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Butterfly

Mariah Carey - Butterfly Audio CD

A fair review of the Mariah Carey "Butterfly" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Mariah Carey reviews here, or go back to the Mariah Carey tabs.

Band: Mariah Carey
Title: Butterfly
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-09-16
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Honey 2: Butterfly 3: My All 4: Roof 5: Fourth of July 6: Breakdown 7: Babydoll 8: Close My Eyes 9: Whenever You Call 10: Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) 11: Beautiful Ones 12: Outside

Blah.
I liked the songs "Honey", "Butterfly" and "My All" but the rest of the album was pretty boring in my opinion. Honestly, I thought this album was boring. I would recommend just downloading the three songs i listed instead of buying the whole album.

Getting skankdafied never sounded so good
Mary J. 1997 was a great year for R&B music. Blige traded in her gritty and raw street sound for more glossy and glistening grooves on Share My World. Janet Jackson tackled her demons and fed her never satisfied libido on the masterpiece The Velvet Rope. Then there's Mariah Carey. From 1990 to 1996, she was the queen of the pop and adult contemporary charts with hits like Vision of Love, Hero, Dreamlover, and Emotions. She dabbled in Hip Hop with the ODB assisted remix of Fantasy with great success. By the time she recorded Butterfly, she dived right in and the result is amazing.

Honey - the first single and the video that introduced the music world to a freer and more scantily "ensembled" Mariah. Riding on a bouncy beat and a funky piano, it's no surprise that it went straight to number one. Puff Daddy (or is it Puffy or P. Diddy?) was a much better producer back in the day.

Butterfly - of course it's a reference to the ending of Mariah's marriage to former Sony head Tommy Mottola. According to her, she felt restricted by him and nearly allowed herself to be crushed by his iron fist. Rather than singing in her perspective, she sings from the view of a person who has tried to keep someone to themselves, but failed. The lyrics are slightly cheesy in some parts, but the music (mournful yet hopeful), Mariah's voice, and the gospel inspired background singers are the highlights.

My All - the 2nd and last number one hit from the album. Accompanied by a Spanish guitar and wistful violins, Mariah longs for her lover. "I'm thinking of you in my sleepless solitude tonight, if it's wrong to love you then my heart just won't let me be right, cuz I'm drowned in you and I won't pull through without you by my side. " The song builds to a great climax that is dramatic without being drowned in too much melisma.

The Roof - My absolute favorite on the whole album! Mobb Deep's The Shook Ones is sampled with a dark, jazzy backdrop and it sounds amazing. The plot is similar to My All, but this one is even better. "Everytime I feel the need, I envision you caressing me and go back in time, to relive the splendor of you and I, on the rooftop that rainy night. " Some of Mariah's best writing is found here (rhyming Moet and liberated is genius) and the video is perfect. Too bad it wasn't released as a single here in the States. I believe it would've been a hit with it's Quiet Storm feel.

Fourth of July - The theme is very similar to Underneath the Stars on Daydream, but FOJ sounds more adult. The music is dreamy and lush. Great song.

Breakdown - Who would have thought that Mariah would ever do a duet with Bone Thugs N Harmony and it would actually work? Certainly not me, but it does. You can hear birds chirping and some piano while Mariah sings about putting on a brave face in front of her ex, but then breaking down in tears in private. The guys have a great rap that flows with the song and it's even longer on the remix. The video for this song is amazing too.

Babydoll - Mimi gets her coo on with this mellow, late night jam produced by Missy Elliott(?!). She's waiting in her hotel room for her lover to show up, but he doesn't call or anything. She does get a lil' sensual with the lyrics ("Zoning out thinkin' bout you and me between the sheets"), but it's tame. Trey Lorenz helps out with background vocals.

Close My Eyes - A light, but slightly serious ballad about Mariah's childhood. She feels like she grew up too soon and is still in many ways "that wayward child as I look at the moon". The soft piano and equally soft background vocals make this a highlight.

Whenever You Call - I'm not really a fan of this one. It's far from bad, but it slows the album down imo and it would fit better on any of her past albums. Still worth a listen.

Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) - Sampling an Elton John song with a house beat, this was the original version of Butterfly Mariah meant to record. However, she recorded the title track and kept this one short. She sings in her own perspective as a woman who is freeing herself from all restraints. Two thumbs up.

The Beautiful Ones - Joined by Sisquo of Dru Hill, Mariah covers a Prince classic. I've never heard the original so I can't compare, but this song is amazing. Some people might complain about the slow pace, but I love it since it builds and builds to a great ending. I think Prince would be proud.

Outside - A great finish. Mariah alludes to being the outsider because of her biracial heritage, but the lyrics are relatable to anybody who has ever felt left out because of who they are. "You'll always be somewhere on the outside. " Once again she builds up to a gospel like ending.

Although there's only one song I'm not that crazy about, the rest of the album is really amazing. At the time of it's release, Butterfly was seen as too much of a departure from Mariah's early work and she lost a good chunk of her original fanbase. On the plus side, she was able to hook new ones who would have never given her a second listening before and she managed to show her love for Hip Hop without sounding gimmicky. She'd stumble through her next few albums, but rise again with The Emancipation of Mimi. Let's not forget that this very album led her to that emancipation.
.

Great album!
Overall, I think this album is good, but I do think 3 of her other albums are alot better. My other review got deleted,so this ones going to be alittle shorter. Daydream, MusicBox, EMC2. I do think the record companies pressured her into being a bit more edgy. Because this was touted as Mariah's makeover. I agree with the reviewer from down below. It's very rememnsicent of janet jackson's velvet rope and Madonna's ray of light. I do think those two cds are alittle better. There's also an interesting youtube video on which she talks about Madonna's ray of light. It almost seems as if they were waiting to see how successful the competition would be. Which i think are the last time those two artists really hit their creative peaks. I do remember MTV always playing this album's videos all the time, and this cd just screams 1997. It brings back good memories. ok,ok! Enough chit chat, lets talk about the songs! The roof, excellent track/video! Really good song. I also loved the 4thof july. I also think that Butterfly has to be one of best ballads of all time. It's truly mariah at her best. My All is an excellent video/song. But doesn't compare to butterfly to me! Honey is a great jam track that has a good club/rap feel to it. and i think it will stand the test of time. Overall, if your thinking about puchasing this cd do it!.

a symbol of freedom
Butterfly is truly one of her best albums and her most personal. Listening to this album takes me back to 1997 and all the memories I had of that year. The theme of this album talks about her freedom and stepping more into her womanhood. I would say it's equivalent to to Janet's Velvet Rope which dealt with depression, homosexuality, and bondage and Madonna's Ray of Light which dealt with rebirth, spirituality, and motherhood. All three of those albums have their own symbols. They're all my favorite.

1. Honey - i love the title of this song and the song itself. this song shows Mariah coming out of her shell. it was a new beginning for her. It's a great opening track. 5/5

2. Butterfly - when i was in private school back then, i remember the 5th grade class was singing this song for their graduation. my school liked to sing inspirational songs. i think this was the first time i heard this song. it's such a beautiful song. 5/5

3. My All - i love the sensual tone in this song especially the video. 5/5

4. The Roof - everytime i hear this song, i got nyc in my mind. i could just picture the the new york city life in my head. it just has this really cool, laidback vibe to it. 5/5

5. Fourth of July - this song really does remind me of "Underneath the Stars". their theme sounds pretty similar. those songs remind me of summer. 5/5

6. Breakdown - this song if definately one of the best from this album. 5/5

7. Babydoll - it kinda sounds a little like aaliyah's one in a million. it's a great rnb song. it channels the popular rnb in the 90s. 5/5

8. Close My Eyes - i love the melody and flow of this song. 5/5

9. Whenever You Call - a very sweet ballad. 4/5

10. Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) - Nice dance mix

11. The Beautiful Ones - i love this remake. . . mariah and dru hill sound good together. and i just love the background music. 5/5

12. Outside - this song is very relatable to me and to anyone who feels like an "outsider". 5/5
.

A Gift
I was given this CD as a present the day it was released back in 1997. One of Mariah's most exceptional Gifts to date. Unfortunatley, There was no AmazonDOTcom to review the album. Therefore, i'm going to express my joy for the album now. I remember hearing "Honey" when it first came to radio and being so excited about Mariah finally releasing yet another album and just knowing that something touching & moving was going to be on it. getting this album home was the best thing that ever happend to me. To make a quicker review I can tell you what my least favorite song on the album is, And it's "The Roof". Alot of fans love that song but it's just does nothing for me. The rest of the album is simply BREATHTAKING. On "Butterfly (Album)" Mariah uses her full range and does vocal gymnastics through-out most of the songs. The songs that literally touched my spirit are "Whenever You Call", "Butterfly", "Close My Eyes" & "Outside". The Melodies of these songs are so beautiful they bring a mist to eyes, "Butterfly" is truly a collection of gorgeous ballads. Over the years, Many have complained about Mariah becoming more of a Sex-Kitten. My thing is aslong as she uses that instrument to sing beautiful eye-watering ballads like these it doesn't matter how she looks [To me atleast]. Overall "Butterfly" is a True Treasure that beholds ,Once again, Some of Mariah's most Quality Material to date. This voice, and the songs that it once sang will be sadly missed. Mariah, thank for such a gift.

You can see a complete list of all Mariah Carey discography, or go back to the Mariah Carey tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.