Album Review: Here for It All by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey uses her sixteenth studio album to bridge the past and present. It’s cohesive not because each song sounds alike, but because each reflects a facet of her artistic identity.
It’s been seven years since Mariah Carey’s last studio album, Caution (2018), a period in which the icon kept her legacy alive through anniversary reissues and the #MC30 vault campaign. During this time, Carey faced increased scrutiny—viral clips of uneven live vocals and meme-worthy moments fueled debate about the authenticity of her voice and her exaggerated diva persona. Ever the self-aware legend, Mariah doesn’t shy away from these conversations on her 16th studio album. In fact, she seems determined to remind everyone why she’s still a pop/R&B monarch, albeit one with a wink and a tiara slightly askew. Here for It All arrives not with a desperate bang but with a confident, relaxed vibe—a veteran artist playing to her strengths, stretching her stylistic range, and occasionally poking fun at her own mythos along the way.
Without warning, the vibe shifts into 2025 mode with some throwback twists. “Type Dangerous” and “Play This Song” introduce skittering R&B beats and hip-hop swagger, firmly establishing one stiletto in the contemporary scene. “Play This Song” (a breezy duet with Anderson .Paak) blends live drums with velvety harmonies, bridging old-school soul and modern cool. “Type Dangerous” is flirtier and flashier—Mariah half-singing, half-rapping about her attraction to bad boys over a trap-tinged groove. She even drops sly autobiographical winks (at one point referencing an “evil king” in a castle) for longtime fans to catch. Throughout these early tracks, Carey navigates a delicate balance between vintage and contemporary styles. She’s done this balance before on Caution, leveraging her history with the sonic architecture of modern R&B, and here she continues that trend. The production is plush and up-to-date (808 kicks, atmospheric synths, a dash of Anderson .Paak’s flair) yet Mariah’s core pop-soul aesthetic anchors it all. There’s no mistaking whose album this is, trend cycles be damned.
One of the surprises on Here for It All is how many genres Mariah dips into. The mid-album stretch finds her stretching out and having fun with her influences. “In Your Feelings” is an affectionate Motown-inspired romp, complete with buoyant basslines, handclaps, and honeyed background vocals straight out of a 1965 girl-group single. Carey’s voice adopts a subtle vintage lilt to sell the throwback vibe. It’s more homage than innovation—a sweet pastiche that charms even if it doesn’t hit the emotional heights of the era it imitates. “Sugar Sweet” takes us down a totally different lane, a sultry, dancehall-flavored jam that pairs Mariah with Kehlani and Jamaican artist Shenseea. Built on a breezy island groove and a skittering reggae beat, it lets Mariah play the cool seductress; she delivers the catchy hook in a playful croon, while her collaborators add credibility and spice (Shenseea’s patois verse, especially, brings authentic heat). The track feels like a bid for a summer anthem—refreshingly contemporary yet still identifiable as Mariah in its lush, layered vocal arrangement. And if those genre switch-ups weren’t enough, along comes “I Won’t Allow It,” a full-on disco empowerment anthem. This track bounces in with a classic four-on-the-floor beat, chic string riffs, and a mirrorball shine, as if teleporting the listener to a Saturday Night Fever dance floor. Carey sounds like she’s having a blast here: the lyrics pep-talk about not tolerating disrespect, and the music itself is pure glittery throwback. It’s in the vein of recent disco revivals, but hearing the Elusive Chanteuse go Studio 54 is still a delightful surprise.
Still, no Mariah Carey album would be complete without the classic ballads, and Here for It All delivers a couple that will please the ballad connoisseurs. “Nothing Is Impossible” is the big inspirational moment in this set—a sweeping, strings-and-piano slow burn that aims straight for the heart. The song’s message of perseverance and faith in oneself is very much in Carey’s wheelhouse (think of tracks like “Through the Rain” or her Butterfly-era anthems). There’s a definite attempt to chase the magic of that late-90s era here: the melody climbs earnestly, the bridge modulates for a final climax, and Mariah lets her voice billow out in emotional waves. It’s effective up to a point; the uplifting vibe is sincere, but it doesn’t quite reach the raw, gut-punch poignancy of Butterfly’s finest ballads. Perhaps it’s the songwriting-by-numbers feel (the lyrics check all the inspirational boxes), or possibly Carey’s vocals, while lovely, are more restrained now than in her vocal-peak days. The title track, “Here for It All,” is a tender ballad steeped in nostalgia, built on hushed jazz piano chords and gospel-choir flourishes that harken back to Carey’s 1990s roots. It feels like a personal statement: after all the ups and downs, she’s here for the whole journey.
The album’s other straightforward slow song is a curveball. “My Love,” a faithful cover of the 1973 Paul McCartney & Wings hit. It’s a romantic, gentle tune (all sentiment and soft-rock sweetness), and Mariah gives it a respectful, unfussy treatment. Her vocals are warm and unshowy here, sticking mostly to the song’s original melodies with a few delicate runs. It’s as if she didn’t want to over-modernize or over-diva a song known for its simplicity. The result is pleasant and showcases the richer tone of her lower register, though one might wish for a bit more interpretive risk. As a deep-cut album track, “My Love” slides in nicely with the record’s nostalgic undercurrent, but it does little to upstage the original. It’s more of a loving nod to one of her influences (Mariah has cited McCartney as a songwriter she admires) than a bold statement on its own. In the battle of Here for It All’s ballads versus its adventurous bops, the score is fairly even. The ballads provide heart and familiarity—they remind us that even in 2025, Carey can still conjure those “open arms” and dramatic key changes. But it’s the livelier, riskier cuts that feel like the album’s beating heart, injecting spontaneity and swagger into the mix.
Amid the secular love songs and flexes, Mariah also carves out space for spirituality. “Jesus I Do” is the album’s gospel centerpiece and spiritual odyssey, calling back to the church-infused moments she’s sprinkled throughout her catalog. Here, she’s joined by the legendary Clark Sisters on background vocals, which immediately elevates the energy of the track. As uptempo as it gets, Carey testifies about keeping faith through life’s trials (“When I am low… and I can’t seem to cope, Jesus, I do believe” she proclaims, her voice wrapped in conviction). The Clark Sisters’ harmonies push the song into Sunday-service ecstasy, responding to Mariah’s lead like a supportive choir. It’s one of Here for It All’s standout vocal showcases—the kind of soulful uplift that even Carey’s skeptics would have to acknowledge. After all the public ups and downs, Carey is affirming that her faith (in God, in love, in herself) remains unshaken. This track’s placement late in the album almost functions like a cleansing breath before the finale, grounding in something deeper.
Let’s talk vocals—because with Mariah Carey, we have to. In recent years, some folks and armchair vocal coaches have dissected her performances with almost absurd levels of scrutiny, quick to label her a faded voice from the past (she’s notoriously rumored to lip-sync her recent performances). On Here for It All, Carey doesn’t attempt a flashy “I can still belt 1995 under the table” showcase, and that’s for the best. Instead, she plays to her current strengths. Her tone is generally more airy and velvety here, especially on the R&B tracks where she employs that signature whisper register like an instrument unto itself. She layers her own backing vocals extensively, painting plush walls of sound that cushion the lead. When she does go for the power moment—a sustained note here, a climatic belt there—it’s used strategically for impact. The bottom line: the Voice is still very much here, maybe not as effortlessly crystalline as in her youth, but emotive and versatile in the ways that count.
Mariah stays in familiar territory: resilience, self-worth, love, and celebration of life’s highs after surviving the lows with the loss of her mother and sister int he same day. What’s different is the perspective, one that is lightly tinged with hard-earned wisdom and humor. She doesn’t shy away from her diva image—in fact, she leans in with a knowing grin, even if certain lyrics can be cheesy. One braggadocious uptempo track (a brief intro moment that feels like a spiritual successor to “It’s Like That”) finds her unapologetically toasting her own fabulousness. “I don’t care about much if it ain’t about Mi… I’m the D-I-V-A, that’s MC,” she sings, spelling it out with playful brio. It’s over-the-top in the best way, suggesting she’s in on the joke of her own legend. This persona, the glamorous, self-referential “Mimi,” is part of her artistry, and she wields it here to add a splash of fun and attitude between more earnest songs, especially in the 808-laden “Confetti & Champagne,” despite not sticking out so much.
With all the genre-hopping and the mix of nostalgia and modernity, one might wonder if Here for It All holds together as a unified statement. The answer is a bit yes and a bit no. The album comprises only 11 tracks, yet it covers a wide range of ground. The pacing takes the Lambs on a meandering expedition: from that mellow gospel-jazz opener into an upbeat R&B middle, through various stylistic detours, then winding down with a trio of ballad, disco, and gospel-tinged tracks in the final act. It’s not a traditional narrative arc, but there is a through-line if you listen for it. Thematically, the songs consistently project self-assurance—whether Mariah is celebrating love, kicking someone to the curb, or singing praises to the Lord, there’s an undercurrent of strength and “I’ve been through it, I’ve grown” wisdom tying it together. In that sense, the album finds cohesion in its attitude and outlook.
However, Here for It All sometimes feels more like a curated playlist of vibes than a tightly structured album. The shifts in style can be a bit jarring; you might go from bouncing to a dancehall beat straight into a torch song cover. For some listeners, that eclecticism is the point—it’s Mariah showing she’s here for it all, on her own terms, refusing to be boxed in. Others might find the ride less focused than the laser-guided Caution. At times, the record drifts in a relaxed haze, content to coast on mid-tempo grooves and throwback flavor without a sense of urgency pushing it forward. But then, perhaps that’s intentional. At this stage in her career, Carey has nothing to prove chart-wise. The album’s laid-back, you-do-you flow suggests an artist who is, for once, not cautious at all—she’s comfortable, exploratory, and yes, having a bit of carefree fun. If cohesion suffers a touch, the trade-off is a freedom and authenticity that feel earned.
In Here for It All, Mariah Carey manages to honor her legacy while also embracing the now – and she mostly succeeds in turning that potentially disparate mix into an enjoyable listening experience. This album doesn’t reinvent the wheel, nor does it try to. Instead, it polishes the wheel, spins it through different eras, and lets the ride be what it is: a smooth, occasionally bumpy, always intriguing tour of Mimi’s musical world. The honesty in her lyrics and the clarity in her intent (to uplift, to seduce, to reminisce, to praise) give the project an understated coherence, even when the sound jumps from genre to genre. There’s a neutral, clear-eyed quality to the storytelling; she’s not wallowing in drama or overexerting to prove a point. And yet, when a little drama or snark is warranted, she delivers—often with a side-eye and a smile. After years of public debate about her voice and persona, Mariah responds not with defensive grandstanding but with music that says, essentially, “I’m still here, I’m doing me, and I’m having a good time.” It’s a relaxed victory lap of an album. While Here for It All may not hit the transcendent highs of her ‘90s masterworks, it also avoids any truly horrifying lows. It’s consistently solid, frequently delightful, and occasionally sublime. If you come in without unrealistic expectations, in other words, if you’re here for what Mariah can currently offer rather than comparing her to her own legend, you’ll find plenty to enjoy and appreciate.
Solid (★★★½☆)
Favorite Track(s): “Play This Song,” “Sugar Sweet,” “Here for It All”