Track Listing

1. Dreamlover
2. Hero
3. Anytime You Need A Friend
4. Music Box
5. Now That I Know
6. Never Forget You
7. Without You
8. Just To Hold You Once Again
9. I've Been Thinking About You
10. All I've Ever Wanted
11. Everything Fades Away

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1606 in Music
• Released on: 2001-12-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Linda Ronstadt was America's sweetheart of the 1970s, because she was able to combine a pretty face, a pretty voice and a safe personality. Her songs might be full of big notes and high emotions, but they satisfied every predictable expectation of a love ballad or good-time rocker. Mariah Carey is America's sweetheart of the 1990s for the exact same reasons. Music Box topped the charts, yielding number-one singles like "Dreamlover" and "Hero." The titles, one a hollow Minnie Riperton knock-off and the other a stiff Barbra Streisand imitation, are tip-offs to Carey's reliance on untethered fantasy (she's the fantasizer in the lyrics and the fantasy object in the videos). These songs, co-written and co-produced like most of the album by Walter Anasieff and Carey herself, are constructed to show off her dizzying soprano, not to provide an original approach to a well-worn subject. Even when she gets a strong ballad to sing, like her current singles--Babyface's "Never Forget You" or Badfinger/Nilsson's "Without You"--she overdoes the self-pity bit so much that the song loses its dramatic tension. --Geoffrey Himes

CD Description
Mariah Carey's ascension to the top of the charts is an affirmation of her deep affection for the roots of popular music, to wit, gospel and R&B. She's not the first pop vocalist to find commercial and artistic bliss in black music, but her efforts are among the most heartfelt and convincing. And with the surehanded support of contemporary music's most creative producers and songwriters, Carey has developed a smooth, brassy sound signature all her own.
What makes it all happen is that luminous, vaulting voice, one of the surest most impassioned instruments in all of pop, capable of leaps in register most vocalists can't even imagine, yet alone execute. Her dark ornaments and trilling upper register cries on"Dream Lover" make this plain. On power pop ballads like "Hero" and "Anytime You Need A Friend"--with their gospelish "To dream the impossible dream/The greatest love of all" cadences--Carey's over-the-top expressive range sparks these arrangements to one emotional catharsis after another.
It isCarey's new found restraint--reining in her voice to suit the emotional fabric of each tune--that marks her growing maturity. The lush understatement of her singing and Walter Afanasieff's charts on the title tune, allow the tender grace of the song's lyrics to shine through--without superfluos vocal acrobatics. Ultimately it's Carey's reserves of vocal power, barely constrained on "Never Forget You" (with Babyface), that brings her fans back time and again.

Customer Reviews

Carey In Her Finest Hour
The biggest commercial success of Mariah Carey's career came with her 4th release, Music Box, which easily remains one of her best albums to date. Carey is able to combine her five-octave range superbly with her polished masterpieces on this album. Generating platinum #1 singles such as the fluid "Dreamlover" and the inspirational "Hero", it is no wonder this album has become a multi-platinum success. Despite maybe being a bit ballad heavy, complaints are eclipsed by the globally successful cover version of "Without You" where Carey's best efforts are showcased. Whatever you are after - even the gospel tinge of "Anytime You Need A Friend" or the pure 90s dance pop sound of "Now That I Know" - Music Box has it all.

A classic album which you should own
Music Box is a really great effort from Mariah that has managed to sell 30 million copies worldwide to this date, and it is Mariah's biggest selling album. This album includes songs that are all great, and it also includes the popular hits Without You and Hero. The European Edition includes a bonus track which is also very good.

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Tracks:
1. Dreamlover - 10/10
2. Hero - 10/10
3. Anytime You Need A Friend - 10/10
4. Music Box - 10/10
5. Now That I Know - 10/10
6. Never Forget You - 10/10
7. Without You - 10/10
8. Just To Hold You Once Again - 10/10
9. I've Been Thinking About You - 10/10
10. All I've Ever Wanted - 10/10
11. Everything Fades Away - 10/10 (BONUS TRACK)

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This is one of the very few albums I have where I'd give every single song 10/10 - and I have alot! This is a Mariah album you should own, especially if you are a fan of her older music and songs like Without You and Hero. My favourite song from the album is Never Forget You produced by Babyface (who also produced Madonna's Take A Bow), but everyone has different favourites!

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Chart Information:
Dreamlover (UK #9 US #1)
Hero (UK #7 US #1)
Anytime You Need A Friend (UK #8 US #12)
Without You (UK #1 US #2)

Balladeering At It's Best!
1. Dreamlover. 10/10
2. Hero. 10/10
3. Anytime You Need a Friend. 10/10
4. Music Box. 9/10
5. Now That I Know. 10/10
6. Never Forget You. 9/10
7. Without You. 9/10
8. Just To Hold You Once Again. 8/10
9. I've Been Thinking About You. 10/10
10. All I've Ever Wanted. 9/10
11. Everything Fades Away. 10/10

OVERALL GRADEl 10/10
This is a album by Mariah, which shows her focusing more on ballads than uptempo pieces. From the beautifulness of "Dreamlover" and "Hero" to the sweetness of "Music Box", this is an unforgettable album!