Rainbow (album)

Rainbow
Studio album by Mariah Carey
Publication (s)	November 2, 1999
admission	May 29, 1999 - August 31, 1999
Label (s)	Columbia
Format (s)	CD, LP, MC
Genre (s)	Pop , contemporary R&B , hip-hop
Title (number)	14/16 with bonus pieces
running time	55:49
production	Mariah Carey , Diane Warren , Shawn Carter , Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis , James Wright , David Foster , Jermaine Dupri , Bryan-Michael Cox , Missy Elliott , DJ Clue
chronology Butterfly (1997) Rainbow Charm bracelet (2002)
Single releases September 21, 1999 Heartbreaker February 1, 2000 Thank God I Found You April 14, 2000 Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) July 20, 2000 Crybaby October 5, 2000 Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)

Rainbow is the seventh studio album by the American singer Mariah Carey . It was released on November 2, 1999 on Columbia Records . The album follows a similar pattern as the previous album Butterfly , with a mixture of pop songs with hip-hop and R&B elements. Instead of Walter Afanasieff , with whom Carey had worked on the previous albums, she now cooperated with David Foster and Diane Warren . In addition, (hip-hop) musicians like Jay-Z , Usher and Snoop Dogg were also involved. With Jay-Z this time, a hip-hop artist was involved in the lead single for the first time. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 .

Emergence

After separating from her husband Tommy Mottola , who was also the label boss at Sony , while recording for Butterfly Carey had been given increasing artistic freedom. The recording of Rainbow , her last album for Universal / Columbia, began in the spring of 1999. The album was then recorded mainly in Capri , Italy . Carey spent the summer there with Luis Miguel , a well-known Mexican singer. Also because of the strained relationship with Sony Carey finished the album in just three months, faster than the records before. Carey said she loved New York City , but the phone kept ringing when she was there. In Capri, a remote place, she can work more effectively:

“I love New York. But if I'm there, I want to go out, friends come to the studio, the phone rings constantly. But in Capri, I am in a remote place, and there is no one I can run into. I felt that in Capri I would be able to effectively finish the album on a shorter schedule. And I did. I made it in three months, I was like 'Get me off this label'! I couldn't take it. The situation there [Sony] was becoming increasingly difficult. "

- Mariah Carey

Carey wrote down and co-produced the songs on the album. For example, on the lead single Heartbreaker , she worked with Jay-Z and DJ Clue . The more ballad-oriented parts of the album, however, were mainly created with Diane Warren and David Foster. After Tonight saw her as a metaphor for her relationship with Luis Miguel.

Criticism and success

The album received mixed to positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic praised the album as the first with Carey's personal lyrics that are absolutely genuine but lack originality. It is difficult not to be disappointed that she has not worked out the music a little better. He gave the album three stars out of five. Arion Berger from Rolling Stone also gave three out of five stars. He called the album typical of R&B / hip-hop ballads at the end of 1999. Although some titles are mundane, Carey is best when urban R&B and hip-hop elements mix. After the album entered the Billboard 200 at number two , it reached number three in Germany. It only reached the top of the chart in France . For the album Carey went on the Rainbow World Tour , which included 19 shows, including six in Europe. The album reached triple platinum status in the USA and platinum status in Germany.

Track list

1. Heartbreaker (feat. Jay-Z ) 4:46
2. Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) 4:33
3. Bliss 5:44
4. How Much (feat. Usher ) 3:31
5. After Tonight 4:16
6. X-Girlfriend 3:58
7. Heartbreaker (Remix feat. Da Brat and Missy Elliott ) 4:32
8. Vulnerability (Interlude) 1:12
9. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) 3:25
10. Crybaby ( feat.Snoop Dogg ) 5:20
11. Did I Do That? (feat. Mystikal and Master P ) 4:16
12. Petals 4:23
13. Rainbow (Interlude) 1:32
14. Thank God I Found You (feat.Joe and 98 Degrees)
15. Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) 3:47
16. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) ( feat.Westlife ) 3:25

literature

• Nickson, Chris: Mariah Carey revisited: her story . St. Martin's Press 1998, ISBN 978-0-312-19512-0 .
• Shapiro, Marc: Mariah Carey: The Unauthorized Biography , ECW Press, ISBN 978-1-55022-444-3

Individual evidence

1. ↑ release date
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Shapiro, Marc: Mariah Carey: The Unauthorized Biography , ECW Press, ISBN 978-1-55022-444-3 , pp. 121f.
3. ↑ Stephen Erlewine Thomas: Rainbow - Mariah Carey . In: Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . All media guide . Retrieved March 6, 2011.
4. ^ Arion Berger: Mariah Carey Rainbow . In: Rolling Stone . Wenner Media . Limited Liability Company . November 25, 1999. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
5. ↑ RIAA: Mariah Carey