Mariah Carey – #1's (2xLP, Metallic Silver & Black Swirl Vinyl)

Mariah Carey's #1's gathers the first 13 chart-topping singles of a run that made her one of the defining pop voices of the 1990s. Originally released in 1998 as her first compilation, it works less like a stopgap and more like a snapshot of an era when her singles regularly dominated the charts, from the breakthrough of "Vision of Love" to the late-90s polish of "My All."

The set balances big ballads and slick R&B-pop with just enough range to show how quickly Carey expanded her sound. Early No. 1s such as "Vision of Love" and "Emotions" established the vocal power and melodic control that made her famous, while later hits including "Fantasy" and "Honey" point to the more hip-hop-aware direction of her mid-to-late 90s records. This edition also preserves the bonus material that helped make the original album more than a straightforward hits package, including the Jermaine Dupri collaboration "Sweetheart," the Whitney Houston duet "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt, and "I Still Believe."

For anyone coming to Mariah Carey through the singles that defined her first decade, #1's remains a concise and genuinely useful overview. AllMusic called it her "best, most consistent album," which makes sense for a collection built from such a concentrated run of chart success.

Features

• 2xLP, Metallic Silver & Black Swirl Vinyl, Limited Edition
• Remastered at 24-bit Hi-Res Audio for vinyl

Reviews

• filled with songs that represent state-of-the-art '90s adult contemporary and pop-oriented urban soul. - AllMusic.com