#1 singles doesn't mean #1 music videos

14 number one hits singles: 11 videos, 4 live performances…this is what you have to look forward to in Mariah’s DVD #1’s. Hold on EZ, that adds up to 15 videos, not 14. Well, reader, this DVD also includes the video for Heartbreaker (Remix) with Da Brat and Missy Elliott.

I cannot recommend this because there aren't enough GOOD things about it that I like. She is not a video star, she is a singer. The live performances are the best parts of this DVD, and if you want to see those, I suggest getting another video.

As we all know, Mariah is the biggest selling female artist of the 90’s and this DVD shows us what all the fuss was about in that decade. Now, instead of including all of the videos for her hits, they replaced some of them with live performances (except “I’ll Be There”, which had a live performance for the video). Between every video/performance, Mariah talks about the next song or talks about her transition in her “Butterfly” album. The little intro before the Program Start is a montage of Mariah clips while “Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)” plays in the background. It’s awesome because you get to see Mariah from 1991 to 1999 and the changes are pretty cool (not all pleasant, but cool). Then it starts with Mariah talking about this album being a tribute and a thank you to her fans for making her songs such huge hits. There is a cocky woman with her receipt saying, “First CD at 12:01 AM!”

The “New Mariah” Videos
These are the first videos we see, and funny how these are all the actual videos and not live performances. I wonder why? LOL Okay, the original Heartbreaker starts us off and it has Mariah in a small pink top and low cut tight jeans, neither is all too flattering. She lip-synchs terribly, but the overall, the video is fun. It has Mariah fighting herself as the other woman and it’s really fun to see the catfight in the bathroom. Could we have done without the bouncing boobs in our face? Oh yeah. My All is next and even though the end of the video really seems like soft porn, it is a beautifully done video. It’s in black and white and Mariah is mostly in the water at the beach at night. The lyrics really take affect by the way the camera fades from one scene to another. Now, if Mariah could only lip-synch sad lyrics with a straight face. She had a smile while singing some of the more emotional parts, which kind of killed the mood. Honey is both a great video and a crappy one. It’s crappy in that she flaunts her body a little too much here. It was her breakout video in which she ditched the “girl-next-door” image. The beginning acting intro is scary it really does not show that Mariah CAN act. It sucks pretty bad. The really good part of the video is her choreography. I really enjoyed seeing Mariah dancing along with others and even though she was a ho (she was on a boat with tons of sailors lol), she made it work for her. The bonus video Heartbreaker (remix) shows Mariah in short shorts and a bikini top. Strangely enough, I didn’t find it as bad as her outfit in the original video. It’s in black and white and she looks really pretty and sexy here. The video also includes Bianca (the other Mariah) and Snoop Dogg.

The “Mariah We Loved” Videos
These videos and live performance show Mariah at the peak of her career. The “Music Box”/”Daydream” era was great, too bad it didn’t last longer. Always Be My Baby is a semi-boring video in which Mariah is swinging from a tire swing over a lake. I like it because she looks really sweet and the song is nice too. It does tend to get a little boring though. One Sweet Day is next and it’s a pretty nice video. Just her and Boyz II Men in their normal clothes recording the song. I’m glad they didn’t do something really corny for this song, it’s too beautiful to have a terrible video. The following video is the remix for Fantasy. This song has grown on me after a couple years of hating it. The video, however, sucks. I liked the original because it shows Mariah having a lot of fun skating and everything…this one has the ugly ODB hogging the camera most of the time. I’m sorry, but I have better things to do with my time than to look at some idiot ruining a perfectly good video. The live performance for Mariah’s Hero is next. She looks so pretty here…it was taken from her NBC performance that I have reviewed already. Her voice is in top form and she gives a great performance. She really sings her little heart out here. We are then met by the Dreamlover video. As I wrote in a previous review, this is a boring video. She is just in the country and acting goofy. The song has really been wearing off on me, so that might have something to do with it lol.

The “Sweet Mariah” Videos
Apparently Mariah really didn’t like her old videos because here we have 4 live performances and 2 videos. The videos are for Emotions and I Don’t Wanna Cry. Both are decent videos that actually stay true to the lyrics. In “Emotions” she is hanging out with her friends and having a good time. It’s better than the remix in her previous videos. In “I Don’t Wanna Cry”, she sings about a love gone bad and I like the video because she is actually in that situation in the video. The live performances are I’ll Be There and Someday from her “MTV Unplugged” video, Love Takes Time from her NBC show, and Vision Of Love from her Madison Square Garden concert. In “I’ll Be There” and “Someday” she showcases her voice like never before. She gives her best rendition of “I’ll Be There” and the best whistle note in “Someday”. “Love Takes Time” is amazing because it’s an awesome arrangement of the song, very simple and emotional. “Vision Of Love” is not done justice at all. This version of that performance is edited and they cut out most of the song. She doesn’t do the last note like I like it and even though she looks stunning, the DVD’s version of this song really treats it like any other song, even though it is THE song.

There is nothing special about this DVD, just the bonus video, the table of contents…nothing that you would be going crazy over. I’m not sure whether or not to recommend this DVD. I guess not. That’s right, the first Mariah thing that I do not recommend…actually, it’s the first item I’m not recommending here on Epinions. Why do I not recommend it? Well, the videos are not that great and if you want to see the great live performances, it would be better to get one of her older videos. This just clumped everything together and there aren’t too many things that I love about it. If you are a Mariah fanatic, get it...even though I didn't like it too much.

Overall Grade: C+