Music : Music Box

Rating: - beautiful
1993 was a really good year. With janet. and Toni Braxton releasing their great albums. I was only 5 and starting school and meeting my best friend around this album came out. The only two songs I remember from this album were Hero and Dreamlover which were two of her biggest hits back then. The album was mostly comprised of ballads with a few dance tracks, but I didn't find this album to be boring. I find it to be a beautiful masterpiece. I love all of the songs on this album. I could relate to nearly all the songs and they have been inspiring. so let's start out with the tracks, shall we?

1. Dreamlover-i remember watching the video where she was in the cornfields. it was a great summer song to start off the album with. 5/5

2. Hero- this song has got to be the most overated song in Mariah's career. it comes close to Whitney's Greatest Love of All or I will always Love You. lol. but i do like how the lyrics sends out a good message. 5/5

3. Anytime You Need A Friend-I think this song is the underrated version of Hero. It's uplifiting and comforting the same way as Hero. And the lyrics remind me of Janet's Lonely song from Rhythm Nation (also a great album). both songs talk about you can always rely on them whenever you need a friend. 5/5

4. Music Box- i really like how the music box is playing the background. the melody is kind of similar to Just To Hold You Once Again. and speaking of music box, i have one myself but don't know if it still works tho. 5/5

5. Now That I Know-great dance track if you feel you feel very happy at the moment. 5/5

6. Never Forget You-this song kinda reminds me of Boys II Men's End of the Road. it was produced by babyface. i love him and his work! 5/5

7. Without You-i've never heard the original so i can't make comparisons but whatever the original sounds like, i think she did a wonderful job on this song. i could actually feel the emotions in this song. i can so relate to this song. great job, mariah! 5/5

8. Just To Hold You Once Again-i swear Mariah is psychic. it's like she really knows what people go thru. I can relate to these lyrics alot and it makes me cry. this reminds me of something to remember by madonna. both songs say even though i'm not ur lover and friend, i guess u will always be a part of me. 5/5

9. I've Been Thinking About You-great. 4/5

10. All I Ever Wanted-yes, yes, yes, i do!!!! 5/5

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Rating: - Music Box
With each new Mariah release, I tend to go back to her earlier albums and listen to them again and this time I selected MUSIC BOX. Honestly this was never one of my favorite albums and I didn't actually purchase it until about a year or two AFTER I'd purchased BUTTERFLY.

It is a good, well constructed album that perfectly symbolizes where Mariah stood career-wise at that time. According to her accounts today, she was micro-managed and only allowed to produce songs that appealed more to the adult contemporary market yet I believe this album remains her biggest seller to date primarily due to the touching ballads and her heartfelt delivery of the songs.

Listening to it today, I still love the songs that I loved "back in the day": ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND, HERO, DREAMLOVER, WITHOUT YOU & MUSIC BOX. I also gained a new appreciation for: NOW THAT I KNOW - a fun uptempo track; ALL I'VE EVER WANTED & NEVER FORGET YOU - two beautiful ballads.

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Rating: - 90s pop music at its best
Already an established pop phenomenon by 1993, no one thought Mariah Carey could top the success she had. But she proved naysayers wrong by releasing this album, which remains the most successful album of her career.

While nowadays her lyrics are more expressive of her feelings, at this time she used her vocals to show where her mindset was. Here she doesn't seem to use either, and for the only time thus far, Mariah Carey released material that sounds a lot like going through the motions. To date, this is probably her most impersonal album.

That being said, the material on here is top notch. Her two big hits (which still remain two of the biggest hits of her career), "Dreamlover" and "Hero," represent her seemingly effortless ability to appeal to both younger and older audiences. The former is a light, feel good song that just gives you a happy feeling, and the latter is an inspiring slow ballad that is perfect for adult contemporary stations. The rest of the album is set up like that, with songs like "Dreamlover" ("Now That I Know," "I've Been Thinking About You) and "Hero" ("Anytime You Need a Friend," "Without You," "Never Forget You") all mixed together.

The songs are fantastic, as is Mariah's vocals, but this album is more representative of her commercial savvy than her artistic. It's not her very best album, but it is a lot better than some.

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Rating: - Excellent album
I love this album and great vocals. Great songs especially Anytime you need a friend. Mariha's voice sounds amazing, too bad she has been loosing it ever since.

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Rating: - One of Mariah's Greatest Albums Ever
"Music Box" would have to be one of Mariah's greatest albums ever (in my personal opinion, that is.) Here's a review of the songs from this delightful album.

1.) Dreamlover: Such a cool song. It's so upbeat and fun to sing along to.
2.) Hero: A beautiful ballad talking about how there's a "hero" in all of us.
3.) Anytime You Need a Friend: This is a wonderful uplifting song.
4.) Music Box: A sweet ballad with the music played like a music box.
5.) Now That I Know: A good upbeat song that's fun to dance along to.
6.) Never Forget You: One of my favorite Mariah ballads. She talks about how she'll never forget her love. So sweet!
7.) Without You: A great beautiful version of this song originally sung by Nillson.
8.) Just To Hold You Once Again: Another soulful and uplifting ballad.
9.) I've Been Thinking About You: A cool hip\hop-like dance song.
10.) All I Ever Wanted: A beautiful ballad to end the album.

This album is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy!!!