Butterfly

Alles in allem dümpelt die Musik vor sich hin und die wirklich tolle Stimme säuselt und ächzt. Nicht (mehr?) mein Ding.

Saccharin. We get it, Mariah, you’ve got a great voice with an amazing range but could you just wind it in a little?

I tried so hard to get into this but failed, so hard! Yeah, MC has some pipes but these songs sound so much alike. And her vocal histrionic were just too much. I stuck with it for 6 or 7 tracks but had to admit defeat. Nice, well produced pop songs but not for me.

These are flat landscapes for Mariah to scat over. Good make out music maybe... but they feel barren and her gymnastics are not enough to engage me, when the prince cover is the one thing that feels like a tune the rest is problematic.

god, I'm almost dead: only one long long song

Not my music - I don‘t like electronic drum kits and the voice from Mariah is not mine, too.

This was quite amusing. I popped this album on this morning and started to do a bit of work, occasionally pausing to zone in on the ridiculous high and irritating vocal whistling technique she is famous for. Almost every song sounded the same, the evidence for which was accidentally listening to it 2.5 times without even noticing! I'm sure her voice is unique, amazing and celebrated but the songs on this album were just so 'background'. Nothing stood out for me. I didn't hate it and I do have a soft spot for her Christmas album and for that reason I award it 2 stars!

No thank you. This just sounds like one very long, boring, over produced song. Though its quite a feat to sound that breathless while pumping out those vocals.

It's fine

Knew this one was coming eventually. I'm pretty sure there's only one Mariah Carey album on this list, and I'm not sure why it's this instead of her previous, Daydream. I didn't know a single song going into this one, though I recognized the beat on "The Roof" as sampling Mobb Deep, that was cool. Aside from that, why wouldn't we include the album with "Fantasy," "Always Be My Baby," and "One Sweet Day"? Three #1 hits on Daydream, including the first song by a woman to debut at #1. I'm reading that this one is acclaimed too, and that Mariah herself once called it her "magnum opus," but respectfully, she also does annual promo for her Christmas song so I don't know how much I trust her judgment. This one's not bad, but I don't think it's good enough to include here either. My version of a list like this would swap this with Daydream. Favorite tracks: The Roof, Fly Away. Album art: I do like this one, this portrait style shot is so '90s pop, but I think it's cool that everything is gold, minus the brilliant color of the butterfly. You wouldn't even notice it on a smaller picture, but yeah, I like that. 2.5/5

Why so high pitched? Who wants this? Maybe 2 is a bit harsh but the beautiful ones cover upset me.

Definitely not for me

2-

It's around a week until Christmas. I've had it with Mariah Carey. The mix is very tiring. Big smiley curve EQ. Unpleasant to listen to. Occasionally she shows how good she can really sing, but most of the time the ad libs sounds as if she can't hit the right note properly. She also sings very breathy. I can't stand that. It's a complete mismatch with the loud rhythm section. The songs aren't bad per se, but I don't think anyone on this record was on the top of their game. Favorite song: 4th Of July.

Overwrought. Over produced over everything. There might be some lyrical gems though who can tell with the vocal histrionics and voices everywhere in the mix. Just not the kind of music that I like at all. The song Close My Ees was did stand out somewhat for its directness ie they kept the production somewhat minimalist at least in this context. 2 stars

I mean, I don't particularly enjoy this as well, but I don't get why this is one of the lowest rated albums on the site. Seems like a milquetoast, inoffensive R&B album. There's a lot of those on this list. Nothing groundbreaking, but definitely not horrible. Not much worse than something like those two Christina Aguilera albums on here. Also haha at getting a Mariah Carey album in December. On the first snowy day of the year where I live no less.

Not my vibe

Couldn't get through this. Too many vocalizations rather than actual words. Don't understand the diva thing. I guess her voice is nice.

Omg, so bland and too long.

Pop meh

"I'd risk my life to feel your body next to mine" girl no one's asking you to? briefly nodded my head along to one of the songs at the start but then literally couldn't tell it apart from any of the others. she is undeniably talented but oh my they really found a formula that worked for her and stuck to it.

Teenaged me would have been mystified, maybe even a bit angry, at seeing an album by Mariah Carey, of all people, in a list of albums I needed to listen to before I die. Decades later, though, older me went in decided to give Ms. Carey a chance. After all, now that I'm no longer stuck listening to "Honey" over and over again on the radio like when it first came out, maybe I might be able to find something interesting in that album. The whole point of this list is to listen to different music, after all. But... well, it simply just weren't very interesting. I appreciate Mariah going for a more subdued vocal style compared to her early albums where she pushed her voice to the limit, but the end result is something that aims for a dreamy vibe but really is just a bunch of songs that sort of all blend into the other and create a rather tedious background noise. I mostly found it boring.

A great voice and talent, easy on the eyes. But musically this is like mushed carrots. 90’s female pop has some misses

2 - It's fine. Boring, but fine. I expected to be annoyed, but it just went in one ear and out the other. At times, I could appreciate it, but these times were very scarce. I'll probably just forget about this one in time.

Too sweet and soft for my likings. Great and beautiful singer of course.

Boring

Some good things but overall not that great for me

I'm not a fan

Soft pop where nothing is said for an hour straight. Good voice, good beats, but not my cup of tea.

