A Pop Music Feature
The Singular Siren revisits one of her most successful albums, marking the 25th Anniversary of the release of RAINBOW with a full audio remastering and some new gems, including remixes and a fresh new offering that has no end!
The turn into the new millennium was met, especially in the music industry with much skepticism and uncertainty. The sound of pop radio was dramatically influx, as a surging demographic (mostly young tween girls) dominated and drove the all-mighty purchasing power. MTV’s TRL generation also widely supported this era, which worshipped daily on the altar of the studio headquartered in the heart of Times Square in New York City, directly across the once-legendary Virgin Records store. The teen dream was all the scene.
That left major mainstays in music wondering how to compete, and remain relevant against the onslaught of the graduating class of the Micke Mouse Club which included Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera, facing the growing tide of an R&B rise from Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, and hip-hop innovators Missy Elliott and Timbaland. One of the artists perched to endure the growing field, Mariah Carey remained a formidable force, if not for the controversies that followed the star into the late 90s, but for her undeniable vocal magnificence.
Wherever MC went, lambs were sure to follow.
Into the 2000s Carey had been in an embattled wrestling match with her record label, and inevitably found herself on the outs. She delivered on the critically hailed Rainbow which featured the hit tracks “Heartbreaker” and “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)”, along with the artist’s usual blistering ballads “Thank God I Found You” and her remake of the Phil Collins power hit “Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now).” The album synched her popularity with her fanbase and the remixes that emerged from the setlist would become dance-floor classics.
Revisiting the archives, Rainbow: 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition proves that Carey was always a force in the industry, her influence would inspire contemporaries to follow in her footsteps, over the rainbow, and beyond. The original album’s tracks have been remastered to match today’s hi-res lossless audio rates providing an entirely new dimension of listening experience, as well as expanding to encompass the spatial depths of Dolby Atmos sound. This Expanded Edition, specially released to mark its 25th anniversary is also resonating as a resonating celebration of the LGBTQ+ PRIDE Season.
Bookending the album is a brand new dance track “Rainbow’s End” co-produced by the legendary David Morales (@djdavidmorales) who has always played a hand in remixing many of Carey’s biggest hits. The singer famously goes back into the studio to provide her remixers with all-new vocals, and Morales's “triumphant” take on “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)” is also included in the expanded setlist. Rainbow often overlooked in Mariah Carey’s catalog would be her last full-length album under her original contract with Sony, signaling an entirely new direction and era that followed.
With her eyes always on the future, this Expanded Edition is an opportunity to revisit a markedly pure creative moment in Carey’s career. The songs are really strong, her voice is strongly present, and the production is among the best of her works. With the addition of “Rainbow’s End,” she continues to signal her strong connection to dance music and her inspired dedication to providing her dance-devoted fanbase with a unique gift that taps directly into their pulse rate.
RAINBOW: 25th ANNIVERSARY Expanded Edition | by MARIAH CAREY | is available now as a digital download on iTunes here, and also in a limited edition vinyl release. Visit mariahcarey.com to follow all of the artist’s next steps.
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