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| Allmusