The Ballads (Mariah Carey album)

The Ballads
Compilation album by Mariah Carey
Released February 22, 2009 (2009-02-22)
Recorded 1989–2001
Genre
Length
  • 70:41 (UK)
  • 75:32 (U.S.)
  • 76:10 (Japan)
Label
Producer
Mariah Carey chronology
E=MC²
(2008)		 The Ballads
(2009)		 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
(2009)

The Ballads (released in the UK in 2010 as LoveSongs) is a compilation album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey.[1][2] The album features some of Carey's top selling ballads over the course of her career. It was released internationally in spring 2009, but was given an early release in North America in February 2009.

About the album

The album contains some of Carey's hits and singles, primarily from her time at Columbia Records. It does not feature any new material or include songs recorded with her then-current label, Island Records.

Re-recording of "Hero"

The 1993 single "Hero" was re-recorded and re-released to promote the The Ballads compilation. The video shows Mariah Carey walking into the recording room accompanied by her dog, lingering in the studio and singing to the song. It is intercut with a scene of New York City during the night.[3]

Promotion

She performed "Hero" at the Inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C.,[4] and was featured on a CBS TV special.[5]

A limited edition of The Ballads was being sold exclusively at all Target Stores. The CD comes in a gift pack that includes a small bottle of Carey's fragrance Luscious Pink.

Track listing

No. TitleAlbum Length
1. "Hero"  Music Box 4:19
2. "One Sweet Day" (feat. Boyz II Men)Daydream 4:41
3. "Vision of Love"  Mariah Carey 3:31
4. "Without You"  Music Box 3:34
5. "Can't Let Go"  Emotions 4:27
6. "Love Takes Time"  Mariah Carey 3:49
7. "I'll Be There" (feat. Trey Lorenz)MTV Unplugged 4:43
8. "Thank God I Found You" (Make It Last Remix feat. Joe and Nas)Rainbow 5:09
9. "Endless Love" (feat. Luther Vandross)Songs 4:18
10. "I Still Believe"  #1's 3:54
11. "My All"  Butterfly 3:50
12. "The Roof (Back in Time)"  Butterfly 5:14
13. "When You Believe" (with Whitney Houston)#1's 4:31
14. "Anytime You Need a Friend"  Music Box 4:26
15. "Always Be My Baby"  Daydream 4:18
16. "Dreamlover"  Music Box 3:53
17. "How Much" (feat. Usher)Rainbow 3:31
18. "Reflections (Care Enough)"  Glitter 3:23
Total length:
 72:11

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[6]

Blogcritics said: "This release is a different type of Mariah Carey album. Without her faster and hip hop songs, it is smoother as it puts the focus squarely on her vocals which has always been her greatest attribute and saving grace."[7] Allmusic said: "And that's what The Ballads is: nothing but big love songs sung in a big voice."[6] Billboard stated that the album "will keep singing on the chart as we get closer to Valentine's Day, as it seems like a natural gift purchase."[8]

Chart performance

The album debuted at number 17 on UK Albums Chart. Following a successful appearance on X Factor, the album peaked at number 13 in its 4th week and remained on chart for ten consecutive weeks. In Ireland, the album peaked at number 8 and remained on chart for twelve weeks, and has been certified gold. In New Zealand, the album peaked at number 19, remaining on chart for three weeks. The album also debuted at number 79 in Australia. In Japan, the album has reached number 19. The album debuted at number 45 on the Dutch Albums Chart and fell nine spots behind in the second week. In the third week the album climbed from number 54 to 5.[9]

The album debuted at number 10 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first week sales of 29,000 units.[10] It was the chart's highest debut in that week and the fourth compilation that Carey has charted, following #1's (number 4 in 1998), Greatest Hits (number 52 in 2001) and The Remixes (number 26 in 2003).[10] It also debut at number 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[11] As of April 2013, the album has sold 160,000 copies in the US.[12]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2008–09) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 79
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[14] 25
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[15] 5
European Albums (Top 100)[16] 42
French Compilations (SNEP)[17] 39
Irish Albums (IRMA)[18] 8
Italian Albums (FIMI)[19] 56
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[20] 19
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 19
Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] 16
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 22
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 13
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[25] 1
US Billboard 200[26] 10
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2008) Position
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 126

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Ireland (IRMA)[29] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)  None 160,000[12]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

LoveSongs

LoveSongs is the third compilation album by Mariah Carey. It is a re-release of The Ballads (without the song "All I Want for Christmas Is You"), and was released exclusively in the UK in time for Valentine's Day on February 8, 2010.[43][44][45]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Hero"   4:19
2. "Vision of Love"   3:31
3. "Without You"   3:34
4. "Always Be My Baby"   4:18
5. "My All"   3:50
6. "How Much" (featuring Usher) 3:31
7. "Dreamlover"   3:53
8. "Thank God I Found You" (Make It Last Remix featuring Joe and Nas) 5:09
9. "The Roof (Back in Time)"   5:14
10. "One Sweet Day" (featuring Boyz II Men) 4:41
11. "Anytime You Need a Friend"   4:26
12. "I'll Be There" (featuring Trey Lorenz) 4:43
13. "I Still Believe"   3:54
14. "Reflections (Care Enough)"   3:23
15. "Open Arms"   3:30
16. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (featuring Westlife) 3:25
17. "Endless Love" (featuring Luther Vandross) 4:18

References

  1. ↑ Sony BMG to release Mariah Ballads Compilation
  2. ↑ 'The Ballads' makes a great debut on the UK charts! Enter to Win a Customized Mariah 'Ballads' iPod and More!
  3. ↑ Mariah 'Re Records' Hero for Ballads
  4. ↑ Access Exclusive: Mariah Carey To Sing ‘Hero’ For Obama
  5. ↑ Mariah Carey: Once Again, The Most
  6. 1 2 Allmusic review
  7. ↑ Music Review: Mariah Carey - The Ballads
  8. ↑ Caulfield, Keith et al. Romance And Indie Rock Hit The Billboard 200. Billboard. January 28, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
  9. ↑ Mariah Carey - The Ballads
  10. 1 2 Hasty, Katie (2009-01-28). "Taylor Swift Album Starts Eighth Week At No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  11. ↑ Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
  12. 1 2 Trust, Gary (2013-04-02). "Ask Billboard: Belinda's Back, JT Too, Mariah Carey's Album Sales & More". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  13. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Top 100 Albums - Week Commencing 10th November 2008" (PDF). ARIA. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Mariah Carey – The Ballads". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mariah Carey – The Ballads" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Eurocharts". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  18. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 46, 2008". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Mariah Carey – The Ballads". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  20. ↑ "マライア・キャリーのアルバム売り上げランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Mariah Carey – The Ballads". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Mariah Carey – The Ballads". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Mariah Carey | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Mariah Carey – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Mariah Carey. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mariah Carey – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Mariah Carey. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  28. ↑ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2008" (PDF). OCC. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Irish album certifications – Mariah Carey – The Ballads". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  30. ↑ "British album certifications – Mariah Carey – The Ballads". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help) Enter The Ballads in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  31. ↑ Amazon.com: The Ballads: Mariah Carey: Music
  32. ↑ Mariah Carey - The Ballads - cd di Mariah Carey - - disco di Mariah Carey - IBS
  33. ↑ [인터넷 교보문고] The Ballads
  34. ↑ Amazon.de
  35. ↑ The Ballads: Mariah Carey: Amazon.de: Musik
  36. ↑ Ballads (Carey, Mariah): Music: BIGWentertainment.com.au
  37. ↑ Amazon.fr
  38. ↑ Ballads(グレイテストヒッツ)【CD】-Mariah Carey (マライアキャリー)｜R&B/ダンス｜ダンス＆ソウル｜音楽｜HMV ONLINE オンラインショッピング・情報サイト
  39. ↑ The Ballads - Saraiva.com.br
  40. ↑ 博客來音樂館>瑪麗亞凱莉 / 藏愛-冠軍情歌精選
  41. ↑ Google Tradutor
  42. ↑ Mariah Carey reúne 17 de sus mejores canciones de amor en 'The ballads', a la venta el 3 de febrero. europapress.es
  43. ↑ Official Site and Honey B. Fly Fan Club for Mariah Carey news.news
  44. ↑ Is Mariah Carey going back to record label Sony? - mirror.co.uk
  45. ↑ Mariah Carey: Love Songs (2010): CD: hmv.com
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