Smokey Robinson

Forget about all those newfangled "love men" who've been filling up the airwaves lately. It
was Smokey Robinson who stirred up the original quiet storm, and the Miracle worker still
sings sweet, sophisticated soul better than anyone else on this planet. One Heartbeat is
another of Smokey's breathy gems; it's his strongest and most accessible effort since 1982's
underrated Touch the Sky. In less capable hands, "Just to See Her" – the album'... More >

With executive producer Berry Gordy very hands-on, the man who named the quiet storm goes for his own--middle-aged platinum, just like Tina and Aretha and Dionne and Marvin, God rest his soul. After entrusting the lead single to outsiders who've made pop-funk their metier, he inputs some songwriting, with superpro results that carry the A. But only side two's "Love Don't Give No Reason," one of those shocking domestic melodramas that have dotted his maturity, packs the slightest surprise. Moreover, I doubt he'll get his own. Being perpetually underrated ain't about talent--it's about glamour. As is middle-aged platinum. (Grade: B)