Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism.
The Dartmouth
July 27, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

HEAR AND NOW: Mariah Carey releases best of the best

Today, Jan. 20, 2009, will forever be remembered as a momentous date in history. People across the world have hoped and dreamed, and their passionate longing has come to fruition.

I'm referring, of course, to the North American release of "The Ballads," an 18-track compilation of Mariah Carey's most-loved songs.

"The Ballads" offers a laundry list of Carey's classics, from "Always Be My Baby" to "Hero." Several tracks feature appearances from music giants including Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston and Usher, which should enhance the album's appeal. This career-encompassing retrospective will certainly be a must-have for Carey's mesmerized devotees. For everyone else, it will beg a single question -- why?

It is not that Mariah Carey lacks talent. On the contrary, I remember the first time I heard a Carey song -- "When You Believe," a duet with Whitney Houston featured in the Disney animated film "The Prince of Egypt" (1998). My recollection of the song has a vibrancy matched only by the memory of my first concert, "Peter, Paul and Mommy."

Carey's powerful vocals have endeared her to fans all over the world for over a decade. Thus it's not surprising that "The Ballads" has already been well received abroad, topping the U.K. R&B chart as well as cracking the top 20 in Japan, New Zealand and Ireland.

The release of "The Ballads," however, raises a more general question: What do compilation albums serve to do? Are they any better than thinly veiled ploys to wring more cash out of devoted fans?

And in the era of music sharing, when anyone can create their own "best of" mix, is there any reason to drop $20 on a collection of has-been hits?

Of course, similar questions are frequently raised about albums themselves. Record companies and artists constantly face an uphill battle to convince consumers that new music is actually worth buying; and when the "new" music they release is little more than the accumulated detritus of the recent past, any incentive to spend money is further minimized.

So rejoice, all you Mariah Carey fans; I won't hold it against you if you are like Ricky Dee from the U.K., who posted on Amazon.co.uk that "The Ballads" is "a great work of art worth the purchase, which recognizes and appreciates the record-breaking achievements of the best ballad singer ever, our most wonderful Mariah."

I suspect, however, that most of us will pass over the release of "The Ballads" without so much as a sidelong glance.