In my opinion Butterfly is the best work Mariah Carey has ever done in her career. The album was released around the time Mariah was having trouble in her marriage with Tommy Mottola, and the songs on this cd express a desire to be set free and fly away. This is her most creative album to date, each song was carefully written and sung, its simply a masterpiece.At this time Columbia was not promoting her as well as they have been. Honey, the album's first single quickly became a #1 single, as did My All after its release, but those were the only two singles really released from this album domestically in North America. Fans in the UK were given singles for Butterfly, The Roof and Breakdown.
The standout track on this album is the title track Butterfly, a song about the desire to end a relationship, wanting to fly away, knowing that one day their paths will lead back to each other. Mariah sings with so much conviction on this song, it is truly beautiful and breathtaking.
Fourth of July and The Roof are dreamy songs that remember those glorious moments spent together with her partner. Fourth of July is the Underneath The Stars of the album if you will. Breakdown is a nice R&B/hip hop type song that features Bone Thugs N Harmony. Babydoll is another R&B flavored song. In fact, with Butterfly Mariah has made a successful transition into R&B. Many of the songs on this cd are ballads, in fact the only upbeat songs include Honey, Breakdown, Babydoll and Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise). The album is very ballad heavy.
Close My Eyes is a beautiful, touching song about remembering one's childhood, sweet and innocent. Whenever You Call is an outstanding ballad which just soars. Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) is simply just a remix of Butterfly, like she usually has at least one remix on her albums (ever since Daydream).
The Beautiful Ones is a cover of the 1984 Prince song from his Purple Rain Soundtrack. Its a beautifully done song, and Dru Hill lends his vocals. Outside is a very sad song about acceptance and the search to find it. This version of Butterfly also includes two remixes of Honey, which is a nice addition for fans.
This is a must have album. If you get even one Mariah Carey CD, get this one. She sings with so much emotion, she put so much pain into this album, you can feel her pain when she sings. The songs are brutally honest and include some of her best songs, she has written some of the best lyrics that she ever has in her entire career. This is a must have, its a nice album to listen to when you are feeling down or a little sad. Go out and get it, you will not be disapointed.
