Brenda Lee's fourth album,
Emotions, stayed with the approach she'd used on her previous LP,
This Is...Brenda, mixing gorgeously produced Nashville orchestration with a bit of rock & roll and lush pop ballads. While it was the kind of record that could appeal to both kids and adults, it wasn't watered down, as the production on its own was pretty delightful to listen to, matched by the excellence of
Lee's incredibly (for a teenager) mature vocals. "Emotions" was the big hit on the record, which also contained its B-side, "I'm Learning About Love," which made the Top 40 under its own steam. Nothing else on the album is too well known to listeners other than serious
Lee fans. But there are some good ballads here, particularly "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)," which is nearly on par with her big hits in that style. While the rock covers (
the Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and
Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind" and "Swanee River Rock") were more on the filler side,
Lee still brought commitment to each and every one of her vocals. Also leaning toward the rock & roll side of things was a decent frisky number, "Crazy Talk," co-penned by
Mel Tillis, who had a few of his tunes cut by rock & roll artists in his early years. ~ Richie Unterberger