Charmbracelet by Mariah Carey (Album, Contemporary R&B): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music
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Charmbracelet
By Mariah Carey
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ArtistMariah Carey
TypeAlbum
Released3 December 2002
RYM Rating 2.79 / 5.00.5 from 792 ratings
Ranked#1,144 for 2002
Genres
Descriptors
female vocalist, ballad, love, mellow, melodic, rhythmic
Language English

Track listing

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Previous in discography: Glitter
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The Emancipation of Mimi
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Issues

6 Issues

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6 Issues

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Credits

Credits

26 Reviews

Page 1 2 3 4 >>
3.00 stars
I really like the song Through The Rain. Step-by-step singing, different pieces of music, she used different singing methods .False voice, true voice, bel canto and even roar.
Published
4.50 stars
When I first heard Charmbracelet back in 2017, I hated it, I thought it was her worst album and was so disappointed because the singles were really good but as time went on and I listened to it more and more, I started to like it and has eventually become one of my favorite Mariah albums, it's probably a very carefree album and sure it's wild to go from a very spiritual song like "Through the Rain" to a bop like "Boy (I Need You" but I think this album wasn't made with the intentions of being the greatest or most cohesive album of all time.
I remember I used to dislike pretty much every song except the singles and "The One", "Clown", "My Saving Grace", "Lullaby" and "Subtle Invitation", after relistening to the album in 2020 (my taste had expanded a lot by then), songs like "You Got Me", "I Only Wanted", "You Had Your Chance" and "Irresistible" started to click with me and now they're songs that I frequently listen to, the last song to click with me was "Yours" and it clicked with me after listening to a speed-up version of it on TikTok lol.

The only two songs that haven't clicked with me are the last two tracks, "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy" is a cute song and I'll never say anything negative about out of respect to Mariah and her late father. Now onto Through the Rain (Remix), this had no business being on this album, usually Mariah makes great remixes but this, HELL NO, it's boring, it doesn't take the song to a new level or anything like that.
Published
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It’s hard to convey what a nightmare 2001 was for Mariah Carey. Not only did her debut movie become linked to 9/11, lose tens of millions of dollars and emerge as the cinematic punchline of the year, she also developed a reputation for being a crazy person as a result of increasingly erratic behavior due to a bi-polar disorder she kept secret over concerns about how it would affect her image. She had several breakdowns and collapses leading to weeks of hospitalization. Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, Virgin looked at Glitter’s sales figures (a quarter of previous release Rainbow’s numbers and three of its four singles *didn’t even enter the Top 100*, unthinkable for a star of Carey’s magnitude) and paid her 28 mill to get out of the 80 million five album deal they were only one record into. Ouch.
After such a spectacular belly flop it’s customary to go away for a while so it’s testament to Carey’s fighting spirit that she came right back with a new album. But should she have? Well, CB is neither triumph nor disgrace, being a slick, back to basics affair. It has a bruised, less upbeat demeanor, typified by opening song Through The Rain where the beat is simple, nothing-to-write-home-about R&B with the focus being on Mariah’s heartfelt song of persevering through trouble. Jermaine Dupri turns in a good one with The One, a sexy beat laced with guitar and engaging rapid fire delivery from Mariah on the verses.
The problem here, and it’s hardly unique to Charm Bracelet, is too many damn slow weepy ballads. Some are fine - I Only Wanted is distinguished by its Spanish guitar and yearning Mariah vocal while the crisp Clown is given interest through its lyrical takedown of Eminem and his claims that he was in a relationship with Carey. Yet as sappy cookie cutter fodder like Yours, My Saving Grace and Lullaby keeps rolling by, it’s hard not to look at that 65 minute run time and narrow your eyes. Mariah is capable of changing things up though, with You Had Your Chance and Irresistible bringing in a G-Funk flavour, while Bringing On The Heartbreak is a thoroughly unexpected reimagining of the Def Leppard classic as a slow-burning, carefully building piece complete with choir, strings and rock guitar that works shockingly well. The record ends with Sunflowers For Alfred Roy, a bare, ethereal farewell to her recently deceased father, the latest in a string of songs including Looking In and Petals that demonstrate Carey’s willingness to be real and personal with listeners.
Though less devoted listeners may struggle with the mediocre balladry, there are good songs worth digging out and lambs will be happy to see their queen recovering after Glitter.
Published
3.00 stars
One of Mariah’s more weaker albums. Coming off the disaster that was Glitter, Mariah decided to follow up that album/soundtrack with another misstep. With this album, she does every trope she’s done on every album since Daydream, but none of it works here. The samples used aren’t instantly catchy and the ballads don’t feel as show stopping as her previous ones were. On top of that, the whole album just sounds… off. Her voice sounds so strained and it sounds so uncomfortable to listen to at times. However, there are some good moments on this album. Lullaby is an excellent track that sounds like lo-fi hip hop that can be lyrically interpreted as a sequel to The Roof. Irresistible (Westside Connection) is another good hip hop song. If Mariah kept that chilled sound throughout the album, it would have worked a bit better.
Published
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 ▼ 3.00 stars
  • 3.50 stars 1 Through the Rain
  • 4.00 stars 2 Boy (I Need You)
  • 3.50 stars 3 The One
  • 4.00 stars 4 Yours
  • 3.00 stars 5 You Got Me
  • 3.50 stars 6 I Only Wanted
  • 4.00 stars 7 Clown
  • 3.00 stars 8 My Saving Grace
  • 3.00 stars 9 You Had Your Chance
  • 3.00 stars 10 Lullaby
  • 3.50 stars 11 Irresistible (Westside Connection)
  • 3.50 stars 12 Subtle Invitation
  • 3.00 stars 13 Bringin' on the Heartbreak
  • 3.00 stars 14 Sunflowers for Alfred Roy
  • 3.50 stars 15 Through the Rain (Remix)
Pretty Average
Charmbracelet, released in 2002, is Mariah Carey's ninth studio album, and honestly I found this album to be quite "average" for what I have come to expect out of Mariah Carey, arguably the best female vocalist of all time. Below is a list of tracks that I found interesting:

