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**sambo9** · Sun October 18, 2009, 15:13

A great album! Very solid and atmospheric, and her vocals are obviously flawless. It's not in my Top 3 Mariah albums though.

My favourites from the album are "All I've Ever Wanted" (that song is truly a vocal marathon), "Just To Hold You Once Again" and one of the best Mariah ballads of all-time, "Anytime You Need A Friend". She absolutely sung her ass off at the end of that.

I must mention the C+C Club Mix of "AYNAF". It's one of my top remixes and I think her re-sung vocals are flawless - just brilliant ad-libbing. The Def Club Mix of "Dreamlover" is also pretty spectacular and quite well-known.

"Do You Think Of Me" is definitely worth checking out if you like "Music Box". It's a wonderful R&B-ish B-side from 1993 and it definitely should have been included on the record IMO.

The "Music Box" era was immense.

**SoulDemon** · Sun October 18, 2009, 17:35

"Everything Fades Away" is my favorite song from it.

**Breathe** · Sun October 18, 2009, 17:37

Her best album for me.

**MrFreddyGhost** · Sun October 18, 2009, 17:44

I was listening to it yesterday and it was amazing. Her vocals are flawless on this, really.
My favorites are Dreamlover, Hero, Anytime You Need A Friend, Without You and All I've Ever Wanted.

**grooveboy** · Sun October 18, 2009, 23:04

When Mariah was on fire!! This is a solid record,with some strong moments on it, like "Hero", "Anytime You Need A Friend" and "All I've Ever Wanted".

Still, I find her debut album the best she ever did

**crystalphoenix** · Tue October 20, 2009, 19:30

the title track rarely gets mentioned, but it's actually one of my favorites on here

granted, I love pretty much the entire album (my 3rd favorite from Mariah, behind Butterfly and Daydream)

although not quite a "remix", I do prefer the "Radio Edit" of "Never Forget You" to the album version (though both are still great)...and despite its seeming popularity among fans, "Anytime You Need A Friend" is actually one of my least favorite moments on here

Wed October 21, 2009, 15:41

I used to love this album. I gave my copy away to a friend back in 1995, though - and despite meaning to, never replaced it in my collection.

**Grybop** · Sun October 25, 2009, 17:07

That was the first CD I ever bought and my third - and last - MC album. I bought it on the strength of her previous two albums and lead single Dreamlover alone. Hero, Without You and Anytime You need A Friend had all been released and none had really impressed me. In time I loved AYNAF a lot more though.

The title track is one of Mariah's best moments indeed. Everything Fades Away is another highlight.

**Star** · Sun October 25, 2009, 17:16

Originally posted by SoulDemon

"Everything Fades Away" is my favorite song from it.

**Loverboy** · Mon October 26, 2009, 19:41

European fans are still waitting for another Music Box.

anyway, i love everything mariah creates, even dont stop phunkin for jamaica lol

**sambo9** · Mon October 26, 2009, 23:48

Originally posted by Grybop

That was the first CD I ever bought and my third - and last - MC album. I bought it on the strength of her previous two albums and lead single Dreamlover alone.

I'm really surprised that you liked Mariah's first three albums! Was it not you who said that "My All" and "Butterfly" were the two reasons why you didn't like Mariah in the 90s?

**sambo9** · Mon October 26, 2009, 23:50

Originally posted by Loverboy

European fans are still waitting for another Music Box.

anyway, i love everything mariah creates, even dont stop phunkin for jamaica lol

I wouldn't say that "Daydream" is too different from "Music Box". "When I Saw You", "Looking In" and "Forever" could quite easily have been in the latter!

**firefly_86** · Tue October 27, 2009, 12:25

Her vocals are flawless... oh the days when it was all so effortless... but the album is just soulless.

Having said that, Anytime You Need a Friend is one of my absolute favourite Mariah tracks, it's a shame how in relative terms it underperformed (her first single to miss the Top 10 on Billboard, etc.)

But everyone should have known there was something very wrong in her life when she wrote a track like 'Everything Fades Away' just after getting married!

And leaving that and Do You Think of Me off the album was just criminal.

**sambo9** · Tue October 27, 2009, 13:37

Originally posted by firefly_86

Her vocals are flawless... oh the days when it was all so effortless... but the album is just soulless.

"Anytime You Need A Friend"? Soulless? :-?

**firefly_86** · Tue October 27, 2009, 16:35

Originally posted by sambo9

Originally posted by firefly_86

Her vocals are flawless... oh the days when it was all so effortless... but the album is just soulless.

"Anytime You Need A Friend"? Soulless? :-?

If you care to read on I mention that is one of my all time favourites.

But yes, I think the rest is soulless.

**sambo9** · Tue October 27, 2009, 16:45

The fact that it's one of your all-time favourites is irrelevant to the statement I was questioning.

You said that the entire "Music Box" album was "soulless", which I strongly disagree with. Personal? No. But soulless? Absolutely not!

**firefly_86** · Wed October 28, 2009, 12:46

Well Anytime You Need A Friend aside, I just take a cynical view of the album these days. I don't hear Mariah, I just hear kerching noises in Tommy Mattola's eyes.

Like you say it's not personal, I basically mean the same thing... it just sounds hollow to me now.

**Grybop** · Wed October 28, 2009, 21:04

Originally posted by sambo9

Originally posted by Grybop

That was the first CD I ever bought and my third - and last - MC album. I bought it on the strength of her previous two albums and lead single Dreamlover alone.