Mariah Carey is one of my favorite pop stars, but this album isn't the one for me. Maybe the worst of her 90s output. 2/5

This album reeks of 90's R&B/pop cheese. Add in a few hip hop collaborations, and you are left with this mediocre record. Mariah's seemingly seductive, breathy, whispered vocal delivery, interspersed with banshee wailing high notes is grating. At almost an hour of runtime, it feels like it overstayed its welcome. I had an issue differentiating one song from another. It sounds like Mariah found a recipe for a song structure and stuck to it, only changing the flavor up a bit when other artists were featured on songs. Overall, not my favourite genre, or artist. At least it wasn't her Christmas album!! I was never a fan of Mariah's music, and this record didn't help matters much. Favourite songs: Honey, Butterfly, Whenever You Call Least favourite songs: Babydoll 2/5

I mean, this is Mariah...so you know it is going to have a certain amount of vocal quality. It does. But this isn't the album filled with all the poppy, danceable hits that I associate with Mariah. It is a solid album, but not as much fun as I think I want from someone so connected to pop and dance and high flying vocal trilling. It was really more of background music to me. 2/5

Ну ок. Обычные треки. Вообще ничего не запомнилось. Но временами ее блеяние меня чуток раздражало. 2/5

I don't know why this is on the 1001 album list. This is one of the worst ones so far. Giving it a 1 is too harsh.

Give me at least a few songs on here that aren't midtempo and this'd get another star but it was far too same-y

If there is one thing I can say about this album, it's that I didn't actively hate it as much as I expected. It's bad music and I can't stand Mariah Carey, but it's not difficult to listen to like some of the other albums here. Can't bring myself to give it a 1, so 2/5 it is.

Carey's voice is clearly great but these songs are not. They're spun sugar and noise. "Butterfly" is overstuffed with completely unnecessary vocal runs and deviations from the melody. And the worst part is that so many artists that came after have been direct imitations of this sound. Like they caught some vocal virus that won't allow them to just hold a note. Which begs the question: did Mariah Carey give pop music the runs?

Srsly? 2 stars, because there was some even worse stuff.

1.5/5. Sounds very dated. Is Mariah Carey actually an artist? I don't want to be rude, but it sounds like she does not have a lot of musical talent. Also, I'm struggling to understand how the songs on here qualify as music. I listen to it and all I hear is people kind of yelling or talking in a weird way.

I recognize the talent but just can’t get behind it. Just wanted it to end, mostly.

Ugh this reminds me of jr. high. I now have I give my all stuck in my head.

The career-defining album of a multi-multi-platinum pop and commercial success... that does very little for me. She has an incredible voice, but I'd rather listen to her speak, or improvise, or sing Christmas songs, than these formulaic constructions.

I wasn't expecting much from this album but I was happy to hear influences of Latin pop, gospel, and club music in addition to overproduced 90s R&B. In particular, the gospel chord changes stood out to me and gave the songs a sense of upward motion. While Mariah Carey has a dynamic range, the whisper singing, too many runs, and dated electronic sounds/production style made this album a chore to get through. Everything is over produced and oversung and it just doesn't hold up. However, I understand that Mariah Carey has had a huge influence on contemporary vocalists so I get why this album is on this list.

Pop comercial lamigoso. Rollo. Un 2.

Ufff

Slick, well produced, a great voice, having said all that I couldn't listen to more than 3 tracks

She is one of these pop icons whose name is known to just about everyone but I didn't recognize any songs on this album. I really couldn't get into it and can't understand what the fuss is all about. I suppose her voice is good enough to keep the rating above 1.

Did not enjoy. Just kinda sucked the life out of my Friday. Ohhhhjj uuuuhh lyric lyric

A fine voice but often devolves into histrionic warbling of the lowest order which grates after a while.

It’s not terrible but not my thing at all.

1.5

It works well as a showcase for Carey's very impressive vocals performances. The hip hop influenced tracks are ok but the ballads, adult contemporary and smooth R&B that make up most of the album aren't for me.

I’m so glad the 90’s vocal stretch is over.

I think the dogs in the neighbourhood all knew I was listening to this - everything is so high pitched - for someone with such great vocal range, she sits in a fairly high key all the time.

Look, she's got a pretty voice and a fantastic range. It would be nice if she'd used her range now and again instead of squawking through my tweakers the entire time.

"Butterfly" by itself is pretty firmly in 1-star territory for me. The vocals are overly breathy, and it almost never feels fun or really grabs your attention. This album saw Carey move more into an R&B and hip hop influenced sound, and you can hear it in the basslines. But even though she worked with some producers known for fun and groovy hip hop, none of that is found here. These breathy vocals do little to show what Carey is capable of as a singer, but her earlier albums do that in spades. So even though "Butterfly" is completely undeserving of inclusion on this list, since her other work is ignored we'll add a star here, representative of the strength of her earlier work.

I respect her range but I hate how she uses her voice to sing in that breathy way.

Very good voice. Very boring music.

Meh, by the time I got to Fourth of July I thought I was near the end of the album but only track 5 and these songs aren’t super long. Also the one (or couple songs Idk) where that rapper just comes in really randomly ruin the album. 2/5

Surprisingly okay for a few songs, but my god it was so samey and so long that it gets dragged back down.

Meh.

She can sing but it’s not for me

that's the epitome of bland and mid 90s pop with a bit of R&B that sadly doesn't make it better... 5/10(2/5)

Despite how huge Mariah was and (I read the Wiki) supposedly how influential this album was... this was just - nothing.

I’m sure she was trying something here.

I’m open minded and willing to try something different and outside my comfort zone, but this certainly meets expectations. Mostly slow and boring and way (“wayayayayeahairohwohoh…”) too much wailing - literally no space without her singing, ever. Not enough faster hip hop beats. Maybe four ok songs: Honey, Bones Thugs collaboration, Butterfly remix dominated by other more powerful singers and the Prince cover thankfully not killing the original.

