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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent album showcasing a very talented artist, February 6, 2000
I don't understand why some naysayers don't give Mariah the props she deserves. This is an artist who is not only an extraordinary singer but she also writes each and every one of her own songs, composes her music, produces her records, provides her own backing vocals and even takes part in directing her music videos. Unlike most "divas", Mariah is also one of the few artists who always sings "live" (unlike Celine, Janet or Madonna who use vocal tracks or lip synch in theirs concerts) when she performs. Can you get any more talented than this! Since her debut, Mariah Carey has sold nearly 130 million records (and counting!) worldwide.. more than any other (female) artist. And this feat she has accomplished in less than 10 years! Daydream is one of the best albums in her career (followed by Butterfly) so far. My favorite tracks are Fantasy (both versions), Always Be My Baby, Open Arms, Melt Away, Forever, and I Am Free. But I love every single track on this album. One Sweet Day, Underneath The Stars, and When I Saw You plus Daydream, Long Ago and Looking In are also good songs. If you haven't purchased this album yet, go and get it as soon as you can because you don't know what you are missing. If you like this album you should love Butterfly. One of my other Mariah favourites is Music Box but it has a more pop sound to it as opposed to R&B/Hip Hop. But they are all great albums.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One sweet album, which I embrace with open arms, October 4, 2003
Daydream come true. I used to think Music Box was the best Mariah Carey album. However, I've been listening to this one more than ever, and realized that it's full of the songs I associate Mariah with, those sweet, caressing ballads that cover me like a warm blanket."Fantasy" after beginning with ethereal sounds, Mariah's haunting voice, and then that sweet piercing high note, then goes into a skippy thumping dance number overlaid with a sample of the Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love". It's an evolution from "Dreamlover", more upbeat, with better lyrics. This song is real, not just a sweet sweet fantasy. Interesting to see Mariah's co-musical collaborators--Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz of Talking Heads, and Adrian Belew. "Underneath The Stars" is a slow R&B dance number with strong bass defining the tempo of the rhythm and its sweet and languid qualities. OK, hands down, this is Mariah's best song ever, and I'm not saying this because it monopolized the Billboard charts for weeks. "One Sweet Day" is the zenith of the gospel-tinged Mariah ballad that set people tingling since "Vision Of Love" stormed on radio. This song makes "Vision" sound a raindrop, and like "Vision", is another religious song masquerading as a pop song, but the bittersweet thoughts of the chorus Then comes a familiar opening lyric, "Lying beside you, here in the dark..." with that piano. Yes, it's written by Steve Pery and Jonathan Cain. But when Mariah sings those opening words to "Open Arms", it's got that silky, sultry touch, as if she's brushing my ear with her lips. Her voice rises to its smooth soulfulness when she sings the chorus. I could listen to this over and over, and it'd be something I'd want a prospective missus to give me in a mix tape. What a daydream, eh? The swaying mid-tempo "Always Be My Baby" is another #1 song and another candidate for a possible love tape for me. It was produced by Jermaine Dupri, for which I give him credit. He also does "Long Ago". "I Am Free" is another gospelish ballad, and after wandering through misery, she is free...to do what? "Free to live/free to laugh/free to soar/free to shine/free to give/free to love/free enough to fly." I need to paste that on my binder. "When I Saw You" is another favourite here. rhythmically paced in 1,2,3,4 beat per syllable: "When I saw you (1234), When I Saw You (1234)/ I could not breathe (1234), I fell so deep (1234)" and Mariah's voice sounds so rich and potent here I find it irresisible "Melt Away" sizzles with another low sultry opening vocal. Given that it is co-written by Babyface, its smooth R&B overtones is not surprising. The next one is another stunning ballad. The piano, strings lullaby "Forever" has Mariah loving someone despite their parting and vowing to return should he need her. The R&B-techno of "Daydream Interlude" leads into the final ballad, which is more melancholy and might be a reflection of Mariah. "Looking In" basically says despite the world of fame and fantasy, "she smiles through a thousand tears" and "wades in insecurity." So, many wonderful ballads, three of which I cherish so much, three other songs I'd want some girl to tape for me, that my heart nearly melted to tears. That may also be the reason why she made a drastic shift to guest rappers in Glitter three albums later. Still, this album is Mariah's masterpiece, songs that are kisses, tears, and hugs all at once.
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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Melt Away In Heaven With Mariah And Daydream, February 23, 2003
Mariah Carey's sixth album Daydream was released in October 1995 and literally ruled the charts; topping the US chart for 10 weeks and selling more than 22 million copies worldwide - 14 million of that in the US alone. At the time Daydream was released, it was definitely Mariah's greatest album to date and contained some amazing singles - which is probably the prime reason the album did so well. Like Music Box, Daydream is very ballad-heavy but also has that superb hint of up-tempo material that blends so perfectly well to make such an excellent album.
Daydream begins with the superb lead single "Fantasy." The first single to be taken from Daydream, Fantasy is by far my all-time favourite Mariah Carey single. It topped the US chart for a lengthy 8 consecutive weeks and was the first-ever single to go straight in at No.1 by a female artist...just one of the many records Mariah has broken this past decade! The song just simply swings with its bouncy and pure pop theme. The bassline is deep and mysterious and that superb sample of the Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love" is unforgettable. Fantasy is one of those rare songs that still sounds as fresh today as it did back in 1995. "Underneath The Stars" is up next and is such an amazing mid-tempo ballad. The song is about young love and how good it feels to be in love for the first time - very innocent and cheeky. The song has a brilliant and catchy vocal arrangement in the verses and the bit where Mariah croons, "Weak in the knees" at the beginning of the second verse is very classy. Well, what can be said about "One Sweet Day" that hasn't been said before? The words phenomenal, mind-blowing, amazing and superb all spring to mind. This duet with Boyz II Men became Mariah's 8th US No.1, but what's even more amazing is that it topped the US chart for a record 4 MONTHS! Yes, this superb ballad topped the charts for 16 weeks and is officially the longest-running No.1 single in the history of the US singles chart - and deservedly so.
"Open Arms" is the song on track 4 and is another brilliant Mariah ballad, which peaked at No.4 in the UK. The verses are dramatic and the choruses are sweeping - and the lyrics? Don't even get me started on how superb they are! "Always Be My Baby" was the fourth and final single to be taken from this album and peaked at No.3 in the UK in June 1996. It was also Mariah's 10th US No.1 single - surprise, surprise! This superb mid-tempo ballad is very popular amongst Mariah fans, and it's easy to see why; the beat is warm, the verses are breathy and the choruses are catchy. "I Am Free" is another superb song, on the endless list of ballads. The lyrics are the most praise-worthy factor of this song, which give off strong suggestions of Mariah's relationship with her then-husband Tommy Motola. "When I Saw You" is a very emotional ballad with some tear-jerking lyrics. "Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me/Transcending space and time/And I was rendered still/There were no words for me to find at all/As I stood there beside myself/I could see you and no one else," croons Mariah in the first verse. The song builds up to a splendid climax towards the end, when Mariah just lets loose and warbles her heart out with that other-worldy voice.
"Long Ago" is an absolutely brilliant song, and is a welcome change from the ballads that previously set the scene for the majority of Daydream. This song has a very R'n'B feel to it, and is a strong indicator of the style Mariah would thrust herself into on her next album Butterfly. Infact, the song would sound perfect on Butterfly. The bassline is deep and sort of muffled and Mariah's vocals are strong and distinctive. "Melt Away" is another ballad from Mariah that is well above average. The song starts off sounding like Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love For You, but comes into its own when Mariah's vocals enter - Mariah's vocals are better than Whitney's aren't they?...Of course they are!
"Forever" is a rather unusual type of song from Mariah. It's obviously a ballad, but has a rather catchy beat to it - the vocal arrangement definitely helps this along. "Daydream Interlude - Fantasy Sweet Dub Mix" is quite different. This superb dance interlude of Fantasy is a welcome change of pace from the rest of Daydream. The beat is reminiscent of all those no-good one-hit wonders from the early 1990s, but is much more acceptable than that twaddle. "Looking In" is the perfect song to close Daydream and is a superb ballad about how Mariah addresses all those critics and haters who just see her as a rich girl with money to burn and a great pair of lungs. Mariah tells it like it is through superb sounds and emotive lyrical writing. Superb.
OVERALL GRADE: 9/10
Along with "Music Box," "Butterfly" and the excellent "Charmbracelet," I definitely consider Daydream an essential Mariah Carey album for your collection. The way the deep and sweeping ballads are integrated with the dashes of R'n'B, pop and dance makes for one of the most consistent albums of the decade.
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