Mariah Carey: Greatest Hits

iTunes Review

Greatest Hits provides in-depth documentation of Mariah Carey’s sustained success on Columbia during the ‘90s, tracing her evolution from ballad-oriented diva to hip-hop queen. From the start, Mariah was a natural, beguiling millions with her extraordinary multi-octave range. Some of her early songs are not outstanding in themselves, but Carey’s vocal bravura turns tracks like “Love Takes Time,””Hero,” and “One Sweet Day” into something memorable. If there’s a storyline to be followed here, it’s Carey’s movement away from her conservative initial sound towards an edgier, more urban approach by the decade’s close. Her liquid tones on “Forever” and mesmerizing phrasing on “Honey” mark an impressive turning-point. Of course, Carey could reclaim her pop balladeer crown at will, as “When You Believe” (her duet with Whitney Houston) shows. Whatever material she chooses, Carey’s vocals are rarely less than luminous. After leaving Columbia, Carey survived a career meltdown before scoring a sweeping comeback with 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi. The 28 tracks in this anthology follow her platinum-studded path towards artistic fulfillment and personal liberation.