I am now through
Emotions in my revisit of Mariah's catalog.
The album definitely stands in contrast to the debut in terms of its style. It has a clear old-school influence (disco, 60s/70s soul, and even big band/jazz) and few-to-none of the 80s/90s production tricks of the debut. I think the diversity in Mariah's catalog is underrated, and it's something I'm sure I'll highlight more as I listen to her albums in this series.
1. "Emotions" - This is a perfect lead track (and single). The Philly influence is apparent, and Mariah's vocal is one of the best I have ever heard. I don't know anyone else who can do those runs and sound so effortless and joyful. The song demands that type of vocal, and Mariah delivers on all fronts.
An in-depth article I wrote about the quality and influence of this song can be read here:
est1997.com/music/emotions-helped-catapult-mariah-careys-superstardom-higher-than-the-heavens-above/2. "And You Don't Remember" - I think Mariah has said the title for this came from a Mahalia Jackson song. I keep meaning to look into it. Anyway this has never been a favorite of mine (something about it is kind of flat), but I respect it a lot. In particular I love how the lyric concept of starting certain fragments of the verses with an adverb ("Tragically," "Bitterly," etc.), and how the production mixes in a Motown feel.
3. "Can't Let Go" - The intro is gorgeous, even if it's reminiscent of George Michael's "One More Try." The lyric and production make this seem like an old soul classic, and Mariah's vocal is so immediate. It's a great song all-around. It's odd to me Mariah's airy vocal became 'a thing' for people later on, because she's using it here; she builds the vocal really nicely on this song.
4. "Make It Happen" - I prefer the live versions of this song because they have more punch, but this is still a solid record. It's another song on the album with an older feel to it (disco in this case), and Mariah's vocal is great (especially on the bridge). Speaking of the vocal, parts of the verses are more like sing-rapping, and thus a sign of a future vocal style Mariah would develop even more. The production here is really top-notch; I love the strings, and the choice to drop the production out on the bridge was a stroke of genius. But, yeah, the live version hits harder and has that great "Don't let go/Don't ever ever let go" moment.
5. "If It's Over" - This is a stunner. The big band/jazzy production is great (a clear Stax influence), the lyric is astute, and the vocal is otherworldly. Mariah shows us a new dimension to her singing by not only using her lower register (something I wish she'd do more in her music), but by singing the verses in a conversational tone. You can really feel the story of the lyric being played out, even more so in the SNL version. This is just perfectly constructed. As great as the album version is, this is another song where I prefer the live versions because the SNL horns on the SNL and Unplugged versions take this to an even higher level.
6. "You're So Cold" - This is a fun throwaway. It's a great vocal, and we again get more Stax influence on the production (the horns). It's the song on here that most reminds me of her debut because it melds an old-school influence with modern production touches. It isn't something I come back to a lot, but that opening is a thing of wonder. Thank god this didn't end up being the lead single as planned, though.
7. "So Blessed" - This is another track I respect more than I love. Mariah's vocal is beautiful, and the lyric and production remind me of a 60s soul song, but this has never been a song I put on repeat. Over time I have come to appreciate it as a meeting between "When A Man Loves A Woman" and her own "Forever."
8. "To Be Around You" - This begins perhaps my favorite closing 3 songs on any Mariah album. I love the classic feel of this track (more 70s influence), and I love the addition of the crowd noise because it puts the listener in a party mood. It also manages to sound fairly relaxed and organic despite being a dance track, which also means that vocally she gets to explore freely in a way some of other tracks on here don't allow. More than anything, the song construction at play here is so good. The intro explodes into the meat of the song, and you get those synth horn/ string blasts. There's a b-section, but then also multiple parts to the bridge (the call-and-response leading into the breakdown of "I just wanna..."). It's just excellent song craft.
As a side note, the a capella version that runs over the Unplugged credits is terrific:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk0PdOIlZ-U9. "Til The End of Time" - This track is sort of ethereal, and I really love how the lyric and vocal come across as thoughts just tumbling randomly out of Mariah's head. Isn't that how we all are when we are infatuated with someone? You have all of these big thoughts and emotions, and they come out almost illogically. It might be the most atmospheric songs in her catalog; I think "Supernatural" heads in that direction, but it's a tighter song. This is also one of the few songs of hers that fits in the 'epic' category.
10. "The Wind" - The transition from "TTEOT" to this track is seamless. It's impressive how Mariah changes her style of singing to fit the production here; that's actually a part of her talent that is under-appreciated as most technically great vocalists don't also change their singing much (see Whitney Houston). "The Wind" is a track I can get lost in emotionally. It's just beautiful. Like many good Mariah songs, it can be interpreted to fit many situations. I think both "TTEOT" and this one could have easily been used in a film.
Bonus track - "I'll Be There" - I'll include this here since it ended up taking over the tail end of the promotion cycle for Emotions, and because it fits the style of the album. Mariah doesn't do much to distinguish this from the original except slow it down a little, and she sounds a lot like Michael Jackson on the song. Still, she gives a definitive reading of what is a great song. My favorite reading is of the "If you should ever find someone new/I know she better be good to you" part.
Mariah would later be known for bridging pop and hip-hop, but on
Emotions she bridged pop and soul. As I look back on it, this is probably the album Mariah wanted her debut to be, and more should have been made of the stylistic shift she made as she gained more control of her music. This is also an album that would have benefited hugely from some live production. Several of the songs are better in their live performances, and something like "And You Don't Remember" would be much better with some real musicians instead of synth music.
