Mariah Carey

Glitter

The Glitter Doesn't Shine Too Well...

Review Score:

(6/10)
One of the presents I received this Christmas was the lampooned "Glitter" soundtrack to the equally lampooned flick by Miz MC. For a split second, I even thought about returning it to the store unopened----am I glad I DIDN'T!! This is a surprisingly & shockingly good CD. My expectations were ZERO after all the bad press and reviews I read. Just goes to show you can't believe the press. True, Mariah prob (upset) some of her faithful, long-time fans including some rap stuff from Puffy's crowd. I'm still not fond of the "guest spots" by Da Brat, Ja Rule, etc....But what she does include are her trademark soulful ballads sung with a voice that has obviously regained its former luster and power, which sadly cannot be said for her last two releases on Sony.

The centerpiece song here is "Never Too Far", sung with such range and power by Mariah not seen and heard since her debut over a decade ago. "Never..." received some airplay here in California, but sadly, never topped the Billboard Hot 100, something that surely would have happened perhaps in a more listener-friendly environment not following the sad events of Sept 11th. Criticize you might about Mariah's "guest rappers", but she includes a good chockful of ballads. I was continually surprised by the soulful delivery on "slow burns" such as "Reflections" "Lead the Way" "Twister". There are some floor burners here in the way of the James Brown-inspired "Don't Stop" and the remake of the 80s classic "Didn't Mean to Turn You On". Perhaps the biggest guilty pleasure was "Last Nite A DJ Saved My Life". You'll find yourself getting jiggly with it. This CD makes a great party CD too with these songs.

FOR MARIAH'S FANS------Take it from a very cynical listener-----GET THIS CD for Mariah's wonderful voice and some toe-tapping funk grooves equally mixed in with some "slow jams" by the fire with your lovey. If you can overlook the occasional rap stuff, this CD is well worth the purchase price. It's good to see and hear Mariah back BIG TIME!!

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