Charmbracelet

Performer: Mariah Carey
Artist: Jay-Z; Cam'Ron; Freeway; Kelly Price; Joe
Engineer: Kevin Guarnieri; Colin Miller; Dana Jon Chappelle; Kevin G.; Asif Ali; Brian Frye; Dana Chappelle; Bill Molina; Ken Lewis; Jon Smeltz; Paul Gregory; Phil Tan; Steve Hodge; Brian Springer
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Mariah Carey (vocals); Kelly Price, Joe (vocals); Jay-Z, Cam'Ron, Freeway (rap vocals); Just Blaze, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis (various instruments); Erick E. Bass (acoustic guitar); Rob Bacon (guitar); Sandra Parks Tremants, Sharon Yamada, Lisa E. Kim, Myung Hi Kim, Fiona Simon (violin); Evan Wilson, Karen Bakunin, Denyse Buffum, Matt Funes (viola); Larry Corbett, Elizabeth Dyson, Jeremy Turner (cello); Kenneth Crouch (acoustic piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Lionel Cole (piano); Randy Jackson, Oscar Maza, John Patitucci, Reggie Hamilton (bass); Trevor Lawrence (percussion, programming); Alex Richbourg (programming); Mary Ann Tatum, Jermaine Dupri, Trey Lorenz, Melanie Daniels (background vocals). Producers: Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Just Blaze, Mariah Carey. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Personnel: Mariah Carey (vocals, background vocals); Kelly Price (vocals, background vocals); Jay-Z (rap vocals); Michael Thompson (guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, nylon-string guitar, bass synthesizer); Robert Bacon (guitar, electric guitar); David Ryan Harris , Billy Odum, William Odum, Rob "Fonksta" Bacon, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Bobby Ross Avila (guitar); Eric Johnson (acoustic guitar); Michael Hart Thompson (electric guitar, steel guitar, nylon-string guitar, strings, bass synthesizer, percussion); Liza Lim, Jung Sun Yoo, Fiona Simon, Ann Kim, Soo Hyun Kwon, Melissa Kleinbart, Myung Hi Kim, Lisa Kim, Suzanne Ornstein, Laura Seaton, Sharon Yamada (violin); Matt Funes, Matt Gunes, Tom Rosenthal, Karen Elaine Bakunin, Dawn Hannay, Karen Dreyfus, Robert Rinehart, Evan Wilson, Denyse Buffum (viola); Dan Smith, Steve Richards (cello, strings); Elizabeth Dyson, Jeremy Turner, Daniel Smith , Suzie Katayama, Larry Corbett, Jeanne LeBlanc, Mary Wooten (cello); Alyssa Park, John Wittenberg, Michelle Richards, Eve Butler, Joel Derouin, Peter Kent, Sara Parkins, Lesa Terry, Armen Garabedian, Darius Campo, Michele Richards, Susan Chatman, Charlie Bisharat, Mario Diaz de Leon (strings); Printz Board (trumpet); Kenneth Crouch (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer); Lionel Cole (piano, bass synthesizer); Andrew Sherman (piano); Randy Jackson (bass guitar, percussion); Trevor Lawrence (drums, percussion, drum programming); Carl "Butch" Small, John Lemkuhi (percussion); DJ Vice, 7 Aurelius (programming); John Mitchell , Alexander Richbourg, John D Mitchell (drum programming); Mary Ann Tatum, Jermaine Dupri, Melonie Daniels, Trey Lorenz (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Dexter Simmons; Florian Ammon; Ken Lewis ; Jermaine Dupri; Jon Smeltz; Mick Guzauski; Andre Harris; Phil Tan; Steve Hodge; Vidal Davis. Recording information: Capri Digital Studios, Capri, Italy; Capro Studio, Capri, Italy; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; Enterprise 2 Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Enterprise STudios, Los Angeles, CA; Flyte Studio, Edina, MN; Flyte Tyme Studio, Edina MN; Henson Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Henson Studios, Los Angeles, CA; In His Trailer On A Movie Set, Blythe, CA; Quad Recording, New York, NY; Right Track Studios, New York, NY; SouthSide Studios, Atlanta, GA; Studio Atlantis, Los Angeles, CA; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA; The Studio, Phildelphia, PA; The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA; The Womb, Los Angeles, CA; Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA; Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, CA; Zac Recording, Atlanta, GA. Photographers: Ray Lego; Carlo Dalla Chiesa; Sante d'Orazio. If it didn't follow Glitter, the gold standard for diva implosions in the early 21st century, Mariah Carey's Charmbracelet would simply be her worst album, but since it was rushed out in late 2002 in an effort to mask that disaster, to treat it as if it never happened, it achieves a special kind of grandeur -- it's a botched attempt to restore a career after a botched attempt at a crossover. Of course, the Carey party line, including her new label Island (who has sponsored her vanity imprint, MonarC), claims her lone Virgin album, Glitter, shouldn't be considered an official Mariah album since it was a soundtrack, but not only does that theory not hold water (perhaps Purple Rain shouldn't be considered a Prince album, then?), it signals that everybody realizes that Glitter wasn't just a disaster, but that her whole ghetto-fabulous trip of the late '90s eroded her core MOR audience. So, with Charmbracelet, the backpedalling is immediately evident, from the demure photos gracing the artwork (the tight shorts of Rainbow are long gone) and the first single/opening track "Through the Rain," a slow ballad designed as "Vision of Love" meets "Hero." Mariah is back in the adult contemporary camp, no longer trying to prove that she's real. She hasn't completely abandoned hip-hop, but whenever it rears its head on Charmbracelet, it's utterly jarring, whether it's Jay-Z's and Freeway's guest spots on "You Got Me," the club-ready groove of "You Had Your Chance" (built on the same bassline as "Nuthin' But a G Thang"), or the blatant rewrite of Cam'ron's "Oh Boy" on "Boy (I Need You)" (he may endorse it with a cameo, yet the sampled vocal hook remains singularly annoying no matter how it's presented), or the crackling vinyl used as ambient noise on "Irresistible," or the distracting use of dripping water as percussion on "I Only Wanted." Weirdly enough, even these detours are nothing more than flourishes -- window-dressing on songs that remain firmly in the middle of the road, since that's where the sales are, or at least where Mariah's aging fan base is. This, of course, is not a problem, since she's done hip-hop-influenced dance tunes and ballads very well before. What is a problem is that there are no good songs on this record outside of Def Leppard's power ballad classic "Bringin' on the Heartbreak," which isn't even covered all that well. What is a greater problem is that Mariah's voice is shot, sounding in tatters throughout the record. Whenever she sings, there's a raspy whistle behind her thin voice and she strains to make notes throughout the record. She cannot coo or softly croon, nor can she perform her trademark gravity-defying vocal runs. Her voice is damaged, and there's not a moment where it sounds strong or inviting. That alone would be disturbing, but since the songs are formless and the production bland -- another reason why the hip-hop announces itself, even though it's nowhere near as pronounced as it has been since Butterfly -- her tired voice becomes the only thing to concentrate on, and it's a sad, ugly thing, making an album that would merely have been her worst into something tragic. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine From the demure photos gracing the artwork (the tight shorts of Rainbow are long gone) and the first single/opening track "Through the Rain," a slow ballad designed as "Vision of Love" meets "Hero," it's evident that Mariah is back in the adult contemporary camp. She hasn't completely abandoned hip-hop -- Jay-Z and Freeway guest on "You Got Me," there's a the club-ready groove for "You Had Your Chance" (built on the same bassline as "Nuthin' But a G Thang"), and a take-off of Cam'ron's "Oh Boy" on "Boy (I Need You)" (which he endorses with a cameo); there's the crackling vinyl used as ambient noise on "Irresistible," and the use of dripping water as percussion on "I Only Wanted." She also covers Def Leppard's power ballad classic "Bringin' on the Heartbreak." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine After Mariah Carey seemingly hit a creative and personal bottom between all her emotional upheaval, a lost label deal, and a flop film debut, CHARMBRACELET appeared to be the highly anticipated record that could very well decide whether she could regain her status in the pop world. Fear not, as the Long Island native bounces back nicely by playing to her strengths as an exceptional balladeer and someone with an ear for a catchy fusion of hip-hop beats and R&B rhythms. Carey's flirtation with rap continues as she shares a mike with Cam'ron on "Boy (I Need You)" while sampling his song of the same name, slips into the slow rollin' "Freeway" with Jay-Z and the groovalicious West Side Connection hook-up "Irresistible". This uber-diva also goes to church with the gospel-flavored "My Saving Grace," admonishes Eminem for starting unfounded rumors of a romance between the duo on "Clown," and does a fine job turning Def Leppard's "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" from a metal power ballad to a smoother lament. All this cathartic venting is topped by "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy," a heartfelt tribute to Carey's recently deceased father.

Vibe (2/03, p.137) - "...CHARMBRACELET has moments of both frivolity and restraint....her latest is classic Mariah..." - Rating: 3.5 discs

With her multi-octave voice and more than 80 million records sold worldwide, it's no surprise that pop diva Mariah Carey is viewed as the successor to Whitney Houston. She emerged as the premier R&B/pop songstress of the 1990s, and by the end of the decade had shifted gears a bit by collaborating with the likes of Ol' Dirty Bastard and incorporating elements of hip-hop into her sound. Though her 2001 big-screen debut, GLITTER, was a total flop and something of a blow to Carey's seemingly Teflon career, her 2005 comeback record, THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI, solidified her status as a true pop-music diva.

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