I'm really surprised that you liked Mariah's first three albums! Was it not you who said that "My All" and "Butterfly" were the two reasons why you didn't like Mariah in the 90s?

Yeah, I must have said that indeed! I meant I liked most of her songs up to that point, but Butterfly was a huge disappointment.

I always thought that Music Box was sort of an Emotions part II in a way:

-1st single placed first on both tracklists - both songs feature Mariah's whistle singing - both uptempo
-both albums close with 2 ballads
-penultimate song in both albums is about wanting someone you can't have
-both albums close on a sad note
-Now That I Know always reminded me of To Be Around You or Make It Happen with those gospel-sounding backing vocals.

**sambo9** · Wed October 28, 2009, 23:35

Yes, I've always the two were quite similar in their structure and flow. They're both terrific albums though.

**crystalphoenix** · Fri October 30, 2009, 11:24

Originally posted by Grybop

I always thought that Music Box was sort of an Emotions part II in a way:

-1st single placed first on both tracklists - both songs feature Mariah's whistle singing - both uptempo
-both albums close with 2 ballads
-penultimate song in both albums is about wanting someone you can't have
-both albums close on a sad note
-Now That I Know always reminded me of To Be Around You or Make It Happen with those gospel-sounding backing vocals.

as a big fan of Music Box, I'm a bit off-put by this comparison, since I would rank Emotions as one of my LEAST favorite Mariah albums :-?

-almost every studio album of Mariah's opens with the lead single, bar Merry Christmas, E=MC2, and Memoirs
-not the case with the close of the US release, however...without
"Everything Fades Away", it ends with an uptempo and a ballad

anyway, minor points aside, I much prefer the Music Box ballads to most of the ones on Emotions..."And You Don't Remember", "If It's Over", "So Blessed", "Till The End Of Time", and "The Wind", although well-sung, are a bit too slow and samey for me, dragging the album down :x

**winny** · Fri October 30, 2009, 12:10

Music Box is clearly the popish, polished and soulless version of Emotions. A "Part II" designed to sell, and nothing more.

Whereas Emotions is raw, soulful, with genuine ballads and a great jazz standard track to end the album, Music Box is the exact opposite.

With Charmbracelet & her debut album, it ranks amongst my least favourite albums.

That said, there are 2 all-time-best songs: Anytime You Need A Friend & Everyting Fades Away. Dreamlover is fine. I can't stand Now That I Know, Just To Hold You Once Again & I've Been Thinking About You. The rest is cute, but it's quite forgettable.

I'd give 5/10 to Music Box, nothing more. (Compared to a 8.5/10 for Emotions, but better than 2/10 for Charmbracelet.)

**crystalphoenix** · Fri October 30, 2009, 12:22

Originally posted by winny

Music Box is clearly the popish, polished and soulless version of Emotions. A "Part II" designed to sell, and nothing more.

Whereas Emotions is raw, soulful, with genuine ballads and a great jazz standard track to end the album, Music Box is the exact opposite.

although I don't agree with how harshly you ridicule MB, the "popish, polished" comparison is very true, well said...which is probably why I'm such a sucker for it

I appreciate that Mariah's done songs that are more raw and soulful, and I'm glad they're a part of her overall catalog..."The Wind" is actually one of my least favorite Mariah songs, but I can still respect her for doing it...certainly better than some of her more recent embarassing crap a la "Boy (I Need You)" and "Migrate" :x

so although Emotions may be a worthwhile addition to her discography in its own right, when it comes to what I actually listen to most often...the Music Box material hits the spot for me

**winny** · Fri October 30, 2009, 13:16

Originally posted by phoenix98

so although Emotions may be a worthwhile addition to her discography in its own right, when it comes to what I actually listen to most often...the Music Box material hits the spot for me

I'd say the exact opposite

IMO, Music Box is the worthwhile addition, and Emotions hits the top spot. But it's a matter of personal taste.

"The Wind" is actually one of my least favorite Mariah songs.

That's a pitty, because it's a genuine cover of a great jazz standard.

I much prefer the Music Box ballads to most of the ones on Emotions..."And You Don't Remember", "If It's Over", "So Blessed", "Till The End Of Time", and "The Wind", although well-sung, are a bit too slow and samey for me, dragging the album down :x

Again, it's the opposite for me

If It's Over is just perfection to my ears. It's the kind of songs only Mariah can sing. I strongly disagree on those songs being samey. But again... tastes.

**shanicefan** · Sat November 14, 2009, 17:32

I agree with the ones who said that "Music box" sounds like a polished version of "Emotions". That's exactly what I thought when I listened to it for the very first time in 1993. It had the same structure but less soulful. Mariahs voice sounded clearer on it.
I still believe that Mariahs debut is her best and most versatile collection. I had to get used to the ballad-heavy "Emotions" at first but I began to love it almost as much. Then came "Music box" which I couldn't appreciate at first. It was only when I saw her live versions of the songs that I started to love it.
TBH - I thought that each Mariah album was worse than it's predecessor. "Butterfly" was a big dissapointment because of her voice and the hip hop influnce. I lost all my faith in MC back then. I already didn't like "Daydream" that much. Ironically things changed a few years later. After I got used to Mariahs new style and voice I started to love "Butterfly". Now I think that "Music box" is probably her second worst album of the 90ies (after "Rainbow"). I still love her debut the most though. And I am glad that she came back with EOM (my second fave of her).

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Mariah Carey - Music Box

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