Butterfly Review

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(More customer reviews)For her fifth traditional, non-holiday studio album, Mariah Carey raises the bar and creates a beautiful R&B-laced album. But this album is much unlike most albums in this category. This is a true work of art, a beautiful concept album at its best!!
Everything about this album is perfect! From the lyrics to the music to the production to the sequencing, very, very little could ever be done to improve this record. It is hands-down Mariah's best work, and actually my favorite record of all time!
Following a difficult marriage and painful divorce, Mariah digs much deeper than ever before, uncovering personal layers of herself listeners never would have imagined. The album doesn't dwell on the bitterness of the divorce, but, rather, salvages the memories of the relationship. Songs like "My All," "The Roof," "Breakdown," and the title track reflect upon lost love, express the personal agony of ending a relationship, and recall bittersweet memories of past relationships.
Although some of the aftershocks of her break-up with Tommy Mattola are evident in 'Butterfly,' the record does not focus solely on the topic. The album also consists of catchy, ear-candy tunes ("Honey", "Babydoll"), well-crafted love ballads ("Fourth of July", "Whenever You Call"), and beautiful personal reflections on life (the closing number "Outside", and the exceptional "Close My Eyes").
The musicality of the album is top-notch. Each song is very distinct from the rest, leaving the listener with a different feel for each track. However, while diverse, the tracks work in unison to create a complete work of art.
Mariah also leaves behind a good bit of the pop dance and ballads of her earlier career and ventures into the R&B territory, a place she had been wanting to explore years prior to this release. The result is beyond satisfactory. A smooth, more dynamic artist is born, and success is written all over this move. The music of this album is pure ear candy. But that's definitely not the only reason this album remains so superb.
Lyrically, this album is astonishing. Some of the best song lyrics I've ever heard exist in the tracks of this album. If you are not a Mariah Carey fan, don't let this hinder you from checking out this gem. You may be surprised by what you hear. This album appeals to non-lambs as well.
This album is one of the most vulnerably personal and exquisitely crafted albums I've ever heard. The only thing else I can say about it is that I will forever be waiting for the day when Mariah creates another album as stunning as this one. Trust me, if I could give it infinity stars, I would!! It really is THAT awesome!
The songs...
1. "Honey" 10/10: An excellent choice for the first single! The beat, the lyrics, the music, and especially the video, are all hot! A smart, sexy summer single, and my second favorite Mariah #1 (the first being "Hero") and possibly her best upbeat song ever!
2. "Butterfly" 10/10: A gorgeous, bittersweet ballad co-written with her long-time collegue, Walter A. The lyrics and music are beautiful, and I love the background vocalists!
3. "My All" 9/10: A very nice, wistful ballad about lost love. I would have picked other songs on this CD to go to #1 before this one, particularly because I like their lyrics more, but it's great!
4. "The Roof" 10/10: One of my all-time favorite Mariah songs (and my second favorite video, right after "Honey). It's so catchy, with clever, nostalgic lyrics, and a hauntingly compelling tune. Awesome!!!
5. "Fourth of July" 9/10: A nice love ballad, sounding very much like a continuation of "Underneath the Stars" from 'Daydream.' I play it multiple times every July 4th! (lol)
6. "Breakdown" 10/10: I love this song! It is very possibly Mariah's best hip-hop collaboration ever! Bone Thugs 'N Harmony add so much to this track! An excellent mid-tempo number with very clever lyrics about the painful aftermath of a break-up. It's ridiculous that this song was so overlooked when it was released!!
7. "Babydoll" 9/10: A cool, smooth, mid-tempo R&B ditty with excellent lyrics by Mariah & Missy Elliott. Works very well after "Breakdown."
8. "Close My Eyes" 12/10!!!!: I break the rules and give this song two more points because it is Mariah's best song ever, and probably my all-time favorite song! A very personal, reflective ballad with THE BEST LYRICS EVER!!! Mariah doesn't overdo it here, singing quite soft and beautifully, a side of her I wish I could hear more often. OUTSTANDING!!!!! Words cannot express how much I love this song!!!
9. "Whenever You Call" 10/10: A beautiful love song! Classic Mariah. It will bring tears to your eyes. I want it played in my wedding!
10. "Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)" 9/10: A lot like 1995's "Daydream Interlude," this dance version of "Butterfly" brings back the lyrics from the original's chorus and effectively bridges the gap between "Call" and "The Beautiful Ones." Works very well.
11. "The Beautiful Ones" 10/10: A stunning cover of Prince's original hit with guest vocalist Dru Hill. One of Mariah's best covers!! Some people may complain about the song being 7 minutes long, but I love it that way!! The longer it plays, the better it gets. Wonderful!
12. "Outside" 10/10: A very passionate (and heartbreaking!) soul ballad about never feeling like you belong. Mariah digs very deep into herself for these lyrics, and many listeners will be able to relate. Her vocals are awesome, and the lyrics are superb and somewhat reminiscant of "Looking In" from 'Daydream.' An excellent closing number!!

