Rainbow＜完全生産限定盤＞

【マライア・キャリー デビュー30周年企画】1999年発売 『Rainbow』をアナログ盤で再発売(リマスター盤)

90年代最後のアルバム。前作『Butterfly』のR&B/HIP-HOP路線を踏襲しながら、デヴィッド・フォスター、ジャム&ルイスなど大物プロデューサーも起用。ジェイ・Zやアッシャー、ミッシー・エリオット、ジョーなど豪華なゲスト陣も魅力。シングル・カットされた「Heartbreaker」「Thank God I Found You」が全米No.1を獲得している。

Mariah Carey claims Rainbow, her first album since divorcing Tommy Mottola, "chronicles my emotional roller coaster ride of the past year," but less subjective listeners could be forgiven for viewing it as simply another Mariah Carey album. After all, all the elements are in place -- the crossover dance hits, the ballads, the cameos, the hip producers, the weird cover choice from the early '80s. But dig a little deeper, and her words ring true. Rainbow is the first Carey album where she's written personal lyrics, and allusions to her separation from Mottola are evident throughout the album, even if it doesn't really amount to the "story" she mentions in the liner notes. As appropriate for any introspective album, it's a bit ballad-heavy, which makes Rainbow seem a little samey. Yet that's not the only reason the record has a weird sense of deja vu, since this follows the same formula as its two predecessors, distinguished primarily by her newfound fondness for flashing flesh. That repetition isn't necessarily a problem, since she does formula very well, managing to appeal to both housewives as well as b-boys. Rainbow proves that she can still pull off that difficult balancing act, but it's hard not to be a little disappointed that she'd didn't shake the music up a little bit more -- after all, it would have been a more effective album if the heartbreak, sorrow, and joy that bubbles underneath the music were brought to the surface. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine