"I Refuse to Falter." — A Mariah Carey Review Series: Rainbow

Rainbow, 1999

In 1999, Mariah Carey released her seventh studio album, Rainbow. This album served as a new chapter for Carey, one that seek to shed the skin of her past and brings her to the rainbow's end of the happier side of life. While not necessarily out of the ordinary (her 'ordinary' is extraordinary for common people), it certainly contains some of her most exciting music up to that point in time. Her ballads and bops have gotten so evolved that even her most grumpy naysayer would probably be in awe at the sheer musicality being displayed here.

Songs such as "Heartbreaker" and "How Much" packed a center sweet quality like a hard candy which leaves listeners craving for more. Ballads like "Can't Take That Away" and "After Tonight" are worthy addition to her canon, while "Bliss" in all of its whistle-notes-soaked glory is probably her best use of the vocal register ever. The writing is playful at times, notably on the remix of "Heartbreaker" with features of Da Brat and Missy Elliott. There's also the continuation of personal subject matter such as childhood trauma and a woman's struggle in a post divorce reality on the "Petals" and "Rainbow (Interlude)" combo. Altogether, this album served as a well rounded reminder of who Carey was throughout the 90s and solidified her as the Artist of the Decade despite other successful musicians within the same decade. It was so nice, until it turned for the worst. Next, Glitter.

Love, Daud.

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