"If I Could Recapture..." — A Mariah Carey Review Series: The Debut

Recently, I've had an epiphany. A revelation. A vision...of reviewing music of Mariah Carey. So, let's go back to the first time you and I have ever heard about her.

Mariah Carey, 1990

The album starts with a soul ballad titled "Vision of Love." It's a prayer, at least from how I perceived it. The lyrics read like a series of incantation of thanks and glories to God. Interestingly, the songwriting seems to put a heavy emphasis on the "I" figure; I had a vision of love, I realized a dream, I visualized the love that came to be, etc. Mariah's lyrical works have become more and more intricate as years gone by, however, it's fascinating to see how direct the diction chosen for this song and so many other songs on this album.

Next, we continue to "There's Got to Be a Way," which is a song about social movement. Or, perhaps, the plea to enact it. One of the things that makes one feel enamored by the songstress' works especially in later parts of her musical ouvre is her ability to weave socially conscious message into an otherwise personal tale lifted from her life. Here, though, the message is clear and direct: There's got to be a way to change this world into a better one, so let's find it! Perhaps her youth emboldened her stance on social issues early on, but this directness would not make it to any of her works after.

We have several ballads and, surprisingly, uptempo cuts on this album. "I Don't Wanna Cry," another soulful ballad that was worked with Narada Michael Walden, is almost a template of her balladic production moving forward if not for the presence of another song right at the end of the album. "Someday" follows suit, a new jack swing number that sure does get you up and movin', with lyrics that read like half a silly drag and half an angry curse on an ex.

"Vanishing" is a rare gem. A bare, stripped beauty in a work filled with competently, sometime over-, produced songs. It is Mariah singing about ghost of yesterday's past of a once-dear lover. Accompanied by only a stark piano, the tune sure gives you chill. Adorned on top with her signature whistle note, this song is definitely among her best ever.

"All in Your Mind," meanwhile, is a reggae-tinged number that sounds suspiciously similar to her later song (Always Be My Baby, from Daydream, 1995). It's certainly a surprise to hear something so comfortably mid-tempo and cozy, detailing a plea for someone new to "come closer" because you seem so far away. The ending note(s) is insane; staccato whistle on top of another that only she could make it happen so musically complex. After, we have "Alone in Love" which sounds like her first attempt at nailing a '90s contemporary R&B sound, paired with lyrics that may or may not read like the aftermath of a heart wrenching breakup.

The mood of the album almost always shifts, from the breakup ballads to the ones with pulses, to songs about how you need her. However, the true highlight–that almost not made it initially–comes at the end of the album. "Love Takes Time," a delicate yet powerfully sung ballad that seems to put a grey ribbon on top of everything. The songwriting manoeuvres like crazy on this song; notes as light as feather come and go at a measured yet unparalleled precision. Somber tone with a breathtaking climax which occurs during the bridge of it, simply marvelous. It ends with a haunting lyric, "I don't wanna be here alone," and surely, no one could ever reject her plea even through decades after. This is Mariah Carey, and she's just getting started.

- Daud Rotama, Dec 2024