Upon its release, Butterfly was interpreted as Mariah Carey's declaration of independence from her ex-husband (and label president) Tommy Mottola, and to a certain extent, that's true.
Butterfly is peppered with allusions to her troubled marriage and her newfound freedom, and the music is supposed to be in tune with contemporary urban sounds instead of adult contemporary radio.
Nevertheless, it feels like a Mariah Carey album, which means that it's a collection of hit singles surrounded by classy filler.
What is surprising about Butterfly is the lack of up-tempo dance-pop.
Apart from the Puffy Combs-produced "Honey," Butterfly is devoted to ballads, and while they are all well-crafted, many of them blend together upon initial listening.
Subsequent plays reveal that Carey's vocals are sultrier and more controlled than ever, and that helps "Butterfly," "Break Down," "Babydoll," and the Prince cover, "The Beautiful Ones," rank among her best; also, the ballads do have a stronger urban feel than before.
Even though Butterfly doesn't have as many strong singles as Daydream, it's one of her best records, illustrating that Carey is continuing to improve and refine her music, which makes her a rarity among her '90s peers.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HoneyMariah Carey, Sean Combs, Kamaal Fareed, Sass Jordan, David Morales, B.J. Robinson | Mariah Carey | Play | 05:01 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 2 | ButterflyWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 3 | My AllWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | The RoofS. Barnes, Mariah Carey, Albert Johnson, Kejuan Muchita, Jean-Claude Olivier, Corey Rooney | Mariah Carey | Play | 05:14 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | Fourth of JulyWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | BreakdownMariah Carey, Al Henderson, Steven Howse, Steven Jordan, C. Scruggs | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 7 | BabydollMariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Stevie J, Corey Rooney | Mariah Carey | Play | 05:07 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 8 | Close My EyesWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:21 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | Whenever You CallWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:21 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)Mariah Carey, Elton John, D. Morales, David Morales, Bernie Taupin | Mariah Carey | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 11 | The Beautiful OnesPrince | Mariah Carey | Play | 06:59 | 16 MB | 48 MB |
| 12 | OutsideWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:47 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 13 | Honey (So So Def Radio Mix) | Mariah Carey, Da Brat, JD | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 14 | Honey (Def Club Mix) | Mariah Carey | Play | 06:17 | 14 MB | 44 MB |
| 67 mins | 155 MB | |||||
| 67 mins | 459 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clarence ? | Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Chris Abell | Project Coordinator |
| 3 | Walter Afanasieff | Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming, Synthesizer |
| 4 | Chris Apostle | Project Coordinator |
| 5 | Christopher Austopchuk | Art Direction |
| 6 | S. Barnes | Composer |
| 7 | Oswald "Wiz" Bowe | Assistant Engineer |
| 8 | Mariah Carey | Arranger, Composer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Dana Jon Chappelle | Engineer |
| 10 | Michael Ciro | Guitar |
| 11 | Sean Combs | Composer, Producer |
| 12 | Ian Dalsemer | Assistant Engineer |
| 13 | Melonie Daniels | Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Dru Hill | Arranger, Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 15 | Missy Elliott | Composer |
| 16 | Bill Esses | Engineer |
| 17 | Kamaal Fareed | Composer |
| 18 | David Gleeson | Engineer |
| 19 | Franklin Grant | Engineer |
| 20 | Ron Grant | Arranger |
| 21 | Mick Guzauski | Mixing |
| 22 | Al Henderson | Composer |
| 23 | Steven Howse | Composer |
| 24 | Stevie J | Composer, Drum Programming, Keyboard Programming, Keyboards, Producer |
| 25 | Ron Jaramillo | Design |
| 26 | Elton John | Composer |
| 27 | Albert Johnson | Composer |
| 28 | Steve Jones | Assistant Engineer |
| 29 | Sass Jordan | Composer |
| 30 | Steven Jordan | Composer |
| 31 | Krayzie Bone | Guest Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 32 | Trey Lorenz | Guest Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 33 | The LOX | Vocals |
| 34 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 35 | Glen Marchese | Engineer |
| 36 | Mase | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 37 | Tony Maserati | Mixing |
| 38 | Vlado Meller | Mastering |
| 39 | Ann Mincieli | Assistant Engineer |
| 40 | Gary Montoute | Organ (Hammond) |
| 41 | D. Morales | Composer |
| 42 | David Morales | Arranger, Composer, Mixing, Producer |
| 43 | Kejuan Muchita | Composer |
| 44 | Jean-Claude Olivier | Composer |
| 45 | Donald Parker | Keyboards, Piano |
| 46 | Mike Perry | Photography |
| 47 | Michael Phillips | EWI |
| 48 | Poke & Tone | Drum Programming, Producer |
| 49 | Herb Powers | Mastering |
| 50 | Kelly Price | Vocals (Background) |
| 51 | Prince | Composer |
| 52 | Q-Tip | Drum Programming |
| 53 | Artie Reynolds | Guitar (Bass) |
| 54 | B.J. Robinson | Composer |
| 55 | Corey Rooney | Composer, Drum Programming, Keyboard Programming, Keyboards, Producer |
| 56 | Ken Ross | Assistant Engineer |
| 57 | Peter "Ski" Schwartz | Keyboards |
| 58 | Mike Scott | Engineer, Mixing |
| 59 | C. Scruggs | Composer |
| 60 | Dan Shea | Drum Programming, Keyboards, Programming, Rhythm Programming, Sound Design, Sound Effects |
| 61 | Barbara Stout | Assistant |
| 62 | David Sussman | Engineer |
| 63 | Mary Ann Tatum | Vocals (Background) |
| 64 | Bernie Taupin | Composer |
| 65 | Greg Thompson | Assistant Engineer |
| 66 | Michael Thompson | Photography |
| 67 | Michael Thompson | Photography |
| 68 | Satoshi Tomiie | Arranger, Producer |
| 69 | Nathaniel Townsley | Drums |
| 70 | Richard Travali | Engineer |
| 71 | Doug Wilson | Engineer |
| 72 | Wish Bone | Guest Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |