"Give It to Me, Now!" — A Mariah Carey Review Series: Emotions

Emotions, 1991

This has been the case with Mariah Carey; people thought she was more impressive of a singer rather than expressive. Pretty instead of gritty. Beautiful, not soulful. Maybe it's the nature of her insane vocal range, paired with the clarity of her tone whether it's low or high. Maybe it's her songwriting style that wasn't anything out of the ordinary (love songs, breakup ballads, etc.) Or, maybe, it's jealousy, but no one knows for sure. One thing remains true, though. No matter how many times she had to make the effort to prove critics wrong, there's always that impression which continues to stuck with her. Nevertheless, she kept trying to express more and more, and that may very well be heard on her second album titled "Emotions."

The album starts with the titular track, opening the album with such joyous vocal performance one might wonder, are they hearing things right? Her singing is definitely impressive, hitting high notes higher than the heavens above and low notes that are deeper that one could ever dreamed of. The writing is smart; words describing feelings or, rather, emotions, that she more than aptly exudes from the beginning to the end of it.

Next, there's "And You Don't Remember." A doo-wop-inspired ballad that also wouldn't sound out of place in a Barbra Streisand album. It seems to chronicle a relationship that has gone sour and how the other person doesn't want or, maybe, isn't able to remember her. Unable to remember what they both had once upon a time. A thrilling whistle note adorned the song near the end. Exquisite indeed.

These early Carey's works are interesting in the way they're constructed. If on the debut we had ballads that got placed between fast paced numbers (read: bops), then we have a bit more consistency here. The previous song is followed by another ballad titled "Can't Let Go," which also seems to follow the story from before. A breakup happened, the guy turned out to be a jerk and not an amnesiac, so Mariah could only lament of what had passed. Angrily. Dejectedly. In excruciating pain. It is quite impressive how she's able to convey those emotions in these songs.

But enough about consistency, let's party! At least, that's what she wants you to believe with the next song, "Make It Happen." It's a gospel-adjacent number that is set against a house-inspired production. Interesting choice. The lyrics are basically her debut single (Vision of Love, from Mariah Carey, 1990) but a bit more specific about the love that came to be, which is success. You can smell it in the air and feel its rumble underneath your feet. Incredible!

If you do believe, maybe things can get better. If you don't, well, perhaps it's already over. An Aretha-esque big ballad, "If It's Over," soars after and almost instantly obliterate everything that came before it. Seemingly a sister–or maybe a distant cousin–to "Vanishing," it details a situation between lovebirds who just can't get along anymore. Frustration abounds, especially continuing with the next track, "You're So Cold." Only Lord truly knows why love can be so manipulative and, frankly, tiring.

Lyrics about heartbreak and sorrows, however, come to a stop. The next song is "So Blessed," which is a love song. Ay! It's good, both from the writing standpoint and vocal styling. After so many intense performances, Carey cools down and delivers a very soothing lullaby-like quality cut before entering the final part of the album.

Three cuts that are so different from anything she's ever made up to this point. "To Be Around You," a bop, "Till the End of Time," a dramatic love song in the vein of "So Blessed" with even more dramatic production, and a jazz song at the very end. Yes, a jazz song. "The Wind," which was a composition by Russell Freeman, with new lyrics written/re-written by Carey. Amongst everything here, this one is the true lost gem of the album. Nothing on this album sounds like it, and Carey would never do something like this ever again in her later years. The closest she got to it was by using samples of old songs, but that's different. That is its own category. Here, though, the mystical-sounding number wraps up the album in an understated manner. It feels like a relief, another emotion that one may have, after hurls of every other emotions as showcased throughout the album. All I can say is, good job, Mariah Carey, though this was not the album that would make you a true megastar in the face of the world. The next one is.

- Daud Rotama, Dec 2024