Mariah Carey

Hit after hit fairly describes Mariah Carey's first decade, as her distinctive vocals were all but inescapable on 90's radio. Whether paying homage to past classics ("I'll Be There") or adding a new song to the pop-R&B canon ("Fantasy"), she continually enthralled millions. And The Emancipation of Mimi proves she's still on top of her game with the hits "We Belong Together" and "Shake It Off."

Mariah Carey's stardom made her a confident peer of Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross, both of whom she duets with here. On the other hand, her love of rap shines through in a collaboration with Snoop Dogg ("Crybaby"). Her assurance on both mellow and bangin' tracks is unmistakable.

Go further with Mariah Carey's covers of Prince ("The Beautiful Ones") and, yes, Def Leppard ("Bringin' On the Heartbreak"). With her albums so packed with hits, these tracks couldn't all be singles, but they all hit their marks.

Mariah Carey's music runs on twin tracks: languid, dripping pop-soul ballads and club-ready jams, often with a healthy dose of hip-hop injected. She provided the '90s with some of its biggest hits, from the still-indelible "Vision of Love" to the Boyz II Men collaboration "One Sweet Day." Check out her smashes, including her soon-to-be classic, "We Belong Together" — and some lesser-known but worthy cuts like "Forever" and "Melt Away."