UB Soul Friday: Celebrating Carl Thomas ‘Emotional’ 25th Anniversary

This weeks “UB Soul Friday” spotlight’s one of the smoothest R&B cats to emerge at the start of the 2000s, Carl Thomas.

Spotlighting artists, albums, singles and videos that left a mark in R&B and Soul music!

Grammy nominated Carl Thomas is a native from Chicago.

Who in 1999 was signed to Bad Boy after performing at an open mic night in New York City.

Carl was the first male heartthrob R&B artist on Bad Boy Entertainment.

After a string of recordings with other Bad Boy artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Black Rob and Mase, he released his debut album,

“Emotional” was released 25 years ago today, on April 18th, 2000.

Carl Thomas released his first single, the #1 R&B tear-jerker “I Wish” in February of 2000.

The single was Billboard‘s Greatest Gainer/Airplay single, on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and the same week, hit #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Street-date violations at the time, caused his album to actually debut a week before release, at #100 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Outside of Diddy, Mario Winans, Mike City, the legendary Gordon Chambers & Karl Gordon, Chucky Thompson and Deric “D. Dot” Angelettie all contributed.

When Carl Thomas crooned “I wish I had never met her,” with equal parts pleading and regret, women found his white-wine cool vocals and Marvin Gaye meets Nat King Coleper se sex appeal irresistible.

While guys immediately identified with his worldly yet around the way lyricism and spot-on relationship observations.

Carl Thomas is the epitome of New York ‘70s and ‘80s soul: breezy and funky; the absolute perfect storm of class, charisma and cool.

The entire album is a solid debut for such a young artist at the time.

The release also included the hit single “Summer Rain” and the midnight storm title track.

Carl Thomas instantly transformed from a Chicago native son singing for his supper into both an in-demand lothario and the voice of masculine romance for an entire generation.

Carl Thomas experienced the type of success with his first song that most artists never touch during their entire careers. “I Wish,” with its universal theme of lost love, is now a part of a songwriting canon.

It’s a feat that was not lost on Carl. “I came out of the box and entered the Great American Songbook with ‘I Wish’. That’s what made it so special. There was no working up to it,” he stated to Billboard. “I remember being in the studio with Jay-Z (who sampled “I Wish” for his hit 2000 song “I Just Wanna Love You (Give It To Me)” featuring Pharrell) and he told me: ‘Whatever happens, remember that your debut album is one of the best foundations an R&B artist could ever ask for.’ I know now that when people talk about the album they are really referring to their personal connection to it.”

The #1 R&B smash “I Wish” from the album “Emotional,” which debuted at #2 on the Billboard R&B Album chart was a critical and commercial success, selling nearly 2 million copies.

UB has spoken to Carl Thomas numerous times over the years and asked him questions centered around “Emotional.”

UrbanBridgez.com: We’re actually celebrating 90’s R&B this month on UB and you debuted in somewhat that era when you came out in 2000.
Carl Thomas: Yeah my album “Emotional” is definitely the son of that. I didn’t get the opportunity to come out in the 90’s but my music is definitely a combination of what I interpreted from that era. People can feel that when they listen to it, even now. I would still say my music is just a modern day interpretation of what they were doing.

UrbanBridgez.com: What’s like your top favorite songs from your catalog?
Carl Thomas: My top 3 favorite songs from my catalog would have to be, #1 “You Ain’t Right” from Emotional. “Baby Maker” from Let’s Talk About It and “Home” from So Much Better. Those are definitely my top three!

UrbanBridgez.com: What was the process between the first album and this one like? Was there pressure to double that success?
Carl Thomas: No, I think only with other people (laughs), not myself. To be honest some of the songs on “Let’s Talk About It” were suppose to be on “Emotional.”

UrbanBridgez.com: What does “Let’s Talk About It” offer that “Emotional” didn’t?
Carl Thomas: “Let’s Talk About It” is more poetic. “Emotional” was a lot of different things, mainly a lot of things I needed to get off my chest at that time.

Take A Trip Down Memory Lane With “Emotional!”

UB Anniversary ReVisit: Carl Thomas Talks ‘Let’s Talk About It’