Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Smokey is a tentative step forward, carrying clear remnants of Smokey Robinson's latter-day music with the Miracles, which shouldn’t come as a great surprise considering that it’s anchored by “Sweet Harmony,” a tune he wrote about and for the Miracles but was persuaded by Motown A&R’s Suzanne de Passe to keep for himself. From there, Robinson built a full LP, using Willie Hutch as his co-producer and writing a clutch of songs with Marvin Tarplin, his co-author on several Miracles hits. Certainly, the rich, gorgeous harmonies of “Sweet Harmony” consciously evoke the Miracles but the group is heard elsewhere too, in the bright bounce of “Wanna Know My Mind” and in its covers of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” and a medley of “Never My Love/Never Can Say Goodbye,” both bringing to mind Motown’s habit of recycling contemporary hits. These echoes of the past are comforting, particularly because they’re surrounded by modernity, thanks in part to Hutch’s lush, layered production but also Smokey’s willingness to embrace the shifting times, naturally favoring smooth soul to gritty funk, letting it escalate to an almost cinematic scale and, more importantly, not shying away from subjects he’d never tackle during the ‘60s whether it’s his family or the saga of a teenage runaway. It’s not a bold break into maturity on the level of What’s Going On or Music of My Mind but rather a transitional album, and a fascinating one at that, suggesting the path he would take going forward.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
William Robinson, Jr., ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, MainArtist - Willie Hutch, Producer
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dick Addrisi, ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, MainArtist - Willie Hutch, Producer - Clifton Davis, ComposerLyricist - Donald J Addrisi, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Robinson, Jr., ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, MainArtist - Willie Hutch, Producer - Rose Ella Jones, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Marvin Tarplin, ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Willie Hutch, Producer
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Robinson, Jr., ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, MainArtist - Willie Hutch, Producer
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Carole King, ComposerLyricist - Gerry Goffin, ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, MainArtist - Willie Hutch, Producer
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Robinson, Jr., ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, MainArtist - Willie Hutch, Producer
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Robinson, Jr., ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, MainArtist - Willie Hutch, Producer
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Robinson, Jr., Producer - Marvin Tarplin, ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Willie Hutch, Producer - Pamela Moffett-Young, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Smokey is a tentative step forward, carrying clear remnants of Smokey Robinson's latter-day music with the Miracles, which shouldn’t come as a great surprise considering that it’s anchored by “Sweet Harmony,” a tune he wrote about and for the Miracles but was persuaded by Motown A&R’s Suzanne de Passe to keep for himself. From there, Robinson built a full LP, using Willie Hutch as his co-producer and writing a clutch of songs with Marvin Tarplin, his co-author on several Miracles hits. Certainly, the rich, gorgeous harmonies of “Sweet Harmony” consciously evoke the Miracles but the group is heard elsewhere too, in the bright bounce of “Wanna Know My Mind” and in its covers of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” and a medley of “Never My Love/Never Can Say Goodbye,” both bringing to mind Motown’s habit of recycling contemporary hits. These echoes of the past are comforting, particularly because they’re surrounded by modernity, thanks in part to Hutch’s lush, layered production but also Smokey’s willingness to embrace the shifting times, naturally favoring smooth soul to gritty funk, letting it escalate to an almost cinematic scale and, more importantly, not shying away from subjects he’d never tackle during the ‘60s whether it’s his family or the saga of a teenage runaway. It’s not a bold break into maturity on the level of What’s Going On or Music of My Mind but rather a transitional album, and a fascinating one at that, suggesting the path he would take going forward.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 00:40:45
- Main artists: Smokey Robinson
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: UNI - MOTOWN
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 1973 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2014 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.