Emotions (album)

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Emotions
Emotions cover
Studio album by Mariah Carey
Released September 17, 1991 (U.S.)
October 14, 1991 (U.K.)
Recorded 1991
Genre Pop, R&B, dance-pop
Length 47:00
Label Columbia
CK-47980
Producer Tommy Mottola (executive), Walter Afanasieff, David Cole, Robert Clivillés, Mariah Carey
Professional reviews
Mariah Carey chronology
Mariah Carey
(1990)		 Emotions
(1991)		 MTV Unplugged
(1992)
Singles from Emotions
  1. "Emotions"
    Released: August 13, 1991
  2. "Can't Let Go"
    Released: October 23, 1991
  3. "Make It Happen"
    Released: April 4, 1992

Emotions is the second studio album by American singer Mariah Carey, released in the United States on September 17, 1991 (see 1991 in music) by Columbia Records. It is primarily composed of strong ballads and dance music—written by Carey herself, Walter Afanasieff, Clivilles & Cole (of C+C Music Factory), and Carole King.

The album produced Carey's fifth consecutive number-one single, "Emotions", on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first and only recording act to have its first five singles top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album also generated two more top five singles. Contrary to her debut album, Carey co-wrote and co-produced the entire album, providing lyrics for all ten tracks. She was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Emotions was eventually certified four times Platinum by the RIAA, selling over 4.1 million copies in the U.S. and 8 million copies worldwide.

Contents

[edit] Writing and recording

With the success of her debut album, Carey and top Sony/Columbia executives such as Tommy Mottola and Don Ienner realized it was time to decide her future plans. Carey was now given permission to produce (which had been denied for most of her first album) and the option to work with producers of her choice. She worked with Walter Afanasieff, Clivilles & Cole (of C+C Music Factory), and Carole King.

[edit] Promotion and reception

Emotions did not receive as substantial promotion as Carey's debut album, and Carey once again faced criticism when she refused to go on tour. In the wake of a recent scandal at the time involving Milli Vanilli, critics once again attacked Carey as they believed she was a "studio artist" who was unable to perform live, and that her famous high notes were nothing more than a creation of synthesized instruments in the studio. Carey later said she did not tour because she faced her own insecurities and a general lack of self confidence in performing for an audience. She explained her issues by stating that most artists overcome anxiety during their live performances before they get a record deal, but she did not have the same experience performing live.

The reviews for the album were mixed; critics often denounced Carey for the abundance of high notes in her vocals on the album, especially those on the title track, where her vocal range is showcased more than on any of her previous songs. In addition, critics believe that Carey's singing does not adequately convey the emotions of her songs and that she sings in this style to show her vocal prowess, a critism that is still present even today. Rolling Stone magazine wrote, "Carey has a remarkable vocal gift, but to date, unfortunately, her singing has been far more impressive than expressive".[1] The album earned two 1992 Grammy Award nominations for "Producer of the Year" and "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" (for "Emotions"), losing in both categories.

Emotions debuted and peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 129,000 copies, which surprised some following the huge success of Mariah Carey. It spent twenty-seven weeks in the top twenty and a total of fifty-five on the Billboard 200. It became the first of four Carey studio albums not top the Billboard 200 and was her lowest-peaking album until Glitter (2001), but it was certified four times Platinum by the RIAA on January 30, 2003. As of 2005 the album had sold 3.57 million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan,[2] with an additional 0.6 million sold at Columbia House outlets.[3] It performed better on the charts than her debut in the UK, peaking within the top five and spending four weeks more in the top seventy-five, with a total of forty weeks. The album was a success in Canada and Australia, but as in the U.S. it did not sell as well as Mariah Carey. The album made the Canadian top five and the Australian top ten, and was certified two times Platinum in both countries. In Brazil it only received a Gold certification, and Carey's success was once again moderate across continental Europe. By 2007 Emotions had sold approximately 8 million copies worldwide.[4][5]

The singles from Emotions were not huge hits and, like her debut album, only the lead single was a success outside of the U.S. The first single, "Emotions", became Carey's fifth consecutive number-one single in the U.S., making Carey the only act in chart history to have their first five U.S. singles reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It also made the top five in Canada, but failed to go beyond the top twenty in the UK and Australia. "Can't Let Go" peaked at number two in the U.S., breaking Carey's streak of number-one singles, and it was a modest hit elsewhere: despite making the Canadian top ten, it barely reached the UK top twenty and missed the Australian top forty altogether. "Make It Happen" peaked at number five in the U.S. and became her first single to miss the Canadian top ten, but managed to peak within the UK top twenty and the Australian top forty. A fourth single, "Till the End of Time", was commissioned to radio in Costa Rica and Mexico in an attempt to boost sales of the album. Because the song received minimal airplay, and to make way for the release of the MTV Unplugged EP, it was not given further promotion as a single.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Emotions" (Carey, David Cole, Robert Clivillés) - 4:08
  2. "And You Don't Remember" (Carey, Walter Afanasieff) - 4:27
  3. "Can't Let Go" (Carey, Walter Afanasieff) - 4:27
  4. "Make It Happen" (Carey, Cole, Clivillés) - 5:07
  5. "If It's Over" (Carey, Carole King) - 4:38
  6. "You're So Cold" (Carey, Cole, Clivillés) - 5:05
  7. "So Blessed" (Carey, Walter Afanasieff) - 4:13
  8. "To Be Around You" (Carey, Cole, Clivillés) - 4:37
  9. " Till the End of Time" (Carey, Walter Afanasieff) - 5:35
  10. "The Wind" (Carey, Russell Freeman) - 4:41

[edit] Charts

Chart Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 4
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 6
Japan 3
United Kingdom 4
Canada 5
New Zealand 6
Netherlands 7
Australia 8
Sweden 13
Switzerland 15
Italy 16
France 38
Austria 39
Germany 46

As of March 2007, the album sold over 16 million units worldwide, and was certified 4x Platinum in the United States

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/323012/mariahcarey?pageid=rs.ArtistDiscographyMainReleases&pageregion=mainRegion Rollingstone.com
  2. ^ U.S. Nielsen SoundScan sales from 1991 to December 2005
  3. ^ U.S. BMG Music Club and Columbia House sales as of February 2005
  4. ^ MariahTurkiye.net - Müzik - Albümler - Emotions
  5. ^ Mariah Carey Discography - Album Emotions
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Mariah Carey
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Compilations
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