Music
Store

1. Honey - Great up-tempo song ya all know it, It became her 12th #1 song.

2. Butterfly - A beautiful ballad...I really can't descibe in words how wonderful it is.

3. My All - This is my favorite song on the album, it's classic Mariah.

4. The Roof - Another great song, It has greatl lyrics, soem of the best Mariah has ever written.

5. Fourth of July - This is the only song that I'm not that into, it's kinda like "Underneathe the Stars".

6. Breakdown - Mariah's best song after "Vision Of Love" Mariah and Bone Thugs = The best stuff you ever heard.

7. Babydoll - This song is a really great R&B song.

8. Close My Eyes - A very personal ballad, beautiful melody and great lyrics. This song sometimes brings a tear to my eye.

9. Whenever You Call - Old School Mariah type ballad.

10. Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) - Nice dance mix

11. The Beautiful Ones - One of Mariah's best remakes...and Dru Hill sounds great on it!

12. Outside - Great ballad for anyone who feels..."On the outside".


the greatest pop album ever   February 5, 2000
 18 out of 24 found this review helpful

it's been 3 years since the release of butterfly and i am just compelled to write my thoughts down on the album. this is the album that mariah showcases her artistry. i have to take this track by track.HONEY mariah can seem to take a mindless dweeb of a producer to their career high (puff daddy) this tracks' lyrics are the epitomy of perfection of a dance song the music to this track is the epitomy of perfection of a dance song whitney houston/celine dion eat your hearts out because this girl has done something here that you two could only dream about mix hiphop/r&b with pop/dance.BUTTERFLY. . . .why i do beleive this is lyrically the best song ever written how can a pop artist take 3 and 4 syllable words write them in a verse and it style flow rhythmically this is perfection MY ALL the first verse is an instant classic lyrically and the last chorus is an instant classic vocally mariah takes such picturesque lyrics and combines them with the most captivating vocals to create one of the best love songs ever recordedTHE ROOF & Fourth of july prove no one tells a story like mariah carey NOONE her voice whisers teases and explods on both songs BREAKDOWN by time i get to this track i'm already in tears from the absolute beauty of the first 5 tracks but this one is her most clever it is a shock that she is able to melodically keep pace with bone thugs in harmony the lyrics here are incredible i could do without the adlibs in the last 30 seconds of the track but the song is aesthetically one of the best on the album.BABYDOLL is the r&b fans delight the beat words and music added to mariahs voice can make this song a black radio favoraite if sony has the guts to release the singleCLOSE MY EYES is the best account of a traumatizing childhood ever recorded lyrically its infectious and moving WHENEVER YOU CALL is a song that sucks you in and gets better with each passing moment the lyrics here are absolutely poetically astounding but in the final dramatic chorus mariah sounds better than ever the vocals here are the brightest spot on the projectFLY AWAY i love mariah's dance interludes and they are a welcome change of pace from the lyrical heaviness of the rest of the album its light its catchy it belongs hereTHE BEAUTIFUL ONES i love the collaboration here it is much more energetic than 1 sweet day MC couldn't have picked a better song to add to this project and i love how her voice starts as a whisper and ballons out love his love this love thisOUTSIDE just when you thought how is she gonna end this album off so you can label it perfect she goes into the mind of every person who has ever felt on the outside and psychoanalizes it into a song this song is exceptional the feelings belted in the last chorus are the most heartfelt on the projecti cannot tell you how much this project means to me i have always loved MC but this album put her over the top. artistacally vocally lyrically it leaves nothing to be desired this is my favoraite album ever because out of the 143 CD's i own it's the only 1 i can listen to all the way through and brings me to tears in it's final moments i beleive that mariah is a genius and that this is the only album in the history of music to SUCCESSFULLY blend hip hop r&b soul pop adult contemporary and dance music together as it should be mariah has just flown above the likes of whitney houston and celine dion because she has demonstrated one thing these women can only dream of absolute . . . artistry


Mariah Carey's Most Personal Recording   December 28, 2002
 13 out of 17 found this review helpful

Mariah Carey's 1997 release, Butterfly, was the turning point of her career - music wise...and over the course of a few years, success wise. Since her self-titled 1990 debut, she had basically sung ballad after ballad with the exception of some up-tempo hits such as Emotions, Someday and Dreamlover. By the time this album was released, Mariah Carey had already shifted a staggering 94 million albums worldwide - this would be the album that pushed her sales over the all-important, Diva-essential 100 million mark. Unfortunately, Butterfly was the album where it all began to go a bit down for Mariah - why is it that when an artist gradually brings out better material, the sales begin to decrease? The Butterfly album sold 11 million copies worldwide and was seen as a bit of a flop. Despite this, it truly is a stunning lyrical and musical masterpiece - one Mariah should feel proud to be the producer of.

