Customer Reviews

Ballads

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

During the 1990's, I was a big fan of Mariah Carey's music. I absolute loved her music, her voice and I just felt that she was just a beautiful person gifted with an amazing voice.

And with her domination throughout the years when she was part of the Columbia label, there were so many ballads released during that time period which I have listened to so many times. I tend to feel that these older classics really showcased her vocals. Songs such as the elegant track "Hero", to the sad but wonderful duet with Boyz II Men for "One Sweet Day", her remake of Nilsson's 1972 hit "Without You" which she brought such an amazing emotional depth to and just to think that she decided to cover the song after hearing it at a restaurant. Then there's "Endless Love" which features a duet with Luther Vandross, her cover of Brenda K. Starr's "I Still Believe", the beautiful acoustic and slow beat "I Give My All" and the remarkable duet with Whitney Houston for "When You Believe".

The compilation also features live tracks and upbeat tracks. The live performance of Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There" is included especially memorable upbeat tracks such as "Dreamlover", "Always Be My Baby", "Thank God I Found You" featuring Joe and Nas which takes the music and "Make it Last" words from the old school jam by Keith Sweat but with new lyrics and the upbeat "How Much" with Usher and many more.

So, there are a lot of hit songs on this album!

"MARIAH THE BALLADS" is a fantastic compilation. But is it worth it if you own her other albums or her greatest hits album? First, there are some ballads that are missing such as "I Want to Cry", her cover of the Journey song "Open Arms", her cover of the Phil Collins hit "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" which she did a duet with Westlife and truthfully, a lot of these songs on this album and songs that are not on this album can be found on her 2001 "Greatest Hits" album which has more songs, on two discs and because it's an older album, you can find it much cheaper these days.

So, unless you are a hardcore Mariah Carey fan and must own everything, you're probably going to buy it anyway. It's a very good album but in the long run, you can probably save more money by purchasing her 2001 "Greatest Hits" album online. But nevertheless, this album contains a lot of her fantastic, chart-topping hits. Despite it being called a ballad album, some of her faster, upbeat tracks are on this album. But on its own, it's a pretty awesome compilation.

I got my copy of the cd today. This compilation is more for the hard core fans to add to their collection. Of the 18 tracks, 6 songs aren't exactly what you call ballads - "Always Be My Baby", "How Much", "Dreamlover", "Thank God I Found You (Remix)", "The Roof" and "All I Want For Christmas Is You". I was pleasantly surprised though to hear "Reflections" on the album given that it was released under Virgin Records' "Glitter". However, it lacked (Columbia released) ballads like "Love Takes Time", "I Don't Wanna Cry", "Never Forget You", "Forever", "Whenever You Call", "Butterfly" & "Can't Take That Away". And if they really wanted a Christmas song because of the timing of the release of the compilation, they should have instead included "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)".

Mariah Carey has always been a wonderful singer; and this CD offers us many of her best hits with a few lesser known numbers all on one single CD. The quality of the sound is excellent and I really like the artwork as well. Mariah can take a song and infuse so much energy and emotion into it that you can instinctively tell she possesses a singular talent. This is a great CD for her fans and anyone just getting to know the artistry of Mariah Carey.

"Hero" is a major highlight of this album; Mariah sings this with great sensitivity and I really like "Hero." The music that accompanies her fits in just right with her vocals, too. Then we get "One Sweet Day;" this ballad tugs at my heartstrings whenever I hear it and I could never tire of hearing Mariah sing this--and she gets wonderful help from Boyz II Men. Listen also for "Vision Of Love;" this elegant love song features Mariah squarely front and center--right where she deserves to be! Mariah performs "Vision Of Love" without a superfluous note.

"Love Takes Time" has Mariah singing her heart out; and that's grand. The music fits in perfectly; I love that percussion in particular. "I'll Be There" gets a very tender interpretation from Mariah who aces this seemingly effortlessly. Of course, we know it really wasn't so easy--but Mariah Carey's talent always carries her through. Similarly, Luther Vandross joins Mariah for a sensual duet on "Endless Love;" and "Endless Love" is also another highlight of this CD.

"I Still Believe" is simply awesome to hear; and I really like "When You Believe" which features Whitney Houston singing with Mariah for quite a positive effect. "Anytime You Need A Friend" is a very pretty melody with a very fine choir to backup Mariah--not that she needs backup, but it does sound great. There's also "Always Be My Baby" with its awesome beat; Mariah sings this special type of love song with great finesse and a certain sensitivity that I rarely hear or enjoy.