Track # 2: Boy (I Need You) - featuring Cam'ron
Track # 4: Yours
Track # 7: Clown

While these tracks are a far cry from some of the tracks in her first few albums, they are still quite enjoyable. Yet, I can't knock this album too much because it did sell 3 million copies worldwide, which would be amazing for a lot of recording artists, but hey this is Mariah we're talking about here. For some reason expectations are much higher for her due to that amazing voice that she has. In any case, I think you may enjoy this album if you are a fan of Ballads and R&B.
Published
▼ 4.50 stars
  • 4.00 stars 1 Through the Rain
  • 4.50 stars 2 Boy (I Need You)
  • 5.00 stars 3 The One
  • 5.00 stars 4 Yours
  • 4.00 stars 5 You Got Me
  • 4.50 stars 6 I Only Wanted
  • 4.00 stars 7 Clown
  • 4.50 stars 8 My Saving Grace
  • 5.00 stars 9 You Had Your Chance
  • 5.00 stars 10 Lullaby
  • 5.00 stars 11 Irresistible (Westside Connection)
  • 4.50 stars 12 Subtle Invitation
  • 5.00 stars 13 Bringin' on the Heartbreak
  • 3.00 stars 14 Sunflowers for Alfred Roy
  • 2.50 stars 15 Through the Rain (Remix)
Lullaby
Given that this has slyly become one of my favourite Mariah albums, It it's probably time to update my review, and times have definitely changed.

Since its initial release in 2003, Charmbracelet has somehow managed to continually draw me back time and time again. Of course, "My Saving Grace", "The One", "Bringing On The Heartbreak", and "Boy", are still standouts, but songs like "Lullaby", "You Had Your Chance", "Irresistible", and practically the whole remainder of this supposedly weak album have seriously grown on me, and I find myself not being able to fault the album at all.

In all honesty, I think it's down to me maturing musically in the last twelve years, but once again, as I listen to Charmbracelet, I find it impossible to resist.
Published
2.50 stars
Having unleashed the truly forgettable Glitter on an unsuspecting public a year earlier, Mariah Carey returned in 2002 with Charmbracelet, an album that plays it safe by reverting to a familiar blend of contemporary R&B and pop balladeering. As such, it continues down the same path as her late 90s output and whilst it represents an improvement on the previous year's effort there is still an overwhelming sense that from a musical or artistic standpoint Carey is really only bumping along the bottom.

Much of the disappointment surrounding this album has to do with how tired a lot of the tracks sound. One thing that shone through on her best work earlier on in her career was the attention to detail. That same care and attention may have been applied here to the arrangements and production but it's difficult to achieve anything when so many of the songs seem dull and lifeless to begin with. This is particularly true of the R&B tracks which do little to enhance the credentials of either Carey or the various guest rappers who make an appearance. Sadly, even the ballads largely fail to inspire and it's that same accusation of a formulaic approach that we've all become rather weary of. Carey's characteristic vocal stylings just seem to have gone a little stale - the use of the whistle register, the constant reliance on melismatic passages and the over-reliance on more hushed 'breathy' vocals.

Yet for all these faults Charmbracelet still possesses a strange kind of appeal. No doubt this is partly because Carey always produces work that is deeply autobiographical. Some of the tracks assembled here may appear to have the artistic depth of an OK! magazine photo-shoot but as a whole the album remains curiously compelling. There are better moments scattered throughout the blandness. "My Saving Grace" is the pick of the ballads, the one song where Carey appears to have rediscovered her melodic muse and no one can doubt the emotional sincerity of "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy" written for her late father. However, the standout track on the album comes in the unexpected form of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak", a cover of the Def Leppard original. It's the sort of combination that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but actually works very well, especially as Carey opts to retain the rock feel to the song.

