Asst. Ent. Editor 8.5

Energetic, high-spirited music is probably the expectation held by fans in anticipation of Mariah Carey’s third album, Butterfly. Don’t hold your breath. Only a true Mariah Carey fan can relate and say that this album is Mariah’s best work. Not!

Unfortunately, the album is bogged down with slow, great-for-sleeping ballads. Only a few up-tempo tracks carry this sob-sounding album. For music lovers across the country, especially for the few Mariah Carey fans out there, Butterfly is a slight disappointment.

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Fortunately, credit is due to Carey for making such an intelligent decision by making the track Honey the album’s first single. This Sean Puffy Combs-produced track is definitely a hit for the songstress.

Other up-tempo tracks include The Roof, Babydoll and Breakdown. Breakdown, which features Bone Thugs n’ Harmony, is a fast-paced track that resembles the rap group Crucial Conflict.

This combination of rap and pop is well done. The collaboration makes Breakdown one of the best grooves on the album. Carey flows through this song, Well, I guess I’m trying to be/nonchalant about it/And I’m going to extremes/to prove I’m fine without you/But in reality/I’m slowly losing my mind.

Mistakenly, Carey teams up with R & B group Dru Hill to remake the artist-formerly-known-as-Prince classic, The Beautiful Ones. Surely, some Prince fans are upset about this collaboration. Only the artist formerly known as Prince can sing, Do you want me/ Cause I want you with that squeaky scream of his.

Carey may have done a lot of work on this album, but it really does not show. Surprisingly, her third album is a downfall from her previous albums.