Neither the most talented nor the sexiest of the
myriad of R&B/dance divas charting today, Carey is
simply the best promoted. Her first album since
splitting with her mentor/boss/husband at Sony is
aptly titled, since Carey does emerge from a kind
of chrysalis with the title track, a soaring kite
of a ballad. Cuts like the lush Fourth of July
and a cover of Prince's The Beautiful Ones let
her prove she can still slow-funk it up. Most
promising is the reining in of her smoothly
orchestral voice; Carey's oversinging has marred
some of her better hits. On Butterfly, she
learns to use her vocals as an instrument, not a
scythe. It's a telling glimpse of a talent that
should someday make Mariah's music the equal of
her marketing.
E!Online
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