Hearing that performance just makes me wish that Mariah Carey would try something new from time to time - not just on the odd track but across a whole album. A collection of cover songs maybe or perhaps a gospel-tinged album. Anything to break the R&B / ballad monotony that blights a good deal of her output. Having now waded through the first eight of her studio albums (disregarding the first of the Christmas records) I have to say that I live in hope rather than expectation as far as that particular wish is concerned.
Published
063 384-2 CD (2002)
 0.50 stars
After "Glitter" went down in history as one of the greatest commercial and artistic flops it seemed that Mariah reached the bottom. But few years later she recorded even worse piece of shit. It's hard to believe that Mariah allowed the world to hear this dreadful album. First thing that comes to mind after listening to "Charmbracelet" is that her glass-shattering vocal is long gone and now she only tries to make it through the songs with imitation of mouse's squeak. Damn, I would like to believe it's not Mariah just one of her peers. But the sad truth is that actually it was Mariah who sang on this unbelievably lifeless record. Second thing that's very clear is that Mariah lost her talent for writing catchy, memorable and hooks-oriented songs. "Charmbracelet" is full of uninspiring and lifeless numbers that sound like throw aways from her former albums. Her trademark ballads are represented here by secondary and banal material like: "Through The Rain", "I Only Wanted" or her another take on gospel in "My Saving Grace". But even worse are up-tempo songs like "Boy", "You Got Me" or "Clown". They are embarrasing examples of immature R&B and hip-hop. Just because you hired rapper, doesn't mean you sing hip-hop Mariah!
Published
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Catalog

Ratings: 792
Cataloged: 281
Track rating sets:Track ratings: 110
Rating distribution
Rating trend
Page 1 2 .. 5 .. 10 .. 15 .. 21 .. 26 .. 31 .. 37 .. 42 .. 47 .. 53 >>
4 May 2024
sameoImistakes  5.00 stars Madonna
3 May 2024
colormeblue  2.00 stars
3 May 2024
1ntheseason  1.50 stars
29 Apr 2024
CosmicSlopShop  3.00 stars Ight
28 Apr 2024
MordoGoodIGuess  2.50 stars Barnes & Noble Record Aisle
22 Apr 2024
notsoperfectblue  1.00 stars
19 Apr 2024
xflvttershyx  3.00 stars
18 Apr 2024
dividingdatura  2.50 stars
9 Apr 2024
AndrewPrep  ▼2.50 stars Ok/Forgettable/Mixed
  • 2.50 stars 1 Through the Rain
  • 3.00 stars 2 Boy (I Need You)
  • 3.00 stars 3 The One
  • 2.50 stars 4 Yours
  • 2.50 stars 5 You Got Me
  • 2.50 stars 6 I Only Wanted
  • 2.00 stars 7 Clown
  • 2.50 stars 8 My Saving Grace
  • 2.50 stars 9 You Had Your Chance
  • 2.50 stars 10 Lullaby
  • 3.00 stars 11 Irresistible (Westside Connection)
  • 3.00 stars 12 Subtle Invitation
  • 3.50 stars 13 Bringin' on the Heartbreak
  • 2.50 stars 14 Sunflowers for Alfred Roy
  • 3.00 stars 15 Through the Rain (Remix)
9 Apr 2024
topimptherapgame  2.00 stars Light to decent 4 (Bad, had potential)
5 Apr 2024
pommander  2.50 stars
31 Mar 2024
efraaez  3.00 stars
29 Mar 2024
brendanmkw  3.50 stars
25 Mar 2024
ravenkelela CD▼4.00 stars
  • 3.50 stars 1 Through the Rain
  • 4.50 stars 2 Boy (I Need You)
  • 4.50 stars 3 The One
  • 4.50 stars 4 Yours
  • 4.00 stars 5 You Got Me
  • 4.50 stars 6 I Only Wanted
  • 4.50 stars 7 Clown
  • 3.50 stars 8 My Saving Grace
  • 4.00 stars 9 You Had Your Chance
  • 4.50 stars 10 Lullaby
  • 5.00 stars 11 Irresistible (Westside Connection)
  • 4.50 stars 12 Subtle Invitation
  • 4.00 stars 13 Bringin' on the Heartbreak
  • 4.50 stars 14 Sunflowers for Alfred Roy
  •   15 Through the Rain (Remix)
24 Mar 2024
Felix_s1mp  0.50 stars
Cover art for Charmbracelet by Mariah Carey
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Previous
Next
Previous in discography: Glitter
Glitter
The Emancipation of Mimi
Next in discography: Glitter
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Track listing

Credits

48 Lists

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Contributions

Contributors to this release: alanranta, jkra3168, Alenko, Nodima, [deleted], bakinakwa
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