Rainbow (25th Anniversary Edition)＜完全生産限定盤/Picture Vinyl＞

マライア・キャリー『Rainbow』(レインボー)発売25周年記念 未発表音源含むデラックス盤(ピクチャー・ヴァイナル)

これまでに19曲の全米No.1ヒットを世に送り出し、2億枚を超える全世界トータル・セールス、グラミー賞をはじめ数々の世界的アワード受賞歴を誇る世界的歌姫マライア・キャリー。1999年発表の7作目のオリジナル・アルバム『Rainbow』(レインボー)発売25周年を記念し、未発表音源の「Rainbow's End」や新リミックス音源を追加収録した全20曲入りのピクチャーディスク仕様のアナログ盤。
同作品は国内で360万枚という洋楽史上最高セールスを記録したベスト盤『#1's』発売後の90年代最後のアルバムで、前作『バタフライ』のR&B/HIP-HOP路線を踏襲しながら、デヴィッド・フォスター、ジャム&ルイスなど大物プロデューサーを起用。ジェイ・Zやアッシャー、ミッシー・エリオット、ジョーなど豪華なゲスト陣も参加し、シングル・カットされた「Heartbreaker (Featuring Jay-Z)」と「Thank God I Found You (Feat. Joe & 98 Degrees)」は2曲とも全米シングル・チャート1位を獲得。これまでに10億回以上ストリーミング再生されたアルバムだ。

Mariah Carey claims Rainbow, her first album since divorcing Tommy Mottola, "chronicles my emotional roller coaster ride of the past year," but less subjective listeners could be forgiven for viewing it as simply another Mariah Carey album. After all, all the elements are in place -- the crossover dance hits, the ballads, the cameos, the hip producers, the weird cover choice from the early '80s. But dig a little deeper, and her words ring true. Rainbow is the first Carey album where she's written personal lyrics, and allusions to her separation from Mottola are evident throughout the album, even if it doesn't really amount to the "story" she mentions in the liner notes. As appropriate for any introspective album, it's a bit ballad-heavy, which makes Rainbow seem a little samey. Yet that's not the only reason the record has a weird sense of deja vu, since this follows the same formula as its two predecessors, distinguished primarily by her newfound fondness for flashing flesh. That repetition isn't necessarily a problem, since she does formula very well, managing to appeal to both housewives as well as b-boys. Rainbow proves that she can still pull off that difficult balancing act, but it's hard not to be a little disappointed that she'd didn't shake the music up a little bit more -- after all, it would have been a more effective album if the heartbreak, sorrow, and joy that bubbles underneath the music were brought to the surface. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine