I absolutely LOVE this album! "Heartbreaker" went to #1 R&B and "Bliss" is absolute Flyte Tyme MAGIC! I remember the Billboard article that preceded the album with the big bold headline that read: "Mariah Carey takes OFF with Flyte Tyme!" "Bliss" was like Minnie reincarnated; some nice jams and that beautiful, haunting ballad, "Petals." My only issue with "Rainbow" was the pathetic artwork. Did she REALLY need a rainbow across her ASS and a giant-sized spiral lollipop in BED? Juvenile all around as far as that went. I think had CBS/Sony given her a rainbow after a rainstorm front cover (photo) only with her traditional Mariah Carey font (a la Teena's "Wild And Peaceful" album,) it might have presented better publically. MY opinon, mind u. Musically, not bad, but not amazing either. It was what it WAS. It didn't sell too poorly either if I recall. Maybe 3x Platinum. It was the era of the one-word album titles. LOL. Her next album's gonnabe called "Drainpipe." Just kidding! LOL! <3

[Edited 10/2/19 18:27pm]

whitechocolatebrotha said:

I honestlt think this album is overhated. I mean, I am not saying it isn't good- it is- and that it doesn't have great jams but it is slightly overhated.

I had been a big fan for a few years before this album but after it came out I was done. At this point Mariah'd had so much success that she'd become complacent. In the prior two years her voice had also gone through some massive changes and had greatly deteriorated. "Rainbow" definitely felt like Mariah's laziest effort for me. She was following a formula that had become stale. Release an uptempo lead single with a prominent sample like "Dreamlover", "Fantasy" and "Honey" - "Heartbreaker". Cover a ballad from the 70s/80s like "Without You", "Open Arms" and "I Still Believe" - "Against All Odds". Feature a slow jam like "Underneath the Stars" and "Fourth of July" - "Bliss". Throw on a very poor man's "One Sweet Day" - "Thank God I Found You". The requisite personal balla a la "Looking In" and "Outside" - "Petals". You get the idea. I hated being able to see the formala and almost everything on this record was inferior. I really, really did not like the 'whispering' vocal style and the harshness of her nodules on songs like "Against All Odds" put me off. This was also when she hardcore started to either lip sync entire performances or certain high notes. I wish she had addressed her vocal problems back then as her voice has only continued to decline. As for the title and cover art I absolutely hated it! Mariah originally wanted to name the album "Millennium" but the Backstreet Boys had beaten her to it. I was horrified when I saw the cover art. The year before during the #1's era Mariah had dressed much more tastefully while still maintaining her recently reclaimed sexiness but this was just tacky. The also had the cashier that sold me the album made a comment about the cover! I feel like the album would have sold better with a different title and artwork. All negativity aside, I absolutely LOVE "Heartbreaker" to this day. It still sounds fresh to me and can always lift my mood. I really feel like everything else was phoned in though. Mariah needed that low period to be able to bounce back with TEOM.

[Edited 10/5/19 3:32am]

Commerically...this was the beginning of the end for Mariah... a couple hits here and there since then... good career though.

She should try to reinvent herself musically instead of using the same formula that she's tried to use for the last 20 years...