Mariah Carey - Daydream 320cbr (Big Papi) 1995 Always Be My Baby

Mariah Carey's sixth album Daydream was released in October 1995 and literally ruled the charts; topping the US chart for 10 weeks and selling more than 22 million copies worldwide - 14 million of that in the US alone. At the time Daydream was released, it was definitely Mariah's greatest album to date and contained some amazing singles - which is probably the prime reason the album did so well. Like Music Box, Daydream is very ballad-heavy but also has that superb hint of up-tempo material that blends so perfectly well to make such an excellent album.

Daydream begins with the superb lead single "Fantasy." The first single to be taken from Daydream, Fantasy is by far my all-time favourite Mariah Carey single. It topped the US chart for a lengthy 8 consecutive weeks and was the first-ever single to go straight in at No.1 by a female artist...just one of the many records Mariah has broken this past decade! The song just simply swings with its bouncy and pure pop theme. The bassline is deep and mysterious and that superb sample of the Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love" is unforgettable. Fantasy is one of those rare songs that still sounds as fresh today as it did back in 1995. "Underneath The Stars" is up next and is such an amazing mid-tempo ballad. The song is about young love and how good it feels to be in love for the first time - very innocent and cheeky. The song has a brilliant and catchy vocal arrangement in the verses and the bit where Mariah croons, "Weak in the knees" at the beginning of the second verse is very classy. Well, what can be said about "One Sweet Day" that hasn't been said before? The words phenomenal, mind-blowing, amazing and superb all spring to mind. This duet with Boyz II Men became Mariah's 8th US No.1, but what's even more amazing is that it topped the US chart for a record 4 MONTHS! Yes, this superb ballad topped the charts for 16 weeks and is officially the longest-running No.1 single in the history of the US singles chart - and deservedly so.

"Open Arms" is the song on track 4 and is another brilliant Mariah ballad, which peaked at No.4 in the UK. The verses are dramatic and the choruses are sweeping - and the lyrics? Don't even get me started on how superb they are! "Always Be My Baby" was the fourth and final single to be taken from this album and peaked at No.3 in the UK in June 1996. It was also Mariah's 10th US No.1 single - surprise, surprise! This superb mid-tempo ballad is very popular amongst Mariah fans, and it's easy to see why; the beat is warm, the verses are breathy and the choruses are catchy. "I Am Free" is another superb song, on the endless list of ballads. The lyrics are the most praise-worthy factor of this song, which give off strong suggestions of Mariah's relationship with her then-husband Tommy Motola. "When I Saw You" is a very emotional ballad with some tear-jerking lyrics. "Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me/Transcending space and time/And I was rendered still/There were no words for me to find at all/As I stood there beside myself/I could see you and no one else," croons Mariah in the first verse. The song builds up to a splendid climax towards the end, when Mariah just lets loose and warbles her heart out with that other-worldy voice.

"Long Ago" is an absolutely brilliant song, and is a welcome change from the ballads that previously set the scene for the majority of Daydream. This song has a very R'n'B feel to it, and is a strong indicator of the style Mariah would thrust herself into on her next album Butterfly. Infact, the song would sound perfect on Butterfly. The bassline is deep and sort of muffled and Mariah's vocals are strong and distinctive. "Melt Away" is another ballad from Mariah that is well above average. The song starts off sounding like Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love For You, but comes into its own when Mariah's vocals enter - Mariah's vocals are better than Whitney's aren't they?...Of course they are!

"Forever" is a rather unusual type of song from Mariah. It's obviously a ballad, but has a rather catchy beat to it - the vocal arrangement definitely helps this along. "Daydream Interlude - Fantasy Sweet Dub Mix" is quite different. This superb dance interlude of Fantasy is a welcome change of pace from the rest of Daydream. The beat is reminiscent of all those no-good one-hit wonders from the early 1990s, but is much more acceptable than that twaddle. "Looking In" is the perfect song to close Daydream and is a superb ballad about how Mariah addresses all those critics and haters who just see her as a rich girl with money to burn and a great pair of lungs. Mariah tells it like it is through superb sounds and emotive lyrical writing. Superb.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

Along with "Music Box," "Butterfly" and the excellent "Charmbracelet," I definitely consider Daydream an essential Mariah Carey album for your collection. The way the deep and sweeping ballads are integrated with the dashes of R'n'B, pop and dance makes for one of the most consistent albums of the decade