Mariah Carey Albums Ranked

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1969, or 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Known for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style, and signature use of the whistle register, she is referred to as the “Songbird Supreme” by Guinness World Records. She rose to fame in 1990 with her eponymous debut album, released under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, who married her three years later. Carey is the first artist in history to have their first five singles reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, from “Vision of Love” to “Emotions”. With sales of over 200 million records worldwide, Carey is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has amassed an extensive catalog, with nineteen of her songs topping the Billboard Hot 100; Carey holds the record for the most number-one singles by a solo artist, a female songwriter, and a female producer, According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the second-highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 66.5 million certified album units. In 2012, she was ranked second on VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. In 2019, Billboard named her the all-time top female artist in the United States, based on both album and song chart performances. Aside from her commercial accomplishments, Carey has won five Grammy Awards, nineteen World Music Awards, ten American Music Awards, and fifteen Billboard Music Awards. An inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, she is noted for inspiring other artists in pop and contemporary R&B music. Here are all of Mariah Carey Albums Ranked.

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10. Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse (2014)

“This is a great album. Mariah Carey showcases her range and talent on an effort that proves to succeed in an unprecedented way. Nearly every track is a solid song and not only is her talent on display, but all of the music is great. Mariah Carey is on of the the rare artists in the industry who will continue to prove her worth for one reason- she has an unparalleled talent that draws the attention of any music fan, whether they are casual fans or bonafide fans that follow her career. To date this is one of the best albums of 2014.”

9. E=MC² (2008)

“”E=MC2” is a sequel to her 2005 comeback album “The Emancipation of Mimi” and I love it. I always think Mariah Carey is smokin’ hot and since “The Emancipation of Mimi”, she had been the comeback kid. But this album “E=MC2” had some good songs includes “Migrate” featuring T-Pain, the No.1 hit “Touch My Body”, “I Stay In Love”, “Side Effects” featuring Young Jeezy, “I’m That Chick”, “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time” & the love ballad “Bye Bye”. “E=MC2” proves that it better than “The Emancipation of Mimi”.

8. Merry Christmas (1994)

“Mariah might overdo it a bit on melisma and her choirs, but this is still easily one of the best Christmas albums around. She’s great at just slowly letting a song grow(Born On This Day, O Holy Night, Hark!). And that three-song stretch of All I Want For Christmas Is You -> O Holy Night -> Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is amazing, three 10/10, tour de forces right after each other. I’m not a big fan of all the religious songs, but more power to people who are moved by them. They just aren’t as good at gripping me lyrically/thematically.”

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7. Rainbow (1999)

“Rainbow” is a blend of chilled-out hip-hop/R&B and her usual adult contemporary fare, but all of it comes across as a product far too smoothed over; excluding “Heartbreaker” and its remix, this record really is quite bland. It’s a step down from her magnum opus “Butterfly” and it’s easy to see why. Mariah quickly wrote, produced, and recorded her vocals within a few months and rushed this record in order to get out of her oppressive label situation and away from her abusive, controlling ex-husband Tommy Mottola. I completely sympathize and understand why her heart wasn’t really in this, but nevertheless, I just wish it had a few more impressive tracks on it.”

6. Emotions (1991)

“This is one of my fav Mariah albums. Released in 1991 right behind her very successful self titled debut record. Of course everyone’s fav song EMOTIONS is always fun! Some of the very best on this CD are AND YOU DONT REMEMBER, MAKE IT HAPPEN, IF ITS OVER, & SO BLESSED, but my absolute Favorite is CANT LET GO. I think everyone would agree this song is just timeless and great all around. It is to me one of the top 3 or 4 Mariah ballads! No one should be without Mariah Carey’s 2nd album, EMOTIONS !”

5. The Emancipation Of Mimi (2005)

“Guess it’s not very right for this album to appear on a chart site like best ever albums. But aside from the sugar-sweet lyrics which sound uh… way too sweet, the music itself is still entertaining, despite not having much production value. And Mariah’s retained her powerful voice back.”

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4. Mariah Carey (1990)

“This is arguably her best album. The highlights are Vision of Love, I Don’t Wanna Cry, Someday, Vanishing, Alone In Love, and the closing trio. The best song is most definitely Prisoner. It should have been released as a single or at least been officially remixed! It is still here for you to enjoy, and the obscure bootleg mixes are excellent.”

3. Music Box (1993)

“Mariah Carey love her or hate her has an amazing multi-faceted voice. She has made 4 really good albums this being my 2nd favorite, Music Box was a huge album all over Europe and is still her biggest selling album. The tracks here are all good Dream Lover & Any Time You Need a friend stand out All I’ve Ever wanted is also worth a mention.”

2. Daydream (1995)

“Started well. Felt like it could go somewhere quite high. Suffers as it goes on though and despite ending on a high it never quite reaches what ‘One Sweet Day’ and ‘Fantasy’ did for me. Cherished moments by the bridge with the picnics. Lemon trees sing and some tears shed. The songs can carry themselves and altogether fairly enjoyable.“

1. Butterfly (1997)

“Mariah Carey’s greatest record and easily one of the best R&B albums of the 90s was a crucial turning point in her career. Breaking free of the grips of abusive ex-husband Tommy Mottola, Mariah seized more creative control and allowed her love of hip-hop and smooth R&B to take over, creating some magnificent gems like “Breakdown” & “The Roof” which are easily some of the very best songs of their decade. The record may sag when relying a little too heavily on ponderous ballads, but other than that it’s a marvel with highly articulate lyrics by Mariah herself along with a more subdued vocal performance throughout.”