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"Mariah Carey Glides Into New Territory"
by Stephen Holden, The New York Times
Voluptuously romantic make-out music is rarely taken seriously unless there is a cynical messages buried inside it. That's why it would be easy to dismiss Mariah Carey's subtly innovative new album, "Daydream" (Columbia), whose best cuts bring pop candy-making to a new peak of textural refinement. At the same time, Ms. Carey's songwriting has taken a leap forward, becoming more relaxed, sexier and less reliant on thudding cliches.
With "Fantasy," Ms. Carey glides confidently into the territory where gospel-flavored pop-soul meets light hip-hop and recorded some of the most gorgeously spun choral music to be found on a contemporary album. On "One Sweet Day," the singer joins forces with Boyz II Men, those masters of pleading post-doo-wop vocal harmonies, for a tender eulogy that suggests that the singers have been personally touched by the AIDS crisis.
The song is a dialogue between lovers, one of whom has died, leaving the other full of regrets for things left unsaid. The uplifting chorus looks forward to a reunion that involves more than just two people: "And I know you're shining down on me from heaven/Like so many friends we've lost along the way," it begins. Corny, perhaps, but touching in its faith and fervor.
In "Melt Away," a collaboration by Ms. Carey with the popmeister Babyface, their two voices wind around each other like bolts of chiffon in a lyric that describes exactly what their multitracked voices are doing: melting into each other with repeated avowals of love in a state of sweet surrender.
"Underneath The Stars," in which all the voices are Ms. Carey's, achieves the same dissolving synergy between a lyric and entwining vocal lines as she sings: "Beautifully and bittersweetly/You were fading into me."
The album's fourth gem, its title track, is a hypnotic, playfully sexy dance tune that samples from the Tom Tom Club's 1982 hit, "Genius Of Love." With its light, saucy vocal and instrumental spueaks and squeals, it feels like swining jauntily on a star.
The rest of the album is more conventional. The songs include a sobbing remake of Journey's "Open Arms"; a big pop-gospel blowout, "I Am Free," and a 50's-style rock-and-roll ballad, "Forever." If Ms. Carey's voice is magnificent, she still has an occasional tendency to overdo the melismatic gymnastics.
In the last song, "Looking In," the singer paints a picture of herself as a lonely, misunderstood diva who "harbors adolescent fears" and "wades in insecurity." If this slow piano-and-voice ballad drags a bit, it finds Ms. Carey, who is still only 25, struggling to develop a more personal lyrical voice. Whether or not she succeeds almost doesn't matter so long as she continues to make pop music as deliciously enticing as the best moments of "Fantasy."
All Music Guide
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Rating: 4.5 stars/5 stars
Mariah Carey certainly knows how to construct an album. Positioning herself directly between urban R&B with tracks like "Fantasy," and adult contemporary with songs like "One Sweet Day," a duet with Boyz II Men, Carey appeals to both audiences equally because of the sheer amount of craft and hard work she puts into her albums. Daydream is her best record to date, featuring a consistently strong selection of songs and a remarkably impassioned performance by Carey. A few of the songs are second-rate — particularly the cover of Journey's "Open Arms" — but Daydream demonstrates that Carey continues to perfect her craft and that she has earned her status as an R&B/pop diva.
Track Review: "Fantasy"
by Larry Flick, Billboard, August 26, 1995
Mariah's Fantasy: One of the many things we dig about Columbia pop diva Mariah Carey is her ongoing acknowledgement of those who have long supported her in clubland. This is especially laudable given how even some of our own greatest and most successful exports into the mainstream are quick to forsake those who first buttered their bread - that is, until sliding record sales have them living on Saltines and plotting a return "to their only true home." In fact, it has become common for Carey to not only offer credible dance remixes of nearly every single, but to actually return to the studio and suitably recompose and rerecord her songs with house rhythms. Carey once again makes good on that practice with "Fantasy," the first single from her imminent, as yet untitled collection.
