In music, she found her dream, her love, herself...
The Background
Shortly after the release of the truly [i c o n i c] album Butterfly, Mariah Angela Carey began pre-production on a film and accompanying album entitled All The Glitters. Her then label, Columbia Records, forced the good sis Mimi to release two albums (one of the most emotionally resonant compilation alberms ever released, #1s, and the album to end the century, Rainbow etc). In combination with this, and her crumbling relationship with then husband Tommy Mottola, she had no other choice but to put those plans on hold. Through contract negotiations, Carey was finally able to realize her dream of making a film. Working on the album throughout 2000 and 2001, Mariah truly imbued her f*cking [ s i n g u l a r ] sense of nostalgia into the project. The album was a gigantic departure from her previous work. Incorporating the thrilling sounds of the 80s in combination with the then current souns of the music scene, Mariah forged yet an undeniably unforgettable album; the best movie soundtrack there is, has ever been, will ever be. Suck it, Nolan fanboys.
The Review
1. Loverboy - The lead single on Glitter. How do I even start to describe the sheer amount of ecstasy my cochlear organs experienced? Sampled from Cameo's "Candy", Loverboy was one of Mariah's most complicated songs in terms of production yet. A mish-mash of exotic sounds and features from Ludacris and Da Brat, this songs effortlessly flirts between Mariah's signature naïvety and sexual prowess. I got myself a lover/Who loves what I like/When he invites me over/I come every time. Did you f*cking [ c h o k e ]??? I did.
2. Lead The Way - A ballad to end all ballads. A 22 second held note toward the end of the song singlehandedly demolishes any and every pop star before or after her. As inspirational as any of her ballads, Lead The Way stands out as being even more lifting than her usual songs. True beauty.
3. If We - Featuring one of the best rap artists of all time, Ja Rule, If We [ s t r i c t l y ] smashes. Ja's voice perfectly intertwines with Mimi's. The gruff beauty of Ja's lyricism perfectly complements Mariah's breathy cooing and yearning. Listening to the track today, I'm basically transported to the early 2000s. Though very evocative of that time period, it isn't dated whatsoever. An undeniable [ t r i u m p h ].
4. Didn't Mean to Turn You On - I. F*CKING. SHOOK. AND. CRIED. Mariah doing TRUE dance music. The 80s incapsulated in four minutes and 54 [ S E C O N D S ]. Poppy and hard-hitting, the song will make all the bottoms and vers tops lose their sense of selves even faster than a casual PNP orgy. I'm not sure how to describe this song as other than one of the best, most upbeat, dance bangers of all time. Murder me Mimi.
5. Don't Stop (4 Jamaica) - A goddamn f*cking groove. Mariah soudns so unbelievably angelic, celestial, truly s e r a p h i c a l etc etc on this track. The rapping in between her singing isn't my absolute my favorite, but The Elusive Chanteuse's vocals more than makeup for that rapper's shortcomings. This is a song made for dancing the night away tbh.
6. All My Life - Two Legends. A meeting of the minds. A combination to end all combinations. Milk and honey. Cinnamon and Sugar. RICK JAMES AND MARIAH CAREY. The lyrics are obviously legendary, but this song features Mariah's signature glamorous overproduction. The little voices and asides, the laughing, the tiny musical flourishes. There is magic hidden in every nook and cranny of this song. I gag every time I hear something new. Ugh. I'm aroused just thinking about this song. All my life, all my life, all my life, every night, every night....
7. Reflections (Care Enough) - My personal favorite on the album. Simply too f*cking evocative to type about without s i m p l y weeping sfm. I'm transported into the body of my 5 year old self. Alone. Abandoned. Yearning for love. Probably the most real song Mariah has ever written. "I really need to feel you care...even one upon a time for me!" I'm actually sobbing all over my Macbook Pro's™ keyboard. Too glam.
8. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life - What kind of funky ass bump? Choke on this true goddamn JAM SFM????? A cover that has been completely retooled and elusively chanteusified in only a way that Mimi haself could dew sfm? This song makes me want to grind on the nearest streetlamp etc. Nothing else to say tbch.
9. Want You - The best example of Mariah blending the 80s with the early 2000s. Production done so well that it sounds new today! Mimi's breathy vocals are just too seductive. "It's just the way I want you baby..." Eric Benet's sexy self beautifully accompanies Mimi's voice throughout this undeniably godly 4 minutes and 44 seconds. ICONIC.
10. Never Too Far - Another ballad. Another heartbreaker. Probably the best vocals on this album (not that that's saying much considering Mariah has slayed every single song on every single one of her albums ever). The second single on this album. Mariah taught us that despite distance, time, or death separating two lovers, we always have the power to simply [ r e m i n i s c e ]. Oh...what? I'm f*cking WEEPING AGAIN. The last note she holds on this song is actually disgustingly, grotesquely iconic. TAKE ME QUEEN.
11. Twister - Albeit somewhat of a downer, this song brings us to the very large emotional depths that Mariah is not usually known for. Listening to this track is almost like floating through a dark chasm. I'm simply overtaken by pain listening to it. Ugh. I can't.
The Conclusion
What more is there to say? From start to finish, Mariah proved herself as one of the greatest songwriters to have ever lived. Is there an original movie soundtrack that has topped Glitter's yet? No. Has there even been a SCORE that has topped the instrumentals featured in Glitter? No. From the undeniable, rapturous joy featured in Loverboy, to the depressing, tumultuous depravity featured on Twister, Glitter's soundtrack encapsulates the true range of human emotion. Glitter is everything. Everything that is. Everything that has been. Everything that will be. Mariah is singularly the greatest musical act to have ever lived, and Glitter is testament to that fact.
Discuss.
The Background
Shortly after the release of the truly [i c o n i c] album Butterfly, Mariah Angela Carey began pre-production on a film and accompanying album entitled All The Glitters. Her then label, Columbia Records, forced the good sis Mimi to release two albums (one of the most emotionally resonant compilation alberms ever released, #1s, and the album to end the century, Rainbow etc). In combination with this, and her crumbling relationship with then husband Tommy Mottola, she had no other choice but to put those plans on hold. Through contract negotiations, Carey was finally able to realize her dream of making a film. Working on the album throughout 2000 and 2001, Mariah truly imbued her f*cking [ s i n g u l a r ] sense of nostalgia into the project. The album was a gigantic departure from her previous work. Incorporating the thrilling sounds of the 80s in combination with the then current souns of the music scene, Mariah forged yet an undeniably unforgettable album; the best movie soundtrack there is, has ever been, will ever be. Suck it, Nolan fanboys.
The Review
1. Loverboy - The lead single on Glitter. How do I even start to describe the sheer amount of ecstasy my cochlear organs experienced? Sampled from Cameo's "Candy", Loverboy was one of Mariah's most complicated songs in terms of production yet. A mish-mash of exotic sounds and features from Ludacris and Da Brat, this songs effortlessly flirts between Mariah's signature naïvety and sexual prowess. I got myself a lover/Who loves what I like/When he invites me over/I come every time. Did you f*cking [ c h o k e ]??? I did.
2. Lead The Way - A ballad to end all ballads. A 22 second held note toward the end of the song singlehandedly demolishes any and every pop star before or after her. As inspirational as any of her ballads, Lead The Way stands out as being even more lifting than her usual songs. True beauty.
3. If We - Featuring one of the best rap artists of all time, Ja Rule, If We [ s t r i c t l y ] smashes. Ja's voice perfectly intertwines with Mimi's. The gruff beauty of Ja's lyricism perfectly complements Mariah's breathy cooing and yearning. Listening to the track today, I'm basically transported to the early 2000s. Though very evocative of that time period, it isn't dated whatsoever. An undeniable [ t r i u m p h ].
4. Didn't Mean to Turn You On - I. F*CKING. SHOOK. AND. CRIED. Mariah doing TRUE dance music. The 80s incapsulated in four minutes and 54 [ S E C O N D S ]. Poppy and hard-hitting, the song will make all the bottoms and vers tops lose their sense of selves even faster than a casual PNP orgy. I'm not sure how to describe this song as other than one of the best, most upbeat, dance bangers of all time. Murder me Mimi.
5. Don't Stop (4 Jamaica) - A goddamn f*cking groove. Mariah soudns so unbelievably angelic, celestial, truly s e r a p h i c a l etc etc on this track. The rapping in between her singing isn't my absolute my favorite, but The Elusive Chanteuse's vocals more than makeup for that rapper's shortcomings. This is a song made for dancing the night away tbh.
6. All My Life - Two Legends. A meeting of the minds. A combination to end all combinations. Milk and honey. Cinnamon and Sugar. RICK JAMES AND MARIAH CAREY. The lyrics are obviously legendary, but this song features Mariah's signature glamorous overproduction. The little voices and asides, the laughing, the tiny musical flourishes. There is magic hidden in every nook and cranny of this song. I gag every time I hear something new. Ugh. I'm aroused just thinking about this song. All my life, all my life, all my life, every night, every night....
7. Reflections (Care Enough) - My personal favorite on the album. Simply too f*cking evocative to type about without s i m p l y weeping sfm. I'm transported into the body of my 5 year old self. Alone. Abandoned. Yearning for love. Probably the most real song Mariah has ever written. "I really need to feel you care...even one upon a time for me!" I'm actually sobbing all over my Macbook Pro's™ keyboard. Too glam.
8. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life - What kind of funky ass bump? Choke on this true goddamn JAM SFM????? A cover that has been completely retooled and elusively chanteusified in only a way that Mimi haself could dew sfm? This song makes me want to grind on the nearest streetlamp etc. Nothing else to say tbch.
9. Want You - The best example of Mariah blending the 80s with the early 2000s. Production done so well that it sounds new today! Mimi's breathy vocals are just too seductive. "It's just the way I want you baby..." Eric Benet's sexy self beautifully accompanies Mimi's voice throughout this undeniably godly 4 minutes and 44 seconds. ICONIC.
10. Never Too Far - Another ballad. Another heartbreaker. Probably the best vocals on this album (not that that's saying much considering Mariah has slayed every single song on every single one of her albums ever). The second single on this album. Mariah taught us that despite distance, time, or death separating two lovers, we always have the power to simply [ r e m i n i s c e ]. Oh...what? I'm f*cking WEEPING AGAIN. The last note she holds on this song is actually disgustingly, grotesquely iconic. TAKE ME QUEEN.
11. Twister - Albeit somewhat of a downer, this song brings us to the very large emotional depths that Mariah is not usually known for. Listening to this track is almost like floating through a dark chasm. I'm simply overtaken by pain listening to it. Ugh. I can't.
The Conclusion
What more is there to say? From start to finish, Mariah proved herself as one of the greatest songwriters to have ever lived. Is there an original movie soundtrack that has topped Glitter's yet? No. Has there even been a SCORE that has topped the instrumentals featured in Glitter? No. From the undeniable, rapturous joy featured in Loverboy, to the depressing, tumultuous depravity featured on Twister, Glitter's soundtrack encapsulates the true range of human emotion. Glitter is everything. Everything that is. Everything that has been. Everything that will be. Mariah is singularly the greatest musical act to have ever lived, and Glitter is testament to that fact.
Discuss.
One of my favorites. 
