Biography of Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey has a remarkable multi-octave voice, an astonishing instrument that can reach heights only rivaled by Whitney Houston. Like Houston, Carey works the same pop-soul ballad territory, occasionally spiked by some catchy dance-oriented pop. Fortunately, Carey hasn't had a shortage of good material, either; all of her three albums feature impeccably crafted singles, designed for continuous radio play. While she was an overnight sensation with her first single, 1990's "Vision of Love," it wasn't until 1992 that she won over many skeptical critics with her unadorned MTV Unplugged performance; 1995's Daydream also won acclaim. Not that negative criticism has hurt her career any -- her records have all sold several million copies and she has dominated the singles chart since her first album. It's a track record that very few artists can match. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine