Rating: *****
When Mariah Carey rocketed into the music scene in 1990, her position as one of the all-time musical greats was destined from the start. And across the 15 tracks on The Rarities, she more than proves she’s earned her ‘icon’ status.
The album comes at a pivotal point in Mariah’s career – she’s currently celebrating 30 years since the release of her self-titled debut, Mariah Carey, and The Rarities is the centrepiece of her #MC30 campaign, celebrating 15 studio albums and a legacy that is, frankly, timeless.
Mariah Carey began her career as a pop/R&B crossover artist who, at the hands of her label, produced material that sat comfortably inside the box – and befitted the image of the pure, innocent star they marketed.
But, across just the four opening tracks on The Rarities, it’s clear that, from the outset, she was far more than that.
Here We Go Round Again could have come from The Jackson 5 songbook – but it didn’t, it’s a Mariah composition, and encapsulates her debut album perfectly. It is Mariah Carey.
Early offerings Can You Hear Me and Do You Think Of Me, both unreleased, were likely, as with B-sides Everything Fades Away and Slipping Away, omitted from Music Box and Daydream because they were “too R&B” – but they foreshadow the brilliance of Butterfly or The Emancipation of Mimi.
For long-term fans of Mariah, and for those who’ve read her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the early portion of this new LP is an uneasy listen – once you know the suppression that was at play behind the scenes, those tracks become more meaningful, but also more emotive.
That portion of the record culminates with Out Here On My Own – the only track not penned by Mariah, a cover of the Irene Cara classic from Fame, which represents a turning point in her career.
It precedes Loverboy – the Original Version – and, let us just say, what should have been Mariah’s 16th Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, had *she whom we don’t know* not been given the sample before Mimi got to release the track.
Part of us is devastated – but that’s short lived once we get onto I Pray, from The Emancipation of Mimi sessions. It’s a mature Mariah ballad that stands its ground as strongly as anything from her early years – how it didn’t make the record we don’t know.
That, along with the following cuts, Cool On You and Mesmerized, showcase the brilliance of Mariah – and proudly state the case for why E=MC2, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and Me. I Am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse. are three of her finest releases.
Ahead of the single, Save The Day, and the 2020 recording of Close My Eyes, is Lullaby of Birdland, a live recording from The Elusive Chanteuse Show, which paints Mariah as she is today – a musical legend, who can sit back, sing whatever she likes, and make it her own.
The Rarities is more than just an album – it’s a companion piece to The Meaning of Mariah Carey and a further insight into the writer, producer, and singer behind the songs, and a life that’s been far from the plain sailing journey we’ve been led to believe.
Mariah Carey is far from just a fine vocalist – she’s an artist, a performer, and a lyrical genius who has expressed the highs and lows of her life and career into her music – and, 30 years on, is finally owning her legacy as one of the all-time greats. This is the true meaning of Mariah Carey.