Butterfly gets off to a flying start (excuse the pun) with the album's lead single Honey (10/10). A UK No.3 and US No.1 in the summer of 1997, the song is one of Mariah's greatest compositions to date and has a superb James Bond-style video to accompany it. The lyrics are not always clear on Honey, but the beats definitely are. Mariah gets help on Honey (not just on this version) from an army of top class R'n'B producers, such as Sean "Puffy" Combs (P.Diddy now), Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat. The album's title track follows. Butterfly (9/10) is a wonderful ballad from Mariah with a slight hint of R'n'B. While lyrically superb, Mariah's vocals are not - she uses more breathy vocals on Butterfly rather than her soaring trademark voice...the one that made her the biggest selling female artist of the 1990's. My All (10/10) follows this and in spectacular style. Definitely one of Mariah's career highlights, My All was a UK No.4 and US No.1. This is a trademark ballad from Mariah in which she uses her stunning vocal range. The lyrics are very expressive and the emotion in Carey's voice is supreme. The Roof (10/10) and Fourth Of July (9/10) follow as tracks 4 and 5 respectively. The former is a highly-praised Mariah Carey classic. The beat is brilliant and is just pure "R'n'B Mariah" at her very best with a silky, velvety beat. The latter is a song that is hated by many people who review Butterfly. I can't see why - granted, the song isn't exactly the best on the album, but still has a great chorus. Breakdown (10/10) is another classic "R'n'B Mariah" song with soft vocals and a relaxing and chilled-out beat. Babydoll (10/10) is my favourite non-released song from Butterfly. Mariah's vocals on this superb R'n'B number are very light and the lyrics are hardly recognisable...but that's not the thing that makes this quite possibly one of Mariah Carey's greatest compositions of her entire career. I'm talking, of course, about that totally addictive and catchy bassline. The deep boom that follows in a certain arrangement is absolutely superb. Hear it and be hooked...

Close My Eyes (10/10) and Whenever You Call (9/10) are up next. The former is definitely an album highlight. With its breathy and soothing vocals and mid-tempo beat, it makes for one hell of a song. The bassline is powerful and the lyrics are very professional. The latter is another superb song - excellent lyrics, excellent vocals (very "Vision Of Love" towards the end), excellent arrangement and excellent piano intro...'Nuff said! Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) (8/10) is the next song. At just over 3 minutes, it could have just been an actual song, instead of a reprise! It starts off very mid-tempo, before breaking out into an up-tempo song with a brilliant dance beat. Remixed by David Morales, no one can deny this catchy beat. This said, it most definitely does not fit in with the rest of Butterfly and is probably the main reason it receives such criticism from other reviewers. The Beautiful Ones (8/10) is Mariah's sort-of "duet-type" thingy with Dru Hill. Although the way Mariah's vocals soar on this song, there's no way a certain Mr Sisqo can compete! Basically he just sounds like a background singer. Outside (9/10) is another brilliant mid-tempo ballad. The lyrics are about being accepted for who you are. Overall, a superb song that should've closed the album instead of the next two tracks. Honey (So So Def Radio Mix) Featuring Da Brat and JD (9/10) and Honey (Def Club Mix) (10/10) are the final two tracks on Butterfly. The former is a surprisingly good remix of Honey with a great rap from Jermaine Dupri. The latter is a brilliant club mix of Honey that goes on for more than 6 minutes. Although these last two remixes are brilliant, I really think they should've been left of Butterfly because they simply just do not suit the rest of the album.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

Butterfly is an absolutely superb and exceptional album from Mariah Carey. It received some great reviews critically, but not commercially - if only it had sold twice as many as the 11 million that it did. The follow-up to Butterfly was Rainbow - which was also superb, but no where near as creative and well-produced as Butterfly is. All in all, this is an essential Mariah Carey album for fans and a definite highlight of the 1990's.


Spread your wings and prepare to fly..., not soar   October 8, 2003
 9 out of 22 found this review helpful

There was no way Mariah was going to top the dream that was Daydream. That classic had too many sweet and tender ballads, and some nice mid-paced numbers, even one with a skippy beat. If Butterfly was Butterfly, Daydream was a painted bunting proudly showing its colours like a rainbow. Wait, that's the name of the album after this! Never mind.

"Honey" is sort of a cousin to "Fantasy" but here is a case where with the drum and keyboard programming, Mariah is starting to fool with the hip-hop that would become annoying with Rainbow's "Heartbreaker". I'm referring to the guest vocals by Lox and Mase. She sings "you know sugar was never this sweet", but I wouldn't apply it to this Puffy Combs-produced song.

Ah, there's nothing like a Mariah and Walter Afanasieff co-written song, and the title track is no exception. "Butterfly" has Mariah tearfully letting go of someone she loved too much that the guy decided to leg it, but she does have hope and will accept a future return. "Spread your wings and prepare to fly/for you have become a butterfly/fly abandonedly into the sun/if you should return to me/we tryly were meant to be/so spread your wings and fly/butterfly" sung in a gospel-like manner by Mariah, Melonie Daniels, and Mary Ann Tatum.

Beginning with Spanish-sounding guitar, "My All" is a quieter more melodic ballad, and the string synths kick in when she sings the chorus a second and third time, at which time her voice reaches her emotional peak: "I give you my all to have/just one more night with you/I'd risk my life to feel/Your body next to mine" Really intimate here!

"The Roof" is a mid-paced quasi hip-hop number with no guest rappers, but it could be a good ballad if it kept the string synths and backup singers. If it were better, it would be worth the 5 minutes+.

"Fourth Of July" is more like it, another romantic ballad with dreamy keyboards, and slow programmed drums. Another intimate interlude spend inside while the firecrackers and Roman candles are doing their magic. "Tangled up with you among the fireflies/on the Fourth of July" goes the refrain. Wow!

"Breakdown" features members from the gangster rap group Mo Thugs, Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone, who contribute some unwanted raps mid-song and backing vocals. Otherwise, it'd be another nice ballad. Producer is... figures... Mr. Combs.

"Babydoll" is of a woman anxiously waiting for her lover late at night in the hotel room. She gets more sexy in some of her lyrics, singing "Zoning out thinking about/you and me between the sheets". A loungy R&B ballad with some programmed drums backing.

"Close My Eyes" is a piano ballad about self-enlightenment whose lush gospelish backing vocals make this like George Michael's "Father Figure".

Another ballad that melts my heart--"Whenever You Call", and the piano and string synths accompany her voice, which is at one of her tenderest: "And I will always remember/part of you so tender/I'll be the one to catch your fall/whenever you call." If my ideal one sang that to me.... It's tracks like this that make me wonder if Mariah shouldn't release an album called The Ballads Collection, and tracks like "Butterfly", "Fourth Of July", and "Whenever You Call", written by her and Walter Afanasieff, should be included.

After a brief reprise of "Butterfly", is a slowed down version of Prince's "The Beautiful Ones". Dru Hill sings along with Mariah, and they are no Prince. This is one of those times where a straight ahead cover with Mariah giving her all would've been ideal, just like she did with "Open Arms." The intensity with which Prince sings "Do you want him or do you want me" isn't replicated here.

"Outside" is the final lovely ballad and part of the chorus reflects the state I'm in now: "But in your heart/Uncertainty forever lies/And you'll always be/Somewhere on the outside."

Overall, a worthy effort spoiled by the first raindrops of what would be annoying guest-rapper time. The storm would really hit with Glitter, but there'd be one more stop first...somewhere over the Rainbow.


Soulful, Hip, Great to Listen Too, What Pop is about!   August 8, 2000
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Even though this album is 3 years old, it still lingers on! This is the album that turned me into a Mariah Fanatic! All songs are soulful, hip, and great! If you're sick of the blonde singers (Britney Spears, etc..) Then this is the singer to turn too! Here is a review of her songs.

1.Honey- Very hip, great choice for the first song on this album, makes you wanna listen to the whole album. 10/10

2.Butterfly- Great song again, the albums name. Very refreshing and soft. The lyrics are great and Mariah's voice is perfect. 10/10

3.My All- Now this is another good song, but not Great in my opinion, the background drowns out Mariahs wonderful voice. But its very 'European'. Still a good song though, it gets a 9/10

4.The Roof-Hip, Edgy, modern, and sort of rap style for Mariah, another good song. 9.5/10

5.Fourth of July-Definately an awesome song! I think they shouldof made a video of this one. I love the background music and jungle like noises and stuff. This is one of the best songs on the album. 10/10

6.Breakdown- Very catchy and good tune. I really like this song. Glad they made a video off of it. 10/10

7.Babydoll- Rap-like, kinda neat with the vocalist in the background. 9.5/10

8.Close My Eyes-A Masterpiece! Very emotional like, i LOVE this song, it almost puts a tear in your eye. 10/10

9.Whenever You Call-a good song, good tune. 9/10

10.Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)- Very cool reprise, so it would have 12 songs.

11. The Beautiful Ones- Hip, kinda strange vocals and background music. I think a little too many 'baby,baby,baby's 8.5/10

12. Outside-A good ending song, slow and peaceful 10/10

Hope this review helped! I think any Mariah fans should definately add this album to there collection! Its also good for people who just heard of Mariah Carey!