"Dreamlover" also boasts a great beat as Mariah sings her heart out; she gives blood to make "Dreamlover" a truly wonderful number; and the CD ends strong with Mariah performing "Reflections (Care Enough)." "Reflections (Care Enough)" is a most tender ballad that leaves me wanting more!

Every once in a very long while all the stars in all the heavens align just so--and a true star is born. Such was--and is--the case with Mariah Carey. We are all so much better off for Mariah's sharing her talents with us; she is a special entertainer who has immense promise for the future, too. I highly recommend this album for Mariah's fans; and people who enjoy timeless love songs will not be disappointed.

Thank you, Mariah!

This would make a decent first purchase for someone without any of Mariah's better albums or compilations. It combines some of our favorite ballads onto on convenient disc.

"Endless Love" (duet with the great Luther Vandross), "Hero," and "Without You" are the quintessential pieces while tracks like "The Roof" and "How Much" stick out as filler.

There are better compilations out there such as Mariah Carey - #1s (Essential Groups & Artists), which contains one of my favorite ballads "Whenever You Call" (duet with Brian MckNight) - one that should have definitely been included on this The Ballads CD collection had music rights not been a factor.

Most diehard Mariah fans have the tracks on this Ballads CD already, so unless you are without an MP3 player with playlist functionality, you can safely pass on this one.

When it has came down to Mariah Carey, she definitely has shown a real comeback with her appealing voice these past few years on her songs. But when it comes down to it, her signature ballads have always remained as the heart fo her fans. This review is for the Imported version of Mariah's 2008 The Ballads, which the tracks are from the overseas editions from Europe and Japan, not the actual U.S. edition to confuse fans. Sadly though the appeal on this version, doesn't seem to shine on the feeling that Mariah has shown its strength on her big hits. While you do get signature tracks like Vision Of Love, Hero, and Dreamlover, there were a few songs here that weigh the collection down further including lackluster covers of Phil Collins signature Against All Odds, and a less than promising cover of Journey's Open Arms, which doesn't feel as strong as the version that Barry Manilow delivered late last year. Not only that, but her there are a few of her signature tracks that were overlooked here like her duet with Whitney Houston When You Believe, and Can't Let Go. Overall, I really suggest you get the U.S. version as a MP3 download, instead of this version. Over on that version, you'd have more of a vision of a voice than this one had made out to be.

Songs: C

Price: C 1/2-

Remastering: C+

Overall: C 1/2+

All her ballads are what made Mariah Carey famous. I'm sure most agree that her ballads speak directly to one's heart. Great compilation of her songs.

Mariah, when you putting out a new & current "REMIXED" CD? I'm waiting!

I'm sure Sony (Mariah's old label) probably needed the money, but why a ballad collection where a big chunk of the songs are either A) featured on other compilations or B) not even ballads? Don't half ass it. The Roof is an excellent song that I love, but it's not a ballad. Neither are Dreamlover or How Much, but they're here too. Why not throw in the Heartbreaker remix with Da Brat and Missy Elliot while you're at it, Sony? Songs like Butterfly, Petals, or Can't Take That Away would have been much better choices. Actually, it doesn't really matter since you can get those songs on her greatest hits cd. Thank God I Found You (Make It Last remix) can also be found on The Remixes cd. It's a good buy for hardcore or casual fans, but the rest of us will better off not picking it up.

THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR FANS ALIKE, ITS GOT ALL HER CLASSICS! CAN'T WAIT TO GET HER NEW ALBUM "THE MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL" I KNOW THIS ALBUM WILL GIVE HER THE #1'S THAT SHE'LL NEED TO SURPASS THE BEATLES & TAKE HER RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE ONLY ARTIST LIVING WITH MORE #1'S THAN ANY OTHER ARTIST LIVING TODAY!

Mariah Carey has perfect pitch and you can hear it as she uses exact keys and incredible range throughout "The Ballads." I really like the duet with Whitney Houston. They sing, "When You Believe," which was written by Stephen Schwartz and Babyface. It's a well-written song that allows both singers to showcase their talents.

Although this is a great compilation there are soo many great ballads by her missing. Where is "Whenever you call"? it is one of the best and probably the hardest to sing along to. Also Missing is "butterfly" and "never forget you". Who picks the choices? Maybe they should take a poll first and find out what the fans really want. Would be nice to have a new album of original songs that is more like the first 3 albumsMariah Carey. When you have this kind of voice and Talent let it shine without all the theatrics.