Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey (1990) {Columbia US LP} 24/192khz

Mariah Carey is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on June 12, 1990 by Columbia Records. The album contains a range of contemporary genres, and the songs are a mix of slow ballads and dance tracks. Originally, Carey wrote four songs with Ben Margulies, which solely comprised her demo tape. While altered and partially re-sung after being signed to Columbia, all four songs made the final cut for the album. Aside from Margulies, Carey worked with a range of professional writers and producers, all of whom were hired by Columbia CEO, Tommy Mottola. Mariah Carey featured production and writing from Rhett Lawrence, Ric Wake and Narada Michael Walden, all of whom were top record producers at the time. Together with Carey, they conceived the album and reconstructed her original demo tape.


Five singles were released from the album, four of which became number-one hits on the Hot 100. "Vision of Love" was chosen as the album's lead single, topping the charts in the Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The song was critically lauded, and was regarded as one of the strongest debut singles by a female singer. It is credited with inspiring the use of Melisma throughout the 90s, as well as many other singers. The album's second single, "Love Takes Time" was also well-received and peaked the charts in Canada and the US. With the following two singles, "Someday" and "I Don't Wanna Cry" reaching number one in the US, Carey became the first artist since The Jackson 5 to have their first four singles top the charts in the United States.





Track listing
No. Title
1. "Vision of Love" 3:28
2. "There's Got to Be a Way" 4:53
3. "I Don't Wanna Cry" 4:47
4. "Someday" 4:06
5. "Vanishing" 4:11
6. "All in Your Mind" 4:43
7. "Alone in Love" 4:11
8. "You Need Me" 3:51
9. "Sent from Up Above" 4:05
10. "Prisoner" 4:22
11. "Love Takes Time" 3:48



Personnel

Mariah Carey – vocals, background vocals
Ben Margulies – drums, keyboards, programming
Narada Michael Walden – drums
Ren Klyce – line drums, Fairlight programming,
Joe Franco – drums, percussion, drum programming
Ric Wake – drum programming
Omar Hakim – drums
Jimmy Rip – guitars
Chris Camozzi – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
David Williams – guitars
Michael Landau – guitars
Vernon Reid – guitars
Nile Rodgers – guitars
Rhett Lawrence – keyboards
Louis Biancaniello – keyboards, bass, programming, rhythm programming
Richard Tee – piano
Marcus Miller – bass
Walter Afanasieff – synth horns, keyboards, synthesizers, synth bass
Billy T. Scott – background vocals
The Billy T. Scott Emsemble – background vocals
Fonzie Thornton – background vocals


Production

Mariah Carey – arranger, vocal arrangements
Ben Margulies – arranger
Chris Toland – arranger, additional engineering
Walter Afanasieff – arranger
Narada Michael Walden – arranger, additional production, rhythm arrangement
Ric Wake – additional arrangement
Rich Tancredi – additional arrangement
Patrick Dillett – engineer, recording, mixing
Bob Cadway – engineer, recording, mixing
Rhett Lawrence – recording, mixing, arranger
Dana Jon Chappelle – engineer, mixing, additional engineering
Manny LaCarrubba – additional engineering
Larry Alexander – mixing
Bob Ludwig – mastering, Masterdisk
Howie Weisburg – mastering, Masterdisk
Tommy Mottola – executive producer


Singles/Review

Vision of Love" was the first single released from the album and became one of the most popular and critically praised songs of Carey's career.Additionally, it is credited with bringing the use of melisma to the 1990s and inspiring various future talents. "Vision of Love" was nominated for three 1991 Grammy Awards: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (which it won), Record of the Year and Song of the Year.The song received the Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female and a Songwriter Award at the BMI Pop Awards.In the United States, it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, during the week of August 2, 1990, staying atop the chart for four consecutive weeks."Vision of Love" topped the singles chart in Canada and New Zealand as well, and peaking within the top ten in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Aside from its chart success, the song was lauded by music critics. In a retrospective review on the album in 2005, Entertainment Weekly called the song "inspired" and complimented Carey's use of the whistle register in the song.Additionally, Rolling Stone said that "the fluttering strings of notes that decorate songs like 'Vision of Love', inspired the entire American Idol vocal school, for better or worse, and virtually every other female R&B singer since the nineties."Bill Lamb from About.com said that "'Vision of Love' is one of the best songs of Mariah's recording career… It is simply one of the most stunning debut releases ever by a pop recording artist."

"Love Takes Time" served as the album's second single. The song became Carey's second single to top the singles chart in the United States, and third chart topper in Canada.While the song achieved strong success stateside, "Love Takes Time" barely charted inside the top ten in New Zealand and outside the top 20 in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom."Someday", the album's third single followed a similar pattern as "Love Takes Time," topping the chart in the US and Canada.In Australia, it peaked outside the top 40, and number 38 in France and the UK."I Don't Wanna Cry", the album's final single in the United States also reached the chart's summit.The song became Carey's fourth chart topper in the US, finishing number 25 on Billboards year-end chart. Aside from peaking at number two in Canada, it charted at number 49 in Australia.Carey became the first artist to have their first five singles top the Hot 100, of them four belonged to Mariah Carey.A fifth single, "There's Got to Be a Way", was released in the United Kingdom, where is peaked at number fifty-four.

Mariah Carey was nominated for the 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, while "Vision of Love" received nominations in the categories of Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Carey won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and also received the award for Best New Artist.

Bill Lamb from About.com commended Carey's five-octave vocal range, calling it "a new treat to pop music."Additionally, he outed "Vision of Love" as one of Carey's best songs," and aside from what he described as "a few weak songs" he felt Mariah Carey was "a powerful debut album." Finishing his review for the album, Lamb wrote "It is simply one of the most stunning debut releases ever by a pop recording artist."