“The Essential Mariah Carey” from Columbia Records | Coming May 8th, 2012

NEW YORK, April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Mariah Carey’s first decade of record-setting hit singles, remixes and fan-favorite album tracks are collected on THE ESSENTIAL MARIAH CAREY.  The 28 tracks on this double CD laid the foundation for five-time Grammy Award®-winner Mariah’s reign as the top-selling female recording artist in history with over 200 million albums, singles and videos sold worldwide.

THE ESSENTIAL MARIAH CAREY , which is an update of 2001’s Greatest Hits with four different tracks, will be available everywhere starting May 8th through Columbia Records, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

“I wanted to create a collection of some of my favorite songs,” explains Mariah.  “Several of them are very big hits and some are more obscure favorites of mine as well as fan faves.”

At the core of this set is the extraordinary run of early RIAA gold, platinum and multi-platinum Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit singles that kept her phenomenal vocal artistry at the forefront of pop music consciousness for that first decade.  Fourteen of those chart-toppers are included here:

    1990: “Vision Of Love,” “Love Takes Time”
    1991: “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “Emotions” (included here in its 12-Inch Club Mix)
    1992: “I’ll Be There” (featuring Trey Lorenz)
    1993: “Dreamlover,” “Hero”
    1995: “Fantasy,” “One Sweet Day” (Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men)
    1996: “Always Be My Baby”
    1997: “Honey”
    1998: “My All”
    1999: “Heartbreaker” (featuring Jay-Z); “Thank God I Found You” (featuring Joe & 98 Degrees)

Mariah Carey completists will appreciate that this ESSENTIAL contains four tracks newly chosen by Mariah herself for the occasion:

    “Vanishing,” Mariah’s debut as a producer, from her self-titled debut album of 1990
    “Close My Eyes,” a confessional track from the Butterfly album, evoking her new freedom as a single woman in 1997;
    “The Roof (Mobb Deep Extended Version),” also from Butterfly, Mariah’s first track with the songwriting-production duo Poke & Tone, aka the Trackmasters (Jean Claude Oliver and Samuel Barnes);
    “Bliss,” from her next album, 1998’s Rainbow, one of six tracks on that album that were co-written and co-produced by Mariah with the Flyte Tyme Productions team of Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Big Jim Wright.

In addition, Mariah has included two rare alternate remixes on this ESSENTIAL collection, both on disc one.  “Emotions (12-inch Club Mix),” from 1991, the title track of Mariah’s second studio album, is a remix of her record-setting fifth consecutive #1 hit single.  “Anytime You Need A Friend (C + C Club Remix),” from her third studio album, 1993’s Music Box, was remixed by her friends Robert Clivilles and David Cole of fellow Columbia Records group C + C Music Factory, who played such a crucial role as writers and producers on Mariah’s early studio albums.

Mariah Carey’s Cinderella storybook signing to Columbia Records in 1990 is entwined with the magic of that decade.  At the very outset, she accomplished what no other pop artist had done in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, sending her first five consecutive singles to the #1 spot.  Indeed, eight of her first ten singles hit the #1 spot between 1990 and 1993, and the decade would see Mariah place 15 hits at the top of the Hot 100 through 1999.

In 2005, Mariah earned her 17th #1 career single (“Don’t Forget About Us”), tying one of the most enduring chart records in Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley’s 17 #1’s.  Three years later, Mariah surpassed Elvis with her 18th #1 Hot 100 hit (“Touch My Body”).  Mariah is currently positioned as the only active recording artist in the 54 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to surpass the Beatles’ all-time high of 20 #1 hits.

THE ESSENTIAL MARIAH CAREY

(Columbia 88691 96808 2)

Disc One – Selections: 1. Vision Of Love • 2. Love Takes Time • 3. Vanishing • 4. I Don’t Wanna Cry • 5. Emotions (12-inch Mix) • 6. Can’t Let Go • 7. Make It Happen • 8. I’ll Be There (featuring Trey Lorenz) • 9. Dreamlover • 10. Hero • 11. Without You • 12. Anytime You Need A Friend (C + C Club Remix) • 13. Endless Love (duet with Luther Vandross) • 14. Fantasy.

Disc Two – Selections: 1. One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men) • 2. Always Be My Baby • 3. Underneath The Stars • 4. Honey • 5. Butterfly • 6. My All • 7. Close My Eyes • 8. The Roof (Mobb Deep Extended Version) • 9. When You Believe (from The Prince Of Egypt) (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston) • 10. I Still Believe • 11. Heartbreaker (featuring Jay-Z) • 12. Bliss • 13. Thank God I Found You (featuring Joe & 98 Degrees) • 14. Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme).