Abstract Emotions is the eighth studio album by American jazz and R&B singer Randy Crawford, released in 1986 by Warner Bros. Records.[1][2] The album reached No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Silver in the UK by the BPI.[3][4][5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [7] |
Lennox Samuels of The Dallas Morning News called Abstract Emotions “a solid, sensual album of R&B-pop material … the mostly mid- to up-tempo tunes give the LP an upbeat tone, though Crawford also does well with slower songs.”[8] Ken Tucker of The Philadelphia Inquirer praised the album, saying that “Crawford sings a series of tart pop songs about love gone wrong that neatly avoids self-pity or facile despair.”[7]
Ron Wynn of AllMusic noted that “Randy Crawford continued her run of good ’80s albums … with this 1986 release”.[6]
Track listing
- Side one
- “Can’t Stand the Pain” (Dean Gant, Mark Winkler) – 6:02
- “Actual Emotional Love” (Billie Hughes, Roxanne Seeman) – 5:05
- “World of Fools” (Rolf Graf, Alix Zandrs) – 5:00
- “Betcha” (Reggie Lucas, Leslie L. Smith) – 4:31
- “Higher Than Anyone Can Count” (Mary Unobsky, Daniel Ironstone) – 4:14
- Side two
- “Desire” (Lucas) – 5:25[9]
- “Getting’ Away with Murder” (Sue Shifrin, Terry Britten) – 4:02
- “Overnight” (Lucas) – 5:14
- “Almaz” (Randy Crawford) – 4:04
- “Don’t Wanna Be Normal” (Patrick Leonard, Hawk Wolinski, James Newton Howard, David Pack, Michael McDonald) – 5:20[1]
Personnel
Musicians
- Randy Crawford – vocals
- “Sir” Dean Gant – keyboards (1–9), synthesizers (1–9), synthesizer programming (1–9)
- Ed Walsh – keyboards (1–9), synthesizers (1–9), synthesizer programming (1–9)
- Harry Whitaker – keyboards (1–9), synthesizers (1–9)
- Fred Zarr – keyboards (1–9), synthesizers (1–9)
- Reggie Lucas – Synclavier II programming (1–9), Octave-Plateau sequencer programming (1–9), guitars (1–9)
- James Newton Howard – keyboards (10), keyboard programming (10)
- Hawk Wolinski – keyboards (10), keyboard programming (10)
- Patrick Leonard – additional synthesizers (10)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (10)
- Anthony Jackson – electric bass guitar (1–9)
- Bashiri Johnson – percussion ( 1–9)
- Leslie Ming – percussion (1–9)
- Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (1–9)
- Curtis King – backing vocals (1–9)
- Yvonne Lewis – backing vocals (1–9)
- Brenda Wright King – backing vocals (1–9)
- Norma Jean Wright – backing vocals (1–9)
Technical
- Reggie Lucas – producer (1–9), arrangements (1–9)
- James Newton Howard – producer (10)
- Hawk Wolinski – producer (10)
- Joe Ferla – engineer (1–9)
- Ray Blair – engineer (10)
- Peter Doell – mixing (10)
- Jim Dougherty – additional engineer (1–9)
- Jay Mark – additional engineer (1–9)
- Alan Silverman – additional engineer (1–9)
- Jeff Cox – assistant engineer (1–9)
- Craig Johnson – assistant engineer (1–9)
- Glenn Rosenstein – assistant engineer (1–9)
- Jimmy Santis – assistant engineer (1–9)
- Pietro Alifani – art direction, design
- Aaron Rapoport – photography
- Wendy Osmonden – make-up
- Recorded and mixed at Quantum Sound Studios (Jersey City, New Jersey)
- Additional recording at Giant Sound Studios and Sigma Sound Studios, (New York City, New York)
- Mastered at Direct Digital Mastering
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] | 74 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] | 52 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[12] | 10 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 14 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 178 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 53 |
References
- ^ a b Randy Crawford (1986). Abstract Emotions (album). Warner Bros. Records.
- ^ “Billboard – New Releases” (PDF). Billboard. June 14, 1986.
- ^ “Randy Crawford”. officialcharts.com. Official Charts. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ “Randy Crawford: Abstract Emotions”. bpi.co.uk. BPI.
- ^ “Billboard – Reviews” (PDF). Billboard. July 5, 1986.
- ^ a b Wynn, Ron. “Abstract Emotions Randy Crawford”. AllMusic.
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (June 29, 1986). “JOHN PRINE ISSUES HIS 10TH RECORD”. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 8, 2025 – via newsbank.com.
- ^ Samuels, Lennox (August 17, 1986). “WINWOOD’S GROWING SOPHISTICATION DISPLAYED IN “BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE”“. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 8, 2025 – via newsbank.com.
- ^ “Randy Crawford – “Desire” From the album Abstract Emotions” (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. 1986.
- ^ “Australiancharts.com – Randy Crawford – Abstract Emotions“. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ “Dutchcharts.nl – Randy Crawford – Abstract Emotions” (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ “Norwegiancharts.com – Randy Crawford – Abstract Emotions“. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ “Randy Crawford Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History“. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ “Randy Crawford Chart History (Billboard 200)“. Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ “Randy Crawford Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)“. Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
