June 29, 1990

Definitely a star in the making.

June 29, 1990

Doesn't offer a striking enough showcase for her remarkable gifts.

July 8, 1990

The smooth production and restrained arrangement allows the focus to remain on Carey, and she makes the most of it.

July 8, 1990

I could hear and feel the intensity in her voice on every song from ballads to uptempo.

July 8, 1990

There's the sense that, as recording of "Mariah Carey" progressed, the singer's coaches took their cues from whatever was new on the pop chart – and wound up a beat behind.

July 12, 1990

The selection of songs is weak, so the listener doesn't get a solid feel for Carey's talents.

July 12, 1990

Sometimes, she just lays back and lets the lyrics speak; that's something you can't teach, something singers usually only learn after years of perfecting their craft.

July 13, 1990

If she's going to stand up to the likes of [Anita] Baker or Lisa Stansfield, she needs more songs like ["I Don't Wanna Cry"] and fewer of the forgettable numbers that fill up the rest of her album.

July 14, 1990

A little on the quiet side, and tailor-designed for candlelight romantics, the album seems to flow better in parts than as a whole.

July 14, 1990

Barely 20 years old, there's hope yet that Carey can find her way past the emotionally barren gloss with which her co-producers ... have surrounded her.