Mariah Carey

With the release of Rainbow, Ms. Carey pushed ahead of the Beatles as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent at the top of the singles chart. On this release, her five-octave range takes a backseat to guest vocalists, easy hip-hop beats, dance grooves and plenty of flesh-peddling videos.

For a singer with such an impressive vocal range, Mariah Carey used to display a narrow
understanding of her musical milieu -- no amount of piercing coloratura could breathe life
into singles that were nothing more than hit-radio vehicles. But with the hip-hop-lite
makeover she initiated on the Ol' Dirty Bastard remix of "Fantasy" and continued on 1997's
Butterfly, Carey traded a diva's timelessness for youthful relevance. She expand... More >

Not a "real" r&b thrush, but good enough to fake it ("Heartbreaker," "Crybaby"). (Grade - **)