Mariah Carey freedom doesn't fly far

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The metaphor is difficult to miss: Mariah Carey is the beautiful butterfly finally freed from her cage and allowed to spread her wings and fly on her own.

This, of course, refers to her recent separation from her much-older (and reportedly controlling) husband, Tommy Mottola, who also happens to be CEO of her record company Sony Music.

Butterfly, however, is not the declaration of independence that, say, Janet Jackson's Control was.

True, Carey strives for some street cred by penning some libidinous lyrics and collaborating with current R&B golden boy Sean "Puffy" Combs -- they manage to turn up the heat but fail to squeeze out sparks.

The album's opener and best track, Honey, is only a polite bump-and-grinder. What follows are more tepid R&B grooves, her trademark cream-puff ballads and a virtual Xerox copy of Prince's Beautiful Ones, all sung in a sweet coo that's more coquettish than ravenous.

Yes, the cage is open, but this butterfly hasn't flown far.

Sunday, September 21, 1997; By DAVE VEITCH - Calgary Sun

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