Released 30 years ago this month, Carey’s sophomore album exposed America’s long-festering music racism
The term “commercial disappointment” isn’t often attributed to Mariah Carey, and it was even rarer in the 1990s when she racked up hit after hit on the way to becoming one of the most successful recording artists ever. Yet, in 1991, that’s precisely what was said about the songstress’ sophomore album Emotions. It “failed” to reach #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart and sold just half of what her chart-topping debut did.
Just two years before, Ms. Carey was celebrated for her singing prowess and being compared favorably to Whitney Houston. But when Emotions dropped, critics began expressing disdain for her vocal gymnastics, claiming it distracted audiences from her songs. Mariah’s voice was definitely unworldly, as if she had negotiated for it with the same crossroads demon that made Robert Johnson a blues legend. However, the commentaries on her style had racial undertones. Early on, white critics wondered aloud why this ‘white girl’ was trying to sound black. And white music fans appropriated the term “warbling” and used it as a pejorative to attack her vocal technique, a style originated by Black Gospel singers and used by R&B singers since forever.
She vented her frustrations in an interview with Ebony Magazine, saying, “I’m not a White girl trying to sing Black. My father is Black and Venezuelan, and my mother is Irish. That makes me a combination of all those things. I am a human being, a person. What I am not is a White girl trying to sing Black.”
It was a charge Carey would continuously endure. In the late 90s, as she began to lean into her R&B and Hip Hop roots, comedian Sandra Bernhard claimed she was exploiting her biracial identity to revamp her career. “She’s trying to backtrack on our asses by acting real ni****-ish with Puff Daddy and all the greasy, chain-wearing Black men,” Bernhard said.
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In 2018, celebrity columnist Perez Hilton accused the singer of ignoring her fans (codeword for ‘white’) by doing R&B. “She’s not catering to her base,” he said. “I’ve always preferred my Mariah pop. Her best work has consistently been her pop output… R&B Mariah is so played out… many of her old fans miss the other kinds of songs.”
The message in these, and other examples, was clear. White audiences had embraced the biracial singer when she was doing soaring ballads and safe pop, and she’d betrayed them by doing ‘black’ music (and black men, apparently.) How dare she?!
But in the early 90s, it was her whistle register, an ability very few singers have mastered, that really shook the foundation of the early 90s music establishment. The pearl-clutching over “that voice” reached epidemic proportions as the album’s first single, the retro-disco banger ‘Emotions,’ dropped and became her fifth consecutive number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. However, Mariah and her record label read the public tea leaves. The whistle note was removed in the radio edit of “Can’t Let Go,” Emotions’ second single. Throughout the remainder of the decade, her upper range was used sparingly and primarily as background textures. (Ironically, many of the same writers and fans who complained about those high notes would denigrate her later in her career for no longer being able to sustain them.)
Fortunately, Emotions remains as it was created, a glorious collection of pop and R&B, complete with Mariah’s masterful use of her extraordinary voice. It is no less an outstanding album than her self-titled debut, not only because it has three of Carey’s best hits – “Emotions,” “Can’t Let Go,” and “Make It Happen” – but also because it features impressive deep cuts. With just ten songs, Mariah deftly covers disco, R&B, and gospel with the same sharp pop instincts that served her during hip-hop and house cuts later in her career.
Emotions see Mariah taking more creative control than on her debut, and she pays homage to her early influences in abundance. The album’s three most impressive tracks, all released as singles, showcase prominent musical ties to the past. For example, the single “Emotions” was obviously inspired by The Emotions’ “Best of My Love” and evokes funky Gen-X memories of the late 1970s.
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The song is euphoric, with sultry moans and those blissful whistle notes. I feel good, I feel nice, I’ve never felt so satisfied… the emotions she’s singing about leave little to the imagination, and listeners are undeniably feeling them, too.
Mariah’s streak of chart-topping singles ended with “Can’t Let Go,” the second single from Emotions. It only made it to #2. Although the song’s rising tune and hook is a variation on Keith Sweat‘s 1988 single “Make It Last Forever,” it’s very much a Mariah Carey song and one of her best slow jams. Mariah’s airy, textured vocals are stunningly combined with producer Walter Afanasieff‘s near-flawless production. The track is a perfect example of Mariah’s ability to deliver breathtaking vocals without compromising the strength of the song’s melody. It’s a beautiful piece of music and a classic Mariah Carey song.
Last but not least, the third single from Emotions is an autobiographical rags-to-riches anthem. Taking inspiration from Alicia Myers‘ 1981 hit, ‘I Want to Thank You,'”‘ ‘”‘Make It Happen'”‘ utilizes gospel elements and inspirational lyrics that transform the song into something strongly motivational and amazingly danceable. PLUS, the video may have helped usher in the women’s black leather jacket fashion statement from the early 1990s. The song became an instant classic, charting in multiple countries and becoming a fan favorite. It remains one of Mariah Carey’s signature songs and is a staple of her live shows.
Overall, “Emotions” is a solid album that showcases Carey’s impressive vocal abilities and songwriting skills. While it may not be as well-known as her first and some of her later albums, it remains a fan favorite and a testament to Carey’s early success in the music industry.
Albums like “Emotions” reveal how vulnerability itself can function as power in pop music — a throughline we examine alongside desire, control, and exposure in our Sex, Desire, and Power in Pop Music coverage.
