Mariah Carey’s The Remixes would seem like another quasi-posthumous cash-in by the pop-starlet-turned-fallen-diva’s former record label if the singer herself wasn’t so enthusiastic about its release. (With former label honcho Tommy Mottola out of the way and Carey’s MonarC logo positioned so cozily next to “Columbia Records” on the back of the disc, one might even suspect a Sony/Carey reconciliation is in the works.) Politics aside, this double-disc compilation is a must-have for Mariah’s “lambs.” Disc One is a collection of Carey’s “greatest” dance remixes; though the older tracks (“Anytime You Need A Friend,” “Dreamlover” and “Emotions”) sound invariably dated, anthem-sized club mixes of “Heartbreaker” and “Fantasy” (produced by Junior Vasquez and David Morales, respectively) are testaments to Carey’s commitment to the remix process. Morales’ multi-part dancefloor epic mix of “Fantasy” harks back to the days of Moroder and Bellotte, and the frequency with which Carey completely re-records her vocals for club versions is unmatched. Disc Two of the album lumps the singer’s famous hip-hop remixes (including Puff Daddy’s “Fantasy” remix featuring O.D.B. and Jermaine Dupri’s “Always Be My Baby” and “My All/Stay Awhile”) with a slew of previously available (and completely gratuitous) album tracks. While it’s commendable that Columbia actually went the distance to acquire the rights to tracks owned by three different labels (Virgin, which released Carey’s infamous Glitter, Island/Def Jam, Carey’s current home, and J Records), there’s a handful of notable remixes and b-sides missing from the album. Still, the inclusion of “I Know What You Want,” Carey’s duet with Busta Rhymes, and two new tracks (“Miss You,” featuring Jadakiss, and a horribly sluggish remix of “The One,” a track from 2002’s Charmbracelet) should keep Carey’s flock pacified…at least for the six months until she cranks out another proper studio album on yet another record label.
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