PEOPLE / N.A.

After suffering a much-publicized breakdown and being paid $28 million to
sever her contract with Virgin Records following the lackluster
performance of last year's Glitter soundtrack, Mariah Carey reemerges with
her own new label (MonarC Music) and the same old glass-shattering pipes.
 Those looking for signs of any post-meltdown catharsis will find a few
clues in the album's first single, the unusually understated ballad
"Through the Rain": "I can make it through the rain/ I can stand up once again/
 On my own and I know/ That I'm strong enough to mend."

Sounding confident and in fine voice throughout Charmbracelet, the pop diva
picks up where she left off pre-Glitter, mixing her trademark
ballads with hip-hoppish R&B cuts. In fact Carey brings in rappers for 5
of the disc's 15 tracks. Although a couple of these songs work (including
"You Got Me" with Jay-Z), Carey is no Mary J. Blige when it comes to
hip-hop soul. She's better off sticking to classy slow jams like the ethereal
"Yours" and the gospel-infused "My Saving Grace," which recall early albums
like her 1990 self-titled debut. On these tracks Carey is at her most charming.