EP 3 | Rainbow by Mariah Carey (1999)

Ep. 3 | Rainbow by Mariah Carey (1999)

To some, she’s just the Queen of Christmas. To others, she’s simply QUEEN. Pop diva Mariah Carey is one of my all time favorites, for many many reasons. Released at the turn of the 21st century, “Rainbow” marked a stark departure from her earlier pop popularity. Having experimented with more urban (aka R&B & Hip Hop) sounds previously - particularly in prior album “Butterfly" - “Rainbow” illustrates a singer who is more comfortable displaying her vocal chops and genre-expanding range. The album features R&B and Hip Hop power houses including Missy Elliot, Da Brat, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and 98 Degrees. Themes of Rainbow include the tried and true trope of sunshine arising after rain, trials preceding triumph. While things may be hard, it will not be hard always. Singles are “Heartbreaker,” “Thank God I Found You,” “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme),” and “Crybaby.” Personal favorites are “Crybaby" ft Snoop Dogg, “Bliss,” and “Heartbreaker remix” ft Da Brat and Missy Elliott.

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If you’ve ever written Mariah Carey off as anything other than an absolute icon, here’s a chance to explore some of the work that gives her that status. If you know she’s an icon but are a novice to her music, “Rainbow” is a great place to start. 

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Podcast episode is now available at Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. All links are in the bio.