^ Well the production on them is "dated," though that doesn't bother me as much as some people. I've never been too crazy about "IBTAY" in general, but "NTIK" is a jam. I remember my local station playing the latter a decent amount back in 1994.
Music Box features some of my favorite singing from Mariah. Her timbre changed from a more traditionally "soulful" one to more pop here, so it ended up being a blend. And there's something really vulnerable/lonely in her tone on a lot of these vocals that really resonates with me. And the melodies are easily among her best for an album.
The tracklist I use for my iPod:
1. "Dreamlover" (killer pop single, great lead off)
2. "Music Box" (the lyric and vocal are insanely beautiful)
3. "Hero" (cheesy for sure, but the melody is sublime)
4. "Without You" (the vocal is
)
5. "Anytime You Need A Friend" (great gospel-ish track)
6. "Now That I Know" (stellar intro that also acts as an interlude from the ballad "AYNAF" into the dance song this is)
7. "Never Forget You"
8. "Do You Think Of Me" (different musically and lyrically for Mariah, it's one of her sexiest songs)
9. "Just To Hold You Once Again" (I live for the vocal on this one)
10. "Everything Fades Away" (such a mature vocal and lyric)