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MARIAH CAREY

3

1990–2018

1148 reviews

20 albums

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW

Caution

4.1

warm reception

unified reaction

28 reviews →

2025

Here for It All

3.5

warm reception

unified reaction

17 reviews →

REVIEW

REVIEW

Mariah Carey

3

3/5

Springfield, MA, USA

July 15, 1990

D5

In general, a fine debut that suffers from its production.

Mariah Carey

3

New York, NY, USA

July 16, 1990

This tour de force feels curiously like assault and battery because the pop enchantress sings everything at maximum intensity, even ballads.

Mariah Carey

4

3.5/4

Chicago, IL, USA

July 19, 1990

Overflowing with sparkling tracks that also showcase her skills as a songwriter, arranger and producer.

Jan DeKnock

Mariah Carey

2

Cleveland, OH, USA

July 20, 1990

The 20-year-old Carey, who has considerable talent, emerges merely as a Whitney retread on her debut outing.

Mariah Carey

4

4/5

Orlando, FL, USA

July 27, 1990

There aren't many singers around who qualify as gifted. But 20-year-old Mariah Carey, daughter of a former New York City Opera singer, is one of them.

Susan M. Barbieri

Mariah Carey

4

Waco, TX, USA

July 28, 1990

1B

Mariah Carey has a beautiful, powerful voice comparable in sheer strength to [Whitney] Houston's, and her debut effort, "Mariah Carey," showcases her talents in a variety of styles.

Karla Price

Mariah Carey

3

Toronto, ON, Canada

July 30, 1990

How she sings is much more impressive than what she sings.

Mariah Carey

3

2.5/5

Tinley Park, IL, USA

August 2, 1990

The sound is great, but there are no musical phrases here that a good bowl of oatmeal won't make you forget easily.

Mariah Carey

4

B+

Boston, MA, USA

August 3, 1990

S18

Doesn't present a fully developed artist. But if you're looking for great promise, it's right here.

Mariah Carey

5

Nanaimo, BC, Canada

August 3, 1990

Unlike many contemporary records where music can dominate vocals as a means of disguising mediocrity, the arrangements her complement and accent Mariah's splendid vocalise.

Ivan Brunet

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

October 9, 2024

What the Critics Said About Mariah Carey's 1991

October 8, 2024

What the Critics Said About Mariah Carey's 1990 Debut Album and How it Changed Over

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