Mariah Carey conceived Emotions, her second album, as an homage to Motown soul music and she worked with Walter Afanasieff and Clivillés & Cole on the record. It was released soon after her debut album—in late 1991—but was neither as critically or commercially successful; Rolling Stone described it as "more of the same, with less interesting material ... pop-psych love songs played with airless, intimidating expertise."
