Emotional is the fourth album by American singer Jeffrey Osborne. It was released by A&M Records on May 27, 1986. Produced by Osborne, Rod Temperton, Richard Perry, T. C. Campbell, Michael Masser, and George Duke, Emotional reached number five on the US Billboard R&B Albums chart and number 27 on the Billboard 200. It spawned one of Osborne's biggest pop hits, "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)" which peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Other tracks that charted include "In Your Eyes", "Soweto", and "Room with a View."
AllMusic editor Jason Elias, who had praised previous albums by Osborne, called it "quite a disappointment" and "not exactly a work of cohesion." He found that Emotional "is overly slick with poor song choices and barely there vocals" and compared it to Whitney Houston's early material "with its use of multiple producers and pop material."[1] Connie Johnson from Los Angeles Times felt that "while lacking a blockbuster [...] this album is well-balanced in its blend of exuberant, up-tempo cuts and heart-rending love songs. Simplicity would have gotten the point across far better. Still, in his bid for a broader audience, Osborne hasn’t sacrificed all of the soul basics."[3]
Marta Woodhull – children's choir director on "Soweto"
Children's choir on "Soweto" – Monica Calhan, David Chan, Kelly Chan, Kristina Chan, Susan Guzman, Michelle Poston, Becky Ramirez, Jessica Robertson, Teri Robin, Andrea Scott, Tasha Scott, Veronique Vicari, Angela White and Christopher White
