Abstract Emotions

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

Ron Wynn of AllMusic noted "Randy Crawford continued her run of good '80s albums..with this 1986 release".[3]

Side one

1. "Can't Stand the Pain" (Dean Gant, Mark Winkler) – 6:02
2. "Actual Emotional Love" (Billie Hughes, Roxanne Seeman) – 5:05[4]
3. "World of Fools" (Rolf Graf, Alix Zandrs) – 5:00
4. "Betcha" (Reggie Lucas, Leslie L. Smith) - 4:31
5. "Higher Than Anyone Can Count" (Mary Unobsky, Daniel Ironstone) - 4:14

Side two

1. "Desire" (Reggie Lucas) – 5:25
2. "Getting' Away With Murder" (Sue Shifrin, Terry Britten) – 4:02
3. "Overnight" (Reggie Lucas) – 5:14
4. "Almaz" (Randy Crawford) – 4:04
5. "Don't Wanna be Normal" (Patrick Leonard, Hawk Wolinski, James Newton Howard, David Pack, Michael McDonald) – 5:20[5]

• 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)

• 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

Studios

• 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.