Mariah's first album release with Virgin Records was one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2001 but unfortunately, also became one of the most controversial releases of the year. First of all, there was the episode with Tommy Mottola and Jennifer Lopez in terms of sample stealing which ended with "Loverboy" having one of the most tragic backtracking track imaginable and successfully becoming one of the weakest track on the album. There was the ill-fated date of release of September 11 for the rest of the world except for Australia and Japan which lead to it's poor performance on the US charts. There was that over publicized emotional and physical breakdown which lead to Carey being hospitalized just weeks before the album was released. This album also unfortunately served as a soundtrack to the film of the same title which Carey also stars in except the film did everything else but "Glitter".
With all that mess aside, "Glitter" is actually a relatively likeable album despite the absolute panning from critics. "Loverboy" was a poor representation to the public to base what the rest of the album would be and an all round weak single. The melody was alright but that jumbled mess of a backing track was severely annoying and does make one wonder if the song would have done better if released in it's accapella version. Plus, having two versions of the song on the album doesn't really help either.
As with every other Mariah album, there is always the ballad department, and on this release, there's three and a half ballads. Do let me explain where the half comes from. Of the three ballads, "Never Too Far" would have to be the stand out track and also became the second single which was severely overlooked therefore failed miserably. It's one of those tracks where you can actually hear what Carey is singing and where she holds a single note for an amazing 15 seconds in the climax. "Lead The Way" is a simply but well constructed ballad which Carey worked on with long time partner Walter Afanesieff. "Reflections (Care Enough)" is the other ballad which deals with the concept of the lack of motherly love to an orphan. The half of a ballad appears in the form of "Twister". "Twister" is not much of a song considering it's only a mere 2 minutes and 26 seconds long because it doesn't really have verses and choruses therefore it's more of a poem that is slowly sung.
And what we have left are Mariah and her collaborations. On this album release, there's nothing less than 11 other artists that contribute their vocals to the tracks. First of all, there are two obvious covers "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" and "Didn't Mean To Turn You On" which are the odes to the 1980's which is where the movie is set in. "Didn't Mean To Turn You On" sees Carey laying her vocals over the actual backing track to the original version of the song which was first released back in 1982. "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" however is a newly recorded track which sees Carey collaborating with Busta Rhymes, Fabulous and DJ Clue therefore the hip hop and R&B influence on the track are apparent. "All My Life" is a new recording despite the fact that it sounds like a cover because it's another ode to the 1980's with the lyrics specifically penned by 80's legend Rick James.
"Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" sees Mystikal contributing his vocals onto the track. However, it's still a mystery to see the single released as Mariah Carey featuring Mystikal when it's blatantly obvious after just one listen to see that Mystikal sings the majority of the song and Carey provides the vocal in between the verses. "Don't Stop" is arguable the fastest track on the album except it can become relatively annoying once you hear Mystikal yelling at you one time too many. A similar case also occurs on "If We" where Ja Rule and Nate Dogg manage the verses while Carey manage the choruses. "If We" is a laid back, groovy track that is instantly likeable where you get to hear Ja Rule sing instead of shout. "Want You" is an R&B track and it's the track that's the closest to a duet out of all of the tracks on the album as Carey does harmonize with Eric Benet vocally.
Overall, it's an alright album and an amazingly diverse album, nothing like her earlier work of course but nothing disappointing like "Rainbow". Sure, there are several tracks that would require the skip button like "Loverboy" and the far too 80's sounding "Didn't Mean To Turn You On" and "All My Life" but other than that, the album is relatively likeable as a whole. Go on and discover what you've been missing out on and be your own judge.
Tracklisting:
1. Loverboy (Remix) (Featuring Da Brat, Ludacris, Shawna & Twenty II) 4.30
2. Lead The Way 3.53
3. If We (Featuring Ja Rule & Nate Dogg) 4.11
4. Didn't Mean To Turn You On 4.54
5. Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica) (Featuring Mystikal) 3.38
6. All My Life 5.10
7. Reflections (Care Enough) 3.21
8. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Featuring Busta Rhymes, Fabulous & DJ Clue) 6.43
9. Want You (Featuring Eric Benet) 4.44
10. Never Too Far 4.22
11. Twister 2.26
12. Loverboy (Featuring Cameo) 3.50
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