AWESOME ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love every song on this album!!! I have been a Mariah fan for 10 years!!! I love all of her stuff!!! My favorite songs on this album are~ Vision Of Love,Someday,Emotions,Make It Happen,Dreamlover,Hero,Without You,Fantasy,Honey,Butterfly,My All,I Still Believe,Heartbreaker,Can't Take That Away!!! If I could give this album 10 stars I would!!! Mariah's music is inspiring & uplifting!!! BUY IT & LISTEN TO IT!!! ***lOVE YA MARIAH!!!*** ***A MARIAH FAN 4 LIFE!!!***

Mariah's Greatest -- Obviously 5 Stars

It's impossible not to give this album five stars. Before I bought it I knew I'd like it. First and foremost, Mariah is known for her outstanding voice and writing skills. She isn't a joke of an artist and she has been a pioneer in many aspects of music today. Artists like Kelly Clarkson emulate Mariah with stunning vocals and sappy love songs, and other artists as well owe a lot to Mariah, who helped push hip-hop into the mainstream market. However, before I bought this collection, I only owned one or two Mariah albums. Although I am a fan of hers, I'm not a Mariah fanatic who buys all of her albums and reviews everything and gives her five stars simply because it's Mariah. I bought Charmbracelet, and I will admit that besides a couple of songs there's nothing special on it. It's kind of boring actually. But her greatest hits certainly are not.



The first disc contained some hits I knew, the early Mariah hits that were really big in the times when I wasn't listening to music but still heard on the car radio. Vision of Love is a great song and remains one of Mariah's best. Someday, a song I'd never heard before, struck me from the first listen. I absolutely loved it. It screams early 90s and has a cheery/dancy vibe in it, even though the lyrics aren't necessarily cheery. The guitar solo also adds to its fun. The next standout is Emotions. Honestly, I've never heard anyone sing so high in my life; it's remarkable. The next three songs are all great songs, but I'll Be There is definitely the stand out of the three. She sounds amazing live, and this song, along with Dreamlover, were the two that I instantly recognized upon hearing the CD. I remember hearing them on the radio all the time, and I'd find myself always humming the do's from Dreamlover. Surprisingly, I'd never heard Hero before. I never listened to the radio much back then (I was about 10 years old) but I'd heard a lot about the song when I bought it. It's a very pretty song with a good message, but I find it sounds rather ubiquitous among all of the other Mariah ballads. Without You stood out more, as Mariah uses her low register; giving depth and passion into the song. Endless Love to me is nothing special, but Fantasy is a great way to close Disc 1, with a fun beat and great melodies that flow right over the music.



Disc 2 opens with another song I'd never heard before, but instantly loved. Boyz II Men and Mariah blend together nicely, and there is so much passion in the song, which has a message unlike most songs around today. Both the message and the vocals make this song an obvious standout. Always Be My Baby is a nice, smooth song, but I think people give this one more praise than Forever, which I personally like better. Forever is absolutely stunning; great music, amazing vocals, melancholy lyrics, I just love it. Definitely one of my favorites. Underneath the Stars bores me, but Honey is definitely a great song, with a unique beat and the start of Mariah's hip-hop age. Mariah just flows in this song with the easygoing beat. Butterfly appears as another ballad, but this one has more meaning to it. This one is sad yet hopeful, and the vocals are perfect. Held back when necessary but powerful on command, she truly gives a flawless performance and a terrific song. I honestly can listen to this over and over and never get tired of it. My All I also love, but mainly because of the vocals, which really is the reason why most people love Mariah--she has a dazzling voice. The next three songs are ok, nothing special. Sweetheart is dumb, When You Believe I expected to be better, but is ok nonetheless, and I Still Believe is a mediocre ballad with good vocals, but nothing too memorable.



Then we move into the time when I first began watching MTV, and I saw my first Mariah video, Heartbreaker. This song was stuck in my head from day 1. I loved the video and I loved the song, another hip-hop song, only far more dancier and memorable than Honey. One of my favorite Mariah songs of all time. (And the remix on the Rainbow album is terrific as well.) Next is Thank God I Found You, a pretty song with great harmonies. Can't Take That Away has a great message and I personally like better than Hero. It seems more personal and easier to relate to and her voice explodes at the end of this. Simply wonderful. The album concludes with a remix of All I Want For Christmas. Unnecessary, if anything they should've put the original on the album, or put on a better song. But hey, I guess it is a bonus for buying the album.



All in all this greatest hits is perfect for anyone who enjoys easygoing, smooth ballads and dancy cool up tempos. I also highly recommend the Glitter album, which sounds absurd, I know. But in all seriousness, the movie did suck, but the album is one of her best, fraught with up tempos and throwbacks to the 80s. But if you're like me and you aren't the biggest Mariah fan and don't want to buy all of her albums, then this is the quintessential album to own.

not a very representative greatest hits

how can fantasy not be on this CD? What about the hits and brilliance shown in Rainbow? I suggest forgetting this CD exists and buying #1's instead if you want a Mariah greatest hits CD, or better yet buy all her albums.