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The second single & title track of her 1997 album. Pt.1features 'Butterfly' (Album Version), 'Fly Away (ButterflyReprise)' (Album Version), 'Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)'(Fly Away Club Mix) and 'The Roof' (Remix With Mobb Deep).Slimline jewel case. 1997 Co

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Velvet Rope Review

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(More customer reviews)"It's my belief that we all have the need to feel special and it's this need that can bring out the best in us yet the worst in us. This need created the velvet rope."
-Janet Jackson
Ten years ago today, October 7th, 1997 Janet Jackson released what is her most profound and thought provoking piece of work ever, "The Velvet Rope." In my opinion it is the best and will always be the best album ever made. There is probably not a professional music reviewer anywhere who will agree with me but that's okay. Beside the musical merits of the album it has a much deeper emotional resonance with me.
At the time this album came out I was fourteen years old, a freshman in high school. I had already been a casual fan of Janet's since "Rhythm Nation 1814" and all throughout the "janet." years but I was still a kid and I really didn't get into her until then. Even at that time I was still young and was only getting $1.75 a day spending money for school, needless to say I didn't buy this album when it was first released.
My first memory of hearing it in it's entirety was laying on the floor of my eldest sister's house one Saturday afternoon listening to it on her portable CD player. I was so enthralled by the sounds of the album and the amazing graphic design, photographs and imagery of the album booklet. That day was the day that I fell in love with music. Finally at 16 years old "The Velvet Rope" was the first CD I ever bought with my own money.
"The Velvet Rope" is an eclectic opus with touches of R&B, pop, rock, dance, and classical music. It plays out like a theatrical production and is best heard in full. Every interlude, every word of all twenty-two tracks of this CD are all important. They all work together to cohesively bring forth the message, to tell of your need, my need, our need, the need to feel special. The need that brings out the best and yet the worst of us, the need that created "The Velvet Rope." The velvet rope that helps us hide our feelings, holds back our public and binds us up for our lovers.
Coming off of the most successful album of her career 1993's "janet.," which sold over 17 million records worldwide and was the first record by a female artist to debut at #1 in the United States in the Nielsen SoundScan era. She released six singles off of this album and toured almost two years promoting it. This was her first album with Virgin Records the company with which she signed a 40 million dollar record contract, which at that time broke the record for the largest record deal ever. "janet." was largely a happy, R&B/pop record which was a mix between upbeat catchy songs and slower more seductive songs. "The Velvet Rope", released four years later was a much darker record, reflective of the sadness Janet was feeling at the time. The album was panned by critics for being too controversial but was a fan favorite. It was and actually still is Janet's most introspective record.
This album embodies so many feelings and emotions: happiness on "Go Deep", hope on "Together Again", regret on "Got 'Til It's Gone", loneliness on "I Get Lonely", anticipation on "Tonight's The Night", pride on "Can't Be Stopped", self realization on "You", horniness on "My Need", emptiness on "Empty", anger on "What About", fear on "Every Time." There are so many subjects that Janet touched on the this album that had been seldom talked about ever in popular music: spousal abuse on "What About", sado-masochism on "Rope Burn", masturbation on "Interlude - Speaker Phone", homosexuality, lesbianism and bisexuality on "Free Xone" and "Tonight's The Night."
My two favorite Janet Jackson songs ever are on this album. "I Get Lonely" and "Rope Burn" are in my opinion two of Janet's best vocal performances coupled with live instruments and Janet's trademark background vocals that ooze sensuality. The title track "Velvet Rope" blends Janet's vocals with a most interesting array of background dings and tingles coupled with classical violinist Vanessa Mae's rousing violin solo that brings the song to its aural and emotional apex. "You" is brilliantly written song whose vamp remained an enigma to me for years until someone explained to me that she was spelling conscience backwards "e-c-n-e-i-c-s-n-o-c."
Besides being conceptually and audibly interesting the visuals for the album were dazzling. The album cover was different than that of her previous albums. It was hardly glamorous just a picture of Janet in a black shirt with frizzy red hair her her head hung slightly down, not looking into the camera. Her name isn't even conspicuously emblazoned across the picture. It is subtly spelled out in a blurred block formation embossed in the top half of the picture. You can only notice it if you tilt it and look at the picture in the light. The pictures inside of Janet sporting her nipple and septum piercings, covered in latex and tied up in bondage were indeed works of art themselves. The videos the Grammy winning, "Got Til' It's Gone" with it's African apartheid theme and "Together Again" set in the jungle in which she hugs herself and touches her own [...], "I Get Lonely" with it's almost futuristic feel and amazing transitions cemented Janet's status as not just a musical but a visual artist.
Many of the themes of the album hit home for me. "Empty", a song about finding love on the internet was quite timely due to the fact that the internet and instant messaging had just started to rise in popularity. The emptiness that she felt when the person she talked to wasn't there and the questioning whether what they had could be real resonated for me as a person who has dated via the internet before. Lyrics such as these spoke right to me:
"I'm rushin' home to turn you on
Sometimes you're there sometimes you're gone
Wait for hours for your return
So tell me please, am I wasting my time?
Your phrases, descriptive, and through the textured words
With beauty, you post it, and use such colored verbs
So tell me you think that maybe we've gone insane?
To find a, a lover and through the words of pain
We've never met, ooh
When I close my eyes, I can see your face
When I lick my lips, I can taste your smile
When I see your name, my heart starts to race
If I can't read your thoughts, then I feel empty"
Songs like "Velvet Rope" and "You" spoke to the self confidence issues I was having with lyrics that brought forth truth and clarity and let me know that I wasn't alone. If a mega superstar like Janet Jackson can wake up sometimes feeling unloved, unworthy and empty and make her way through it, so could I.
You never forget your first love and though many albums have come along since, some poppier, some bluesier, some edgier but "The Velvet Rope" will always be my favorite and have a special irreplaceable place in my heart.


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