Mariah Carey defines what it means to be an icon. Her voice
is one of the most recognizable in the music industry and her sound has been
emulated many times over by aspiring R&B singers. She’s broken countless
records and continues to be an enduring symbol of greatness in popular culture.
With her latest album Me.
I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse set for release later this month, I’ve
decided to count down Mariah Carey’s top five greatest albums. These are her
most cohesive and groundbreaking works to date, featuring some of her most
iconic songs and biggest vocals.
05. Emotions (1991)
As the follow-up to
her multi-platinum debut album, Emotions is
a beautiful showcase of Mariah Carey’s incomparable voice. With influences of
gospel and soul, this record saw Carey showing a wide range of emotion across
this ten-track set. From the celebratory “Make It Happen” to the vengeful
“You’re So Cold,” Carey belts it out like no one else can.
Recommended Listening: “Emotions,” “And You Don’t Remember,” “Can’t
Let Go,” “Make It Happen,” “You’re So Cold”
04. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
(2009)
Perhaps one of her
more underrated albums, Memoirs of an
Imperfect Angel has everything it needs to be a great Mariah Carey record.
It has big ballads with soaring vocals and playful uptempo tracks that are
trademarks in Carey’s career. Memoirs was
a return to form for the songstress and remains one of her most consistent
works to date.
Recommended Listening: “Obsessed,” “H.A.T.E.U.,” “Up Out My Face,”
“Angels Cry,” “I Want to Know What Love Is”
03. The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
Often cited as one of
the greatest comebacks in music history, The
Emancipation of Mimi topped the US Billboard 200 chart and scored Mariah
Carey three Grammy Awards. This contemporary R&B album features some of the
strongest work Carey has done in her career and it single-handedly showed critics
that she is one singer who is not to be underestimated.
Recommended Listening: “It’s Like That,” “We Belong Together,”
“Shake It Off,” “I Wish You Knew,” “Fly Like a Bird”
02. Daydream (1995)
In this diamond
certified release, Mariah Carey slays it on each and every track. Daydream is a gorgeous collection of
songs that finds the right balance between big ballads and uptempo dance
tracks. It’s a cohesive work that showcased Carey’s increasing interest in
R&B and hip-hop, granting the singer a string of #1 hits. Daydream is also notable for being the
cause of one of the biggest controversies in Grammy history when it failed to
win any of the six awards it had been nominated for.
Recommended Listening: “Fantasy,” “One Sweet Day,” “Open Arms,”
“Always Be My Baby,” “When I Saw You”
01. Butterfly (1997)
Considered Mariah
Carey’s magnum opus, Butterfly is the
critically-acclaimed album that saw Carey take full control over her career and
sound. It pushed the songstress even further into the realm of R&B and
hip-hop, transforming her into one of the greatest contemporary R&B singers
of the 20th century. It is a near flawless album that changed the
trajectory of Carey’s career and set the bar for all big voiced singers that
followed.
Recommended Listening: “Honey,” “Butterfly,” “My All,” “Whenever
You Call,” “Outside”
