Mariah Carey has been stung by critical charges that she's all vocal bombast and no subtlety, soul, or shading.
Her solution was to make an album in which her celebrated octave-leaping voice would be downplayed and she could demonstrate her ability to sing softly and coolly.
Well, she was partly successful; she trimmed the volume on Music Box.
Unfortunately, she also cut the energy level; Carey sounds detached on several selections.
She scored a couple of huge hits, "Hero" and "Dreamlover," where she did inject some personality and intensity into the leads.
Most other times, Carey blended into the background and let the tracks guide her, instead of pushing and exploding through them.
It was wise for Carey to display other elements of her approach, but sometimes excessive spirit is preferable to an absence of passion.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DreamloverWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey, Dave Hall | Mariah Carey | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | HeroWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | Anytime You Need a FriendWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 4 | Music BoxWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 5 | Now That I KnowMariah Carey, Robert Clivillés, David Cole | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 33 MB |
| 6 | Never Forget YouBabyface, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | Without YouTom Evans, Pete Ham | Mariah Carey | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | Just to Hold You Once AgainWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | I've Been Thinking About YouMariah Carey, Robert Clivillés, David Cole | Mariah Carey | Play | 04:48 | 10 MB | 37 MB |
| 10 | All I've Ever WantedWalter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 41 mins | 96 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 309 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Afanasieff | Arranger, Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Producer, Programming, Synclavier, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Bass |
| 2 | James T. Alfano | Programming |
| 3 | Babyface | Arranger, Composer, Producer |
| 4 | Kyle Bess | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 5 | Jim Carauna | Engineer |
| 6 | Mariah Carey | Arranger, Composer, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Jim Caruana | Assistant Engineer |
| 8 | Dana Jon Chappelle | Engineer, Vocal Engineer |
| 9 | Gary Cirimelli | Programming, Synclavier, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Programming |
| 10 | Robert Clivillés | Arranger, Composer, Drums, Mixing, Percussion, Producer |
| 11 | David Cole | Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Mixing, Producer |
| 12 | Ricky Crespo | Programming |
| 13 | Melonie Daniels | Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Tom Evans | Composer |
| 15 | Frank Filipetti | Engineer |
| 16 | David Gleeson | Engineer |
| 17 | Mick Guzauski | Mixing |
| 18 | Mick Guzouski | Mixing |
| 19 | Dave Hall | Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming, Synthesizer |
| 20 | David Hall | Arranger, Producer |
| 21 | David Beano Hall | Keyboards, Programming, Synthesizer |
| 22 | Pete Ham | Composer |
| 23 | Kayo | Bass |
| 24 | Acar S. Key | Engineer |
| 25 | Ren Klyce | Keyboard Programming, Programming, Synclavier, Synthesizer |
| 26 | Mark Krieg | Engineer |
| 27 | Manny Lacarrubba | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 28 | Michael Landau | Guitar |
| 29 | Shawn V. Lucas | Programming |
| 30 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 31 | Kent Matcke | Engineer |
| 32 | Cindy Mizelle | Vocals (Background) |
| 33 | Jennifer Monnar | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 34 | Kelly Price | Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Shanrae Price | Vocals (Background) |
| 36 | L.A. Reid | Vocals (Background) |
| 37 | Bob Rosa | Engineer, Mixing |
| 38 | Daryl Simmons | Arranger, Producer |
| 39 | Kirk Yano | Engineer, Tracking |
| 40 | Jim "Z" Zumpano | Engineer |
| 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). |