REVIEWS

VelvetRope97 writes this review of Rainbow:
I just got Mariahs cd today and it was good.My favorite song is X-Girlfriend.And my favorite interlude is Rainbow.But I have to say she's done better.Don't get me wrong this cd is really nice.But it was less then I expected from her. Just my opinion though =)

Another Rainbow review from VelvetRope97, she found this one in People Magazine.
In 1995,Mariah Carey hooked up with a then relatively unknown producer named Sean "Puffy" Combs and rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard for a remix of her hit "Fantasy".Juiced by hip-hop beats and studio effects,the revamped tune became a hit once again and signaled a move away from Carey's brand of by-the-number pop R&B.Since then she has worked with leading rap performers and producers,a formula she repeats with disappointing results on this predictable new CD.Rainbow's first single,the cute but vacuous "Heartbreaker,"features rapper of the moment Jay-Z,who all but steals the track with his deadpan rhymes.Ofcourse there are lush ballads,the best of which were penned and coproduced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,who can make magic out of the mundane.The problem is that for every glimmering hope ("Can't Take That Away")there are dismal efforts like "Did I Do That?"Yes,and we're sorry you did.Bottom Line:Too hip to hop.

From Billboard Online
"Rainbow" is more than the vehicle by which Carey will likely become the top-selling female artist of the '90s. It's the album that seamlessly synthesizes the pure pop sound that distinguished her early efforts and the street-wise rhythms of her more recent work. It shows her at her most commanding and creatively focused. Carey is bolstered by an army of superstar producers and guest performers, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Usher, 98¡, and Snoop Dogg. Yet they don't distract the listener from Carey's nicely seasoned voice and the set's well-drawn material. The potential hits are plentiful - starting with "Can't Take That Away," an orchestral ballad cast in a self-empowering lyrical mold reminiscent of the singer's '93 No. 1 "Hero." Carey delivers a defiant, gospel-charged vocal that builds to a theatrical, choir-framed climax. On the stylistic flip side, "Did I Do That?" shows the diva getting coy as her playful lead vocal is wrapped in layers of harmonies, while the sharp-edged, tempo-shifting funk groove is punctuated by a sample of "It Ain't My Fault" by Silkk The Shocker. Like many of the uptempo cuts on "Rainbow," it's the kind of jam that will draw the purist props she desires and deserves.