In many ways, "Fantasy" is a logical sequel to her 1994 mega-smash "Dream Lover." Dave Hall joins Carey at the production and songwriting helm, molding a joyous jeep love romp with ample room for some signature note-scaling and breathy "shoo-da-da-do" vamps. The surprising twist is the use of instantly recognizable keyboard samples from the Tom Tom Club's post-disco classic "Genius of Love." We are pleased to note, however, that the quality of the song does not hinge on samples. They merely add spice to an already juicy jam. The cool coda to the song is Carey tossing off a couple of refrains from "Genius of Love" at the close of "Fantasy" with the reverence of a fan. Nice touch.
A double-pack of club versions of "Fantasy" goes to DJs during the first week of September. Dance music's top dog, David Morales, produced the house incarnation of the song with Carey, which teeters somewhere between state-of-the-underground house and vintage disco. Carey's vocal is a bit more springy here, as she seems to harken back to the legendary ladies of dance music for inspiration. Imagine Lolatta Halloway with a broader, more acrobatic range, and you have a clear picture of what's going on here. Drama down...Carey appears to have found a perfect club counterpart in Morales, who gives his all here - much like he did on his version of "Dream Lover," which is now rightly regarded as one of his best efforts to date.
On the hip-hop tip, the untouchable Sean "Puffy" Combs kicks a spare, more direct groove, stripping the layered vocal arrangement down to a singular line that should do well in urban circles. Listen for a surprisingly sympatico guest rap by Old Dirty Bastard in these mixes.
A stellar preview of what should be a fine album.
Track Review: "Always Be My Baby"
by Larry Flick, Billboard, 1996
Mariah's Baby: This week we begin with a pleasant reminder that sometimes all you got to do is ask in order to win your heart's desire. Several weeks ago, regular readers will recall us sending a little positive projection into the Mariah Carey camp with hope that the pop princess might bestow club land with an up-tempo version of her fabulous "Always Be My Baby," which was reportedly not on the song's original remix agenda. Seemingly moments later, a slammin' house post-production of the song by the eternally golden David Morales is complete and ready to work punters into a peak-hour frenzy.
Now, we will not be so bold as to imply that Carey has responded to our specific wish. Actually, we are simply one of countless voices in clubland urging her to maintain the visibility that has placed her among today's more beloved dance-floor divas. The good news is that she never fails to heed the call of this industry sector, even though she clearly doesn't have to. As Carey racks up deserved accolades for her theatrical way with a pop ballad, it is pretty nifty to also hear her soulfully throw down an edgy house beat - which she certainly does with Morales on "Always Be My Baby."
Amid a storm of tribalistic drums and quirky keyboard effects, Carey flexes the smoky lower register of her voice, playfully vamping new lyrical refrains and weaving a hook that is radically different from that on the album. Reliably, Morales kicks three forcefully anthemic mixes, fleshing out the 12-inch package by soliciting a break-smart dub from comrade Satoshi Tomiie.
Track Review: "Always Be My Baby"
Billboard, 1996
Carey's long and deservedly successful reign of the Hot 100 with "One Sweet Day" is followed by a delightfully bright and funky finger-snapper from her current pop epic, "Daydream." Teamed this time with jeepster Jermaine Dupri on production and songwriting, the pop princess reminds us that she has the loose-wristed soul to go with those deliciously soaring and dramatic high notes amid a sweet arrangement of easy acoustic guitars, rolling piano lines, and chipper jeep beats. Carey and Dupri have reconstructed the song into a more languid, R&B-spiced jam with vocal and rap assistance from Xscape and Da Brat, respectively. Expect this yummy single to keep Carey on the front burner of several formats well into the spring.
Track Review: "Forever"
Billboard, 1996
The ever hot "Daydream" continues to spawn sparkling hit singles – this time in the form of a sweet and swaying nugget. With a retro-pop musical setting that is warmly reminiscent of her breakthrough hit, "Vision Of Love," Carey plays the romantic ingénue with convincing, wide-eyed innocence and infectious hope. This is a pleasant change of pace from the street rhythms of the recent No. 1 smash "Always Be My Baby" and a delightfully playful shift from the project's mournful and monumental "One Sweet Day." Expect pop and AC radio to have a programming field day with this lovely effort.
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