Great voice, but subpar album. Very 90s pop production.

For someone who was a teenager in the late 1990s this album should be enjoyable, but it isn't. All the songs sounds really samey to me, and musically very simplistic. Her voice is very nice, soothing and mellow but she often shows off her voice for the sake of showing it off - then she doesn't sing words just moans. So overall I've found this album quite dull. 2.5/10.

She did her best. Slay queen.

She sure likes to do runs. I didn't enjoy this album at all. Not my type of music at all. That being said, she has a great voice and I 100% understand why this album is on the list. Just don't make me listen to it again please.

1st March 2023 Had to listen the day after while working from home because I was in the office and was too busy to listen! Not my bag but she’s got a great voice.

This album helped me understand that she does have a really talented voice, but she’s just so freaking boring. After two songs I was done but it went on for almost an hour. These songs truly sounded all so similar to each other.

This album is just smooooooth. But more than a little *too* smooth for my taste - it's like a satin sheet is over the entire production - the same things that sound really neat/nice in headphones are weirdly the same things that grow tiring over just a few songs (also that weird (impressive?) absurdly high whistle-voice she uses sometimes is a no from me). OK but still - even though this isn't my bag, it's a pretty good R&B album. The parts that hit me most are those where she's singing in her lower registers especially; working the slow soulful parts. The rest just sort of washes over me. TL;DR: after a few songs I just zone out of this - boring? It's not bad at all - just kinda boring. I hate to rely on a lazy word but it really is - this might be good background/chill music and not necessarily an hour of active listening. I respect the obvious skill in arrangement and production - I can definitely see how ppl could love this, but it's not exciting or dramatic enough for my tastes. 5/10 2 stars.

Genuinely expected this to feel like nails down a blackboard, but it wasn't. My dislike for Mariah's music has apparently stayed in the 90s. It wasn't replaced by admiration, just indifference. It's pleasant enough in the background, but does nothing for ne. The only one that stands out I'd a Prince cover

Not the best but not the worst

Decent. Kinda boring, Mariah had impressive vocals. Pretty standard r&b album.

Good singer, but one dimensional singer. Songs sound the same.

I remember when this album dropped. Puff Daddy and his crew teamed up with Mariah for her departure from her more pop-infused ballads. I even remember music video for Honey. Not my favorite from her, but far from her worst. My biggest issue with this album is that it's over produced, littered with Puff Daddyisms, and just generally reeks of the pop-music scene of the late 90s. Someone else on here said it best, "Mariah doesn't really sing songs so much as just moan scales."

The start is terrible - It may have been a successful single but 'Honey' is a complete mess - trying to do too many things as a result of which it does all of them badly. Next we get a squeaky ballad with a really badly intrusive drum machine. Then a slightly less squeaky ballad, that just about puts the average listener to sleep - or it would if that infernal drum machine didn't show up to wake them up. Enough. Why does anyone think that she can sing - on the evidence of this she squeaks

undeniably a great voice, but those songs, woof

Not my cup o' tea.

Not my genre and I genuinely believe I would have rested peacefully in my grave without it. There was zero nostalgia nor any songs I’m going to run back. No shade though, I didn’t think it was bad and she does have a great voice.

Sure this exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were already at the floor, so it doesn’t say too much. It was boring, but it wasn’t bad at all. She went for the high notes a few too many times, yet there was more depth than that. A fringe three if I’m being real here, but I’m not coming back to any of these songs for any reason because I’m not a huge fan of the genre.

Butterfly was ight Banging on a summer night This album is trite Mid albums warrant mid haikus

Please tell me what’s so influential about another break up album. I can recognize and appreciate she’s talented but I that was not fun to listen to. 1.5 but I’ll throw her ass a 2.

Great voice but this is just singing by numbers and so dull 😴😴😴😴

Pretty boring generic late 90s R&B

Una de las mejores voces. Llegando a ritmos muy altos. Muy pop y con un estilo al que le falta algo de ritmo

I spent most of the 90's listening to classic rock, 80's rock and pop, and some current mainstream rock. Pop music at that time was pretty much completely off my radar, especially once artists like Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, and Britney Spears started gaining a lot of momentum. During the 2010's however, I started listening to more current pop music (Robyn, Carly Rae Jepsen, Katy Perry, etc.), and that gave me a better appreciation for the pop music of the 90's. Over the last couple of years, I started to appreciate artists like Mariah Carey a lot more, especially the songs off of Daydream. This was my first time listening to Butterfly, and I was really excited when it came up in my feed today. But after listening to it, I was pretty underwhelmed. I didn't find any of the songs particularly catchy or well written, and nothing really showed off Mariah's vocal abilities as well as certain tracks on Daydream did. 'Breakdown' is the bright spot of this album in my opinion, as it shows Mariah's ability to record great duets and work well with other artists. Other than that, I can't say I as terribly impressed by anything else on this album.

Mariah is amazing, some of the 90s production is entertaining, but the songs are a bit samey and repetitive.

Credit has to go to Diddy and Missy Elliott for giving the bangers a kick. And props for the scintillating Prince cover, proving Mimi has great taste. But Mariah can't help herself by overloading the album with too many ballads designed to showcase her vocals, but ultimately trying to find the next One Sweet Day, a song no one really was asking for in the first place.

Not list worthy. Where's the record that features Ole Dirty Bastard? That's list worthy. Her Christmas album is way better then this shit Edit: didn't like it but listened to it all so it gets a 2

nicht meins. insgesamt hab ichs bissl fad gfunden, und irgendwie overproduced oderso

Pop comercial lamigoso. Rollo. Un 2.

I won't deny that Carey has an amazing vocal range and performance, but it's completely wasted on soulless commercial pop like this. Too much vocal filler and seemingly computer-generated instrumentals just leave this LP feeling lifeless and flat - RIP to the session musicians responsible for playing the blandest backgrounds possible on this one.

Mariah Carey's music is not my thing, but this record is mostly listenable at low volume. I don't find it compelling but the production and vocals are smooth. That said, in listening to this I've found that it's best if I turn it down to the level of background music. Furthermore, if given any kind of choice, even from the same genre, I'd choose something else.

Quite cliche and soooooo long!

Shes got a good voice but would a decent song writer go amiss? Practically zero tunes

She really does like showing off her voice. It wasn't bad. 3 2

She's a fantastic singer, even if her overly-commercial pop genre is not my cup of tea. Some good songs and fine performances here, but my god everybody involved should be mortified and embarrassed by including the godawful cover of the Prince song ("The Beautiful Ones," here played for seven excruciating god damn minutes at such a sluggish pace it's actually distracting and frankly upsetting).

It's an interesting piece given when she made it and introducing rap and R&B together, and she is obviously an amazing singer. For me, this is not very engaging and it is easy to lose focus with this on.

HL: Breakdown, Butterfly, Honey, The Beautiful Ones What I like about this album: Mariah Carey’s performance, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, the first 3 tracks, the Prince song What I don’t like: the mid-90s adult contemporary gloss over almost everything. (The Beautiful Ones sounds like it samples the OG from Purple Rain, and the old drum machine sounds fresher to me than the couple tracks before it)

Ah yes, the 90's... right back to my childhood. The album has that typical 90's r&b sound alot of similar artists had. My gf was really glad I 'had' to listen to this album lol.. I'm not really a fan of Mariah's breathy singing style. and almost find it annoying to listen to it. It's like everything she sings she does it in an hushed/whispery way. The album was a nice trip down memory lane because I grew up with this type of R&B.. but that's about it.

R&b blanc amb petites notes de hip hop i house; és el suposat 'Lemonade' de Carey, després del seu marimoni frustrat amb el president de Sony. La màgia, però, aquí no hi és, i els temes van deixant-se passar l'un a l'altre sense que res interessant acabi passant

Yeah, ok, not my cup of tea.

Did not enjoy this. Mariah may well be an amazingly talented singer but this album felt like a real slog to get through. It's like really cheap diet popcorn. Horribly saccharine taste, but utterly unsatisfying. Fave track - Uh... the remix of "Honey" with the rappers, I guess? Or "The Beautiful Ones" seemed to have a bunch of other singers involved to somewhat dilute the Careyness of it all... 😒

Just goes on a bit really.

Mariah Carey mumbling through some scales over Puffy beats is not my idea of a good time. If she's got to be on the list, why not include the one with the Boyz II Men collaboration? The stealth Bone Thugz track saves this from a 1. Best track: Breakdown

Really, *really* boring.

Mariah's a talented singer and the production of the album sounds great. I'm not a fan of R&B though and prefer her earlier, more straight pop oriented songs to this album. All of that said, 13 year old me absolutely owned this CD back in the day.

What can I say - not a Mariah Carey fan. She does too many runs with her singing. it makes every song sound similar and it is annoying.

mariah has an incredible voice of course, but the production and songwriting just isnt there. feels like i would get the same enjoyment listening to her perform a book of vocal etudes.

Ik word duizelig van hoe haar stem alle kanten op gaat, allemaal te onrustig en ergens ook te braaf.

Ik heb een poging gedaan maar na een nummer of 5 moest ik de tandarts bellen omdat ik spontaan een paar tanden was verloren door deze zoetigheden. Wel nog een extra ster voor de Prince cover.

Some ok beats, warbling singing is not for me.

she's a good singer obviously but a whole album of her music gets obnoxious

nothing stood out 2.5

allright. some good tracks.

Sounds like a load of Disney movie credit songs. Too cheesy for me. Missing an "All I want for Christmas" banger. Still, she was an early crush of mine, so kudos for that, I guess?

oooooOOOOOooooOOOOooo damn she can sing, and it all sounds good, but every single song is so bland and uninteresting. Could be so much better if Mariah stopped breathing down the mic and sung about something

This album is not for me. I always found Mariah Carey to be extremely overrated and boring. I recognize this is probably something most other people would enjoy

Seems like a pretty generic pop album from the nineties to me. It's not bad, but I don't see anything special about it.

R´n´B Pop aller erster Güte. Wer´s mag. Ich nicht so.

I was between a 2 and 3, but honestly it was just too repetitive for my taste. Almost every song just has too much of Mariah Carey’s humming/display of vocal range. Like, “OOooOoooWahHooOoOoOoo you get a twoOoOooooo”

meh

Her voice is amazing, but the songs are all so fucking corny, cheesy soft-ballad love/lust lyrics, sterile musical backing. If the music industry had let her follow her muse more like that stunning early career version of 'I'll Be There' then perhaps her music would be less mock-seductive and could be more genuinely musical. Tunes for 12 year old girls.

As far as I know, I've never heard anything from this album. And I'm a fan of at least a few early Mariah songs. So let's see what's what. Yeah, this is pretty generic. Sounds great, production-wise, but I don't remember any of these songs. And they don't seem memorable. And then The Beautiful Ones turns out to be the best song, but this is a pretty dull version. So... yeah. No Vision of Love? Not even Fantasy? Nope, no coming back for more here.

I’m a day behind, but guys! You completely buried the lede here: there’s a song with Bone Thugz & Harmony. Hahaha! I was so happy when I heard that. Also, genuinely might be the most enjoyable song on the record. Anywho, I’m with Alex in that I have a very low tolerance for the breathy, whisperbrato she sings with on so much of this album. Is that even singing? I don’t know. All I know is when she sings at full volume (back half of “Butterfly,” parts of “Whenever You Call” it’s almost like a different person hopped in the recording booth. And I like it so, so much better. I just can’t with the endless vocal runs at a loud whisper. Project, Mariah! Hold a single note! All that said, I didn’t hate it all. “Close My Eyes” was the standout, imo, and I thought the Prince cover was okay? I mean, I never thought the song needed a shot of gospel but that’s an idea.

The longest breathy sigh recorded in human history lasting exactly 57:20.

I appreciate her place in music, but I just don’t like divas

It sounds like shit but that's not what music is about. That's not in the spirit of music I'm hear to learn. I hear to learn.

Prachtige stem maar ik hou niet van dit soort r&b

Why sing one note when you can sing 5? Sorry painful listening for me.

Not my thing.

Everyone knows she has a great voice. But every song is too softly sung and instantly forgettable. Not for me

Mariah is showing off her vocal range in this atmospheric R&B album that is touched with Gospel and Rap. The most lasting thing about this album though is the fascination she has with butterflies. Otherwise, even the leading tracks don't reach the same heights as other singles of hers.

Without the context of why this is on the list, I was confused. It is so edited and produced it is almost unlistenable. It’s the vocal equivalent of bad photoshop. Which is shame because I’m sure she has amazing talent, it’s just hidden by production.

Too sweet...

Meh

Tja... 2,5

Where was the oomph?

I know its good, its just not for me

It was fine, but ultimately not for me. I couldn't finish the last two tracks .

Aw, crap. Well, I guess I'm listening to this... I'm trying to be open minded… I don't like the 'uh-huh's... nothing resonates with me... ¿Am I still listening?... Mariah really needed to get some people to stop chatting in the background... runs and whispers... ¿Who's whistling?… oh, that's singing... Nope... whew!… it's over.

Not a fan of Mariah Carey. 2/5

This isn't really my cup of tea, but I'll give props where they're due: Mariah has a phenomenal voice, and it sounds like she worked with some of the best producers on this record. That being said, I don't think many of the songs stood out and it was very long.

2 1/2

2/5 way too cutie for me

couldn't really tell you why. I just don't find this interesting or enjoyable to listen to

Some classic jams, but too much "breathy" singing. I only remember listening to her albums before this one.

Mariah, stop breathing in my ear. If I hear one more "nah-nah-nah" "uh-uh-uh" "ooh-ooh-ooh", I am not putting you on again. Records like these make me happy I am not a professional music reviewer. I am sure that high-school girls in the 90's had the most pleasant daydreams listening to this overly sweet and sentimental crap, but I can't find the words to express what this record does to me. I guess I like the album cover, so thanks for that?

Yeah it was alright but won't spin it again to be honest

r&b pop. kind of reminds me of a kpop album that drags on too long.

Not my jam.

Not for me.

2/5. I'm sure her fans love it. But, I detest everything about her diva attitude and it affects my enjoyment of the music. sorry.

an R&B classic. I just don't like R&B.

Mariah is an amazing vocalist, this just isn't my thing.

Poppy R and B album that is just kinda there. Nothing really stands out besides Mariah’s vocals. 4.9/10

that bone thugs verse in breakdown is like straight out of crossroads tf is up with that lmao. she's got impeccable control over her voice, that's for sure, but i'm just not a fan of the 30 bpm R&B love song

Not as much of an ordeal listening to this, maybe because Matilda and Nat enjoyed it so I fed off of their energy. R&B was never my thing. But her voice is amazing which makes the tunes more listenable to me than a lot of stuff from the same genre.

Solid 2. Respect to the voice. Honey is a bit of a tune. But just not my vibe.

Was interesting to go through the history of the album. But that was the best bit for me unfortunately.

Can truly fabricate a rhyme, and great pipes. Too churchy feeling for me

Pas vraiment ecoute. Je n’ai roen perdu 2*

I appreciate the talent and like the song with Bone Thugs but listening to an entire Mariah album was a challenge.

pooop

Oof. Might skip this one.

not gonna revisit it

Маша, садись, 2!.. может не то настроение было, но прям тяжело слушать было

I know I'm supposed to like 90s RnB on the principle of being a music fan, but....

basic 90s pop

Mega zoete pop liedjes. Ondanks dat Mariah wel goed kan zingen, is dit niet mijn smaak.

Kerran kuunteli läpi ilman tuskaa

I can appreciate her talent, I'm just not a fan of Mariah Carey

Nope

Nope

no one can make me listen to her

Boring and uninspired. Reminded me of middle age soccer-mom music I heard as a teen. I sometimes make additional inferences on an artists work based on the songs Spotify recommends once the album ends. In this case, all 4 songs that came after were terrible and I may have to clear my cache before it influences my preferences. Maybe a 2 for production value? Nah - I don’t ever want to hear this or anything like it again. 1/5

Perda de tempo!

no

asi suena tel aviv

90's fallout

I like some Mariah Carey songs, but unfortunately I realized that none of them are on this album, which is a snooze fest. Too many languorous slow jams, not enough of what makes her great.

Utter tosh. I can feel my brain dying. Please make it stop.

2/10

Drivel.

I’ve said it before, but I’m really not a fan when a singer goes overboard with vocalizations and this album is like 90% vocalizations. Not for me.

Not worth any comments.

More cynical, characterless cash-grabbing crap with next to no memorable qualities or redeeming features.

It is very possible to become confused between skill and emotional connection in any kind of art. This is an example of just that. Mariah can sing, her voice is good, but she’s got lost in look what I can do, not what should I do. The songs with ne and exception are vacuous vehicles for this bout of exhibitionism. It took a Prince tune and a duet partner to rein her in.

I have no words

I learnt a new word today - melismatic. This is helpful because it helps me describe what I most detest about the way this woman uses her, admittedly amazing, voice. It completely ruins the dreadfully bland songs. A painful 1*

Artiste connue de nom. Aucun intérêt pour moi, musique très répétitive qui m'ennuie profondément, et vocalises détestables. Je n'ai pas pu aller au bout. =>1/5

Mariah Carey has a great voice, but these are not great songs. They're pretty crummy and she is often not even singing, but sort of screeching over some generic sounding pop.

Can’t believe this is on here. Ruined my street cred by listening to it.

Not for me at all.

Öde und nervig. Immer nur verhauchte Stimme.

Not for me.

No va

Føj! For! Satan!

Every song sounds the same Standout songs: The Roof (Back in time)

Honey

Not for me

Was hoping for less slow jams and more Sweet sweet Fantasy baby 1.5

First, R&B slow jams are not my thing, and this is basically an album full of them. Second, Carey's cursive singing—where there's no limit to how long a syllable can be drawn out—drives me nuts. (“Throughout, Carey reins in the excessive warbling that puts many off," declares the 1,001 book. NOPE.) While I appreciate Mariah Carey as a singular talent, I found this painfully tedious and repetitive. I'm good with "All I Want For Christmas is You," thanks.

She's only happy when she warbling. I just want her to shut up.

I'd forgotten just how much this woman's voice annoys me. Utter drivel.

Took me 2 days to get the courage to listen to this album and I couldn't finish a single song. Her voice reminds me of the buzzing of a wasp

Jesus Christ

I know why it was popular, but her voice irritated the fuck out of me then, and it irritates the fuck out of me now. PICK A NOTE!

It wasn’t as bad as I expected, but given I thought this was going to be the audio equivalent of watching the video from the Ring, then that is a qualified statement. Horrific warbling switches with weird hushed tones. Nope.

What a load of guff. Oversung at every opportunity, and even when it is, it isn’t even well done. Beats and accompanying instrumentals are lacklustre and surprisingly boring even for R&B styled pop. Overrated as an artist, and glad to see this gone.

Sometime in the 10s Mariah became An Icon for younger generations and having been around for her start, apparent peak, and then series of tabloid fodder embarrassments I was like what are you IDIOTS talking about? In this instance we have Mariah incorporating hiphop and riding samples, something she had success with on her preceding record, Daydream. Still the most soulless soul diva, alas. Say what you will about Puffy but his two tracks here are the standouts...

I wouldn’t be doing this project if I didn’t have an open mind but I hated this. I hate melisma and I hate Mariah Carey for becoming so popular that she inspired generations of singers to do it more (I know Whitney did it, I’m not claiming Carey invented it). I also have an aversion to songs with ‘feat.’ in the title based on listening to them before and almost always finding them to be rubbish. I’m not downgrading this because I’m a snob, good pop is a lot harder than a lot of people like to admit, I’m downgrading it because great as her voice is, she wastes it on showing off, and the clean production coupled with such dull songs makes this an absolute chore to get through. Sterile pap.

Utterly anodyne. And her vocal style (singing around all the notes) never gets less irritating!

Not for me. I thought she was going to be pop. Instead it was all the slow ballad-y stuff pop artist put in and it feels like skiable filler. Hated it from song one

Another album you don’t really want to stream in case the algorithm thinks that you actually like this stuff. 1/5 10/5/26

boring

This is an atrocious record. I can't tell one song from another for a majority of the tracks. Not one song breaks through the noise as something original. Jesus, how is this is the top 1000???

Can’t stand this brand of modern RnB. And especially not Careys style of singing. She’s always annoyed me.

I feel like I’ve heard Mariah Carey songs I like before but zero of them were on this album. Pure rubbish.

Sure, she's got a nice voice, but I cannot get into any of these songs on any dimension no matter how many vocal flourishes she fits into a single line.

Vollkommen überbewertet! Gefällt mir nicht!

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 👩🪙🦋 Production: 😐👍🆗 Music: 🧼🔨🤤 Rating: 🦋/5

Just can’t get past the wailing. Backing singers doing most of the melody…

Who in God’s name thought it was a good idea for me to spend a portion of my time on this earth trying to listen to this?

Not good.

1 Star (2/15)

1.2Those breathy/layered vocals really nauseate me for some reason. Skipped halfway through every song. Mariah, your bannished to the 92.2 mits fm basement, hopefully you dont take it too hard.

Album No. 0207 on my list. Mariah Carey will always have a place in my heart for performing the greatest Christmas song of all time. I really, really love “I Don’t Want A Lot For Christmas”. Apart from that song, I have to admit that I’m not at all familiar with her work. If somebody played me some of her bigger hits, I’d probably recognize some of them. But I did not know any songs on “Butterfly”. It kinda saddens me to say it, but I could have happily lived without a change to that condition. To be honest, I didn’t like it at all. Rarely do I give albums on this list low ratings, and if I do, it’s mostly very, very avant garde, experimental albums that I just can’t really appreciate. This is the first major pop album that I encounter on this page that will get a low rating like that. Maybe I’m just not enough info R’n’B, but I found little distinction between the songs, they kinda all sound the same to me. The production and sound are glossy and pretty boring. But the worst part to me is Carey’s singing to be honest. I just don’t like this odd combination of mumbling through the scales and at the same time being overly dramatic. I think I understand why this may appeal to people, but it’s not my thing, really, and honestly I don’t really get why an album this generic ended up on this list. “Honey” is the song I chose for my playlist from this album. 1/5 stars.

Oh god, please no.

mariah has a great voice but i hated these songs

Best Track - "Butterfly"

I promise you I didn't need to hear this before I died.

This is the first album I thought about skipping. I had a terrible time. Why doesn’t she stop singing and gurgling?

The only good Mariah Carey album is her collection of Guided By Voices covers. That shit rocks.

This is dumb

I don't fuck with Mariah Carey, her voice causes me physical pain.

I couldn't stand it. Started skipping through the songs once it was another dull track with her whispering and occasionally warbling over the top. Eventually had to take a break even from that. At its best, there's some chill tracks to listen to while the sun is setting (My All and the most of Fly Away before sleigh bells unfathomably come along)... but only if you got an instrumental version and didn't have to listen to her ruining them. Which would kind of negate the purpose of a Mariah Carey album.

This is unlistenably horrible and sets my teeth on edge.

Just no

*a boring and monotonous album, most tracks sound alike

There is no doubt Mariah has a great voice, but I can't be arsed with the constant vocal gymnastics.

Yeah but no but

There’s a reason she got ditched by her label - barely 30 seconds in before the warbling begins. Roll her out at Xmas and then put her the fuck away.

My least favorite (non electronic) genre of music. Bleh. Mariah sucks. Best Song: Butterfly Rating: 2/10 Stars: 1

cheesey and samey and unfortunately really not my thing

No thanks

No

ho appeso dopo i primi 2 minuti, damn sorella menomale che hai fatto all I want for christmas

MAGNUS OPUM han actually soooo hert kei bock hahaha sing mal richtig, nöd so huuche was isch das füren song gsi hä, iwie kei hook, nüt wo hafte blibt ussrrt vlt s klavier butterfly isch ener das won ich mier vorgstellt han, immernanig mis aber chans vlt meh nachvollzieh HAHAHAHAHA NEIIII EIFACH SHOOK ONES I guess es isch na cool, het sie die melodie gno und inen ganz andere kontext gsetzt? aber iwie auchli cringe? hmmm de rapper bi breakdown passt erstunlich guet inne? no cool gmacht poah bin ich froh wenn das fertig isch whenever you call hani rig na cute gfunde aber ab de bridge würkli schrecklich OMGGG DE LETSCHT REFRAIN HASSIIII hetmer gad würkli schier de nuggi usseghaue hahaha okee de housebeat isch na funny bim reprise OHHJAAA EN GUY WO ÜBER CORNY MUSIG CHLI REDT, MIN LIEBLINGSGENRE oke de rest vo beautiful ones isch na easy jaa ich gönn dier de erfolg mariah carey aber für mich ischs echt nüt

1.08

Just not my thing. I know Mariah has her audience, but it isn’t me.

Gar nicht meins, viel zu langsam und schmalzig

What uninspired trash. Incredible vocal range but this is garbage.

I do not listen to pop crap

Where was the Christmas one?!

As a long-term defender of her Christmas No1 "All I Want For Christmas Is You", I didn't go into this with a completely negative mindset. But unfortunately, I absolutely hated this album and it did nothing for me. A tedious album that goes down as my first one star. Even the Britney Spears album had the comic relief of tracks like Soda Pop and Email My Heart. Very sorry, Mariah.

The cover is the best part of this experience. I can honestly say I've NEVER listened to this album, and that's something I'm proud of. Syruppy power pop with over the top vocals is not my thing so I'm a bad person to judge this one. But really, it's not power pop, it's 80% slow songs. Do I know the songs? No, honestly, I must have been preoccupied to have avoided Top40 radio in 1997. "Honey" has 108M listens but I don't think I've ever heard it. "My All" (254M) is dreadful with it's weird ass low vocal mumbling before the grating chorus. I can't believe 254 million people WANTED to hear that song. "The Roof", "Fourth Of July", "Babydoll", "Close My Eyes" (my ears maybe), and "Fly Away" are all just SUPER BORING songs. I have no idea how they mustered up that many listens, it's impressive, no song with under 3.5M listens. The best song was the first 3 and half minutes of the remake of "The Beautiful Ones", probably only because I knew it and Prince is a god. But it's 7 mins long?! It went off the rails by minute 4. 1 star, pure and utter crap. No way does this deserve a spot in the T1001.

I've seen vocalists hold a hand up next to their face (like a nude Kermit) then move it up and down as if they're conducting their own voice, as their voice wavers up and down. It's quite pretentious and irritating. Every track on this album does this. With an amazing irony, what's produced is incredibly monotonous. 'The beautiful ones' cover is a crime. Longest track on the album & it isn't hers.

1 - TERRIBLE

I have no idea how she was so popular, this was so boring.

Sweet fucking jaysus, this is terrible. All the 1s. Also, this album, in its shitty, but ubiquitous, R&B terrible news makes me think I need to read the book. I mean, why? What justification could the author possibly provide to explain its inclusion? This album really makes me question the utility of this list.

The first song was a fairly straightforward R&B song, and I thought, oh, maybe this won't be as bad as I was prepared for. There were only a couple of those and I really can't get into the pop ballads or gospel pop songs that followed.

1/5 - This list is really letting me down recently.

Horrible

ooooOOOOOOooooOOOOooooHHHhhhhh

deze was echt aftellen tot het einde

If I were the one writing 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, this is definitely another one that never would’ve made the list. I’m not going to say Mariah Carey isn’t talented, obviously she is, but this is surface level pop music through and through. I know I could try to say good things about this album and give it credit for this or that, but I’m not going to lie, I personally think the album sucked. I didn’t enjoy it at all. I couldn’t wait for it to end, and now that it has, I never plan on going back.

Genuinely so boring

Incredible voice but the songs aren’t very imaginative. The Prince cover just sounds like a cheap knock-off with no originality. Carey sounds great but her style of riffing single notes ruined music forever.

Cheesy 90s R&B isn't for me

Favorite moment of the album is a sample riff on Honey.

Today I learned Mariah Carey writes her own lyrics, that’s all my interest in this album.

This pop-R&B album drifts on silky programmed beats, muted bass pulses, and airy synth pads, with vocal ornamentation floating over a smooth mid-tempo flow that blurs songs into one softly glowing surface. It feels like watching colored lights drift under water—pretty and soothing and boring.

Fy fan vad jag hatar det här. Passionerat. Lyssnar hellre på de värsta ettor denna lista haft. Tål inte denna typ av musik. Jag försöker vara tolerant och öppen. Men det här är skräp. Så satans jävla tråkigt. Magisk röst men den slösas bort. Jag förstår ju att folk kanske gillar det här. Men ärligt talat, ändå inte! Det är svårt att förstå.

Not a fan. Very samey, I don’t like Mariah Carey. 2/10

This kinda sucked

This is even-for-the-90s bad.

So this is pop R&B written by studio committee, produced by Sean Combs. Not feeling good about the album before even starting. "Honey" was a decent opener with a hip-hop bent, and I was happy to see Q-Tip linked to this track. I found "Butterfly" to be overly cliche although Carey's performance is commendable, ranging from airy quiet to belting presence. The next track "My All" is more of the same, but with a Latin flavor. I moved to the next song about 2/3 through. There is only so much "uh uhhh uh" singing I can take, and the next track "The Roof" opens the same way, going back to the hip hop influence. I skipped halfway through to "Fourth of July" which is more of the same cliche rhyming lyrics and overblown bass production. I stopped the journey here and skipped around to see if I could pull anything from this. Not really. Carey is a lovely singer, but this is pop hip hop crap and not to my taste or worth my time.

This is probably her best album, when she could still sing. 1/5

How can someone so talented make something so horrible? So many oooooos and everything just sounds like a knock off of her Christmas song.

If I were the one writing 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, this is definitely another one that never would’ve made the list. I’m not going to say Mariah Carey isn’t talented, obviously she is, but this is surface level pop music through and through. I know I could try to say good things about this album and give it credit for this or that, but I’m not going to lie, I personally think the album sucked. I didn’t enjoy it at all. I couldn’t wait for it to end, and now that it has, I never plan on going back.

Butterfly is Mariah Carey’s “magnum opus” only if you believe doing the exact same thing with more whisper-breathing and cooing somehow counts as evolution.

I expected this to be unbearable and unlistenable. However there’s some structure here and the singer keeps the caterwauling to a minimum. So if you were expecting the horror of her Christmas lp or Badfinger cover then you’re out of luck. It’s still 1 star though not as bad as The Cars.

No

I had to endure this drek in the 90s. I’m not listening to it again. Also fuck Mariah Carey and her tone-deaf anti-worker bullshit.

Not my cup of tea at all

Fuck that shite

137/1001 :: Mariah Carey - Butterfly Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 1 Listen before you die: No People like this? She obviously has great range but overall this album is a mix of vanilla easy listening and bad R&B. Should also be noted the first song features Puff Daddy to which was an immediate turn off.

On the plus side enjoyed Honey - this kind of R&B not my thing but this was definitely at the palatable end of that ilk. Then goes shit for the rest of the album. Slow track Butterfly and slower My All. Breakdown wasn’t quite as bad. And the Butterfly reprise later was passable. But mostly bland banalities. Hope I never have to listen to Whenever You Call again. Quite enough of her warbling gymnastics well before the end. 1 (4 for opening track minus 4 for WYC and 1 for the rest).

I tried. I really did. Let me summarise the first half of this album to save you listening to it. “Honey sugar baby, oh you drive me crazy, I’m going to fly away. Mmmm, ooooooh, aaaah. My heart is breaking, from the love we aren’t making tonigighighighiiight Aaah oooh, yeah. Place your lips to mine tonigighighighiiight on the Fourth of July. Mmmmmm ooooooh I’m losing my mind, gotta get control, laa-ahah dah” This isn’t a 1 star. It isnt a zero. It’s less than zero. I hate this genre of music and I especially detest Carey’s warbling vocal flourishes. It offers me nothing as a listener. Why is this even included on the list? I mean at least “Fantasy” is a chooon! But that’s not even on this album. Awful.

I refuse to sit through an entire Mariah Carey album

It’s not R&B.. it’s Pop with delusions of grandeur. Not that it matters much, because it wasn’t great when it was released and somehow managed to age like potato salad in the sun.

This record sounds bad. I mean it’s a terrible recording. Worse, it’s a bad record. Schlocky R&B with Carey’s oscillating fills and throat-whistle trills make this unlistenable.

I'm not agrueing that Mariah has a good voice. This just wasn't an interesting record.

I read someone else's review that said she doesn't sing as much as moan through scales. I can't agree with that more. This is terrible.

Not my jam.

Total crap