her, and this album will hardly break her streak of successes.
--Rickey Wright
CD Description
Blessed with a voice that covers more of a range than anyone this side of Minnie Riperton, and a knack for ingratiating, breezy pop/R&B, Mariah Carey became one of the premier popdivas of the '90s. For those who were hibernating during that decade, #1's lays it all out in an easily digestible format, presenting Carey's biggest and best under one roof. Fromthe inspirational message of the poignant ballad "Hero" to the roots nod of "I'll Be There" (with impressive assistancefrom Trey Lorenz), it's clear that Carey has charisma to match her chops. On the infectious, almost giddy "Dream Lover"she voices her romantic desires so sweetly that the listener is moved by the urge to jump into the track on a white horse and whisk her off to some mythological paradise. Now that's the mark of a convincing singer.