''The Ballads'' (re-released in the UK in 2010 as ''LoveSongs'') is the third
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
by American singer and songwriter
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
. The album features some of Carey's top selling ballads over the course of her career. It was released internationally in late 2008, and in North America in January 2010.
Background
The album contains some of Carey's hits and singles, primarily from her time at
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. It does not feature any new material or include songs recorded with her then-current label,
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
.
The 1993 single "
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
" was re-recorded and re-released to promote ''The Ballads'' compilation. The video shows Mariah Carey walking into the recording room accompanied by her dog, lingering in the studio and singing to the song. It is intercut with a scene of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
during the night.
Promotion
Carey performed "Hero" at the
Inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, in