Rainbow (Mariah Carey album)
Rainbow ( Engl.: "Rainbow " ) is the seventh studio album by American singer Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on November 2, 1999. The album follows a similar pattern as the previous album Butterfly, with a mixture of pop and hip-hop and R & B elements. Instead of Walter Afanasieff, with the Carey had worked on previous albums, they now collaborated with David Foster and Diane Warren. In addition, ( Hip- Hop ) musicians such as Jay Z, Usher and Snoop Dogg were involved again. It was the first time involved a hip- hop artist on the lead single with Jay Z this time. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
Formation
After separating from her husband Tommy Mottola, at the same time label boss at Universal Music, during the recording sessions for Butterfly Carey had received increasing artistic freedoms. The recordings for Rainbow, their last album for Universal / Columbia began in the spring of 1999. The album was recorded then mostly in Capri, Italy. There, Carey spent the summer with Luis Miguel, a famous Mexican singer. Also because of the strained relations with Sony introduced Carey album in just three months finished faster than the plates before. Carey said that she loves New York City, but when she was there, constantly ring for the phone. In Capri, a remote location, they can work more effectively:
" I love New York. But if I'm there, I wanna go out, friends come to the studio, the phone rings Constantly. But in Capri, I am in a remote place, and there is no one I can run into. I felt did in Capri I would be able to Effectively finish the album on a shorter schedule. And I did. I made it in three months, I was like 'Get me off this label'! I could not take it. The situation there [ Sony] what becoming increasingly difficult. "
Carey wrote the songs on the album and co-produced it. With the lead single Heartbreaker about, she collaborated with Jay -Z and DJ Clue. The balladenorientierteren parts of the album, however, were mainly formed with Diane Warren and David Foster. After Tonight saw it as a metaphor for her relationship with Luis Miguel.
Criticism and success
The album received mixed to positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised by Allmusic, the album is the first with personal lyrics Careys had which were quite real, but where it lacks in originality. It was hard not to be disappointed that they have the music not something more elaborate. He gave the album three out of five stars. Also Arion Berger of Rolling Stone gave three out of five stars. He called the album typical of the period for R & B / Hip- Hop ballads at the end of 1999. Though some titles are banal, Carey was best when urban R & B and hip- hop elements mingled. After the album was entered at number two on the Billboard 200, it peaked at number three in Germany. Only in France it reached the top chart. For the album Carey went to the Rainbow World Tour, the 19 shows, six of them in Europe included. The album reached platinum status in the U.S. triple platinum in Germany.