The idea of this album is to show off Mariah Carey’s 12 number 1 singles hence the name #1’s!
Mariah makes it clear in the sleeve that “this is not a greatest hits album!” she also says that the album “is a thank you and an acknowledgment of my gratitude to all of you out there for making these records #1 on the charts”.
Right, ok, who the heck is she trying to kid? It’s a very easy way to make a hell of a lot of money!
But because I love Mariah Carey (not just for her gorgeous looks but also for her amazing singing ability, really, honest!) I think the #1’s album is a superb compilation album; it features most of her hit singles that have topped the charts.
Track-by-track review:
Track #1: Sweetheart This is a bonus track. It is a relatively fast moving song featuring JD. This is a good song to have a dance to, though I do get the feeling that JD is trying to up-stage Mariah with his free-style rapping.
Track #2: When You Believe This is another bonus track. I think that this is one of Mariah's best songs. This is Mariah’s duet with the other ‘super diva’ Whitney
Houston! It is from the soundtrack to ‘The Prince Of Egypt’. Their voices go nice together and I think this song proves they both have talent of their own (so people stop saying ‘Mariah is better than Whitney’ or vice versa, please!) This song is about what you can achieve ‘when you believe’.
Track #3: Whenever You Call This is yet another bonus track. This is a duet with Bryan McKnight and while both McKnight and Mariah Carey provided really good vocals, the music itself was too unexciting and the lyrics are not the best.
Track #4: My All This is the first #1 and it is an appropriately slow yet soothing song. The guitar playing in the background adds a sexy flavour to this song. The lyrics ("Baby can you feel me? Imagining I'm looking in your eyes. I can see you clearly, vividly emblazoned in my mind.") are simple yet they create a fabulous love song, the kind she is so good at.
Track #5, Honey Is another good song, I liked how the term "honey" is used metaphorically. It is a great song to have a dance to.
Track #6: Always Be My Baby This song has some really good lyrics, if someone wants to go, you can let them go because they’ll always be your baby and your love for them will never die. You’ll always be a part of each other! Once again great vocal from Ms Carey!
Track #7: One Sweet Day The vocals, provided by both Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men are excellent. The lyrics ("And I know you're shining down on me from heaven. Like so many friends we've lost along the way.") are inspiring as well, reminding us that the "One Sweet Day" will arrive.
Track #8: Fantasy Personally I prefer this song without the ODB rap, but I also like this one, it’s amazing how different the song sounds! It’s about how amazing it is when you find your fantasy lover.
Track #9: Hero I found the lyrics, ("So when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong. And you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you") were absolutely heartfelt. Hero is one of the most inspiring songs to me. This song truly has a lot of depth, and the theme about finding the "hero" inside all of us is remarkably touching. The lyrics are simple, yet this song carries a lot of meaning. One of my favourite songs!
Track #10: Dreamlover This is a very free-spirited, fun song to listen to. It’s about how she wants someone to come and comfort and hold her she wants a “Dreamlover”.
Track #11: I'll Be There This is a duet with Trey Lorenz (I’m not quite sure who he is!) This song has a fine melody and upbeat lyrics; it’s about a couple making a pact to be there for each other when they need someone.
Track #12: Emotions This is an enthusiastic song with plenty of liveliness; the beat was exciting enough to make me want to dance (which is always good!) It’s about someone who’s so happy and in love that their emotions are deeper than they’ve ever dreamed of.
Track #13: Someday Another very enjoyable song, about a man who’s drove away his woman by never being satisfied with her, she’s telling him that someday he will want her back because he will never get anyone as good as her.
Track #14: Love Takes Time This is a wonderful song about heartbroken souls and the power of making up. Lyrics include, "You might say that you don't care. You might say you don't miss me. You don't need me. But I know that you do, and I feel that you do." What I enjoy about this song so much is that I can relate to the words; I listen to this song to remind me about how love is an important part of life part of life.
Track #15: Vision of Love This is great. The theme of this song is what it means to find the right soul mate and how they would treat each other; this is her vision of what true love would be like.
Track #16: I Still Believe This is the last bonus track. It is a cover, the song was originally sung by Brenda K. Starr. Mariah Carey does a great job; it is about a woman saying that she still believes that one day herself and a current partner will fall in love again.
That’s my review; I hope it was somehow useful to you, if you are undecided whether or not to buy this album I suggest you get it, it really is fantastic! Someone said ‘If you only get one Mariah Carey album, get this one’ and they are very right!
Please leave a comment, Cheers, CT
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