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''Butterfly'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on September 16, 1997, by Columbia Records. The album contained both hip-hop and urban adult contemporary sounds, as well as some softer and more contemporary melodies. Throughout the project, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had written and produced most of the material from her previous albums. She also worked with many famed hip-hop producers and rappers, such as Sean "Puffy" Combs, Kamaal Fareed, Missy Elliott and the Trackmasters. With the latter acts producing most of the album, ''Butterfly'' deviated from the contemporary sound of Carey's older work, and was hailed as a defining album of the 1990s and of pop and R&B music. With ''Butterfly'', Carey continued the transition that began with previous album, ''Daydream'' (1995), which pushed her further into the R&B and hip-hop market. The record pushed her music into an hip hop sound, leading her away from the R&B and pop background of her previous work. During her marriage to Tommy Mottola, Carey had little control over the creative and artistic steps she took on her albums, however, after their divorce mid-way through the album's conception, Carey was able to reflect her creative maturity and evolution into the album's writing and recording. Carey wrote in the booklet of her twelfth studio album, ''Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'' (2009), that she considers ''Butterfly'' her ''magnum opus'' and a turning point in both her life and career. The album was released with two different covers, since Carey liked both proposed covers so much that she couldn’t decide between them. Upon release, ''Butterfly'' garnered generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom embraced Carey's musical transition. Reviewers complimented the album for its mature sound and production, and commended Carey's musical direction, calling the work a "transitional album, one that makes her a rarity of the 90s." Though released during Carey's heavily publicized conflict with Sony Music, the album became a commercial success, topping the albums chart in Australia, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands. On the ''Billboard'' 200, it debuted at number one, spending one week atop the chart. It was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received the Million Award in Japan. Five singles were released from the album; two worldwide commercial releases, and three limited promotional singles. "Honey," the record's lead single, topped the charts in the US and Canada, and reached the top-five in New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. The album's fifth single, "My All," became a top-ten hit throughout Europe. To promote ''Butterfly'', Carey embarked on the Butterfly World Tour, which visited Australia, Japan and Taiwan, with one show in the United States. ''Butterfly'' was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 40th annual ceremony, however it did not win any awards. ==Background== Carey began working on ''Butterfly'' in January 1997. During the album's development in mid-1997 Carey separated from her husband, music executive Tommy Mottola, who had guided her career since 1988. Carey's increasing control over her own career had led to speculation in the press over the future of the couple, and they later divorced. Throughout the development of the album, in a departure from her previous style, Carey worked with various rappers and hip-hop producers, including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Kamaal Fareed, Missy Elliott and Jean Claude Oliver and Samuel Barnes from Trackmasters.〔 Critics saw Carey's new production team as a form of revenge on Mottola and Sony Music.〔 Carey denied taking a radically new direction, and insisted that the musical style of her new album was of her own choosing. Nevertheless, Carey resented the control that Sony, whose president was Mottola, exercised over her music, preventing her making music about which she was passionate.〔 In contrast, Sony were concerned Carey, their best-selling act, could jeopardize her future success through her actions. The pressure of the separation and constant press attention began to take its toll of Carey. Growing creative differences with producer Walter Afanasieff ended their working relationship, after collaborating on most of Carey's previous output.〔 The breaking point came after a heated argument during a long recording session, over the album's musical direction.〔 Carey also faced media criticism over her choice of producers and several newspapers linked Carey romantically to several rappers, suggesting these relationships influenced her decisions.〔 However, Carey denied the allegations, stating she had only slept with her husband. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Butterfly (Mariah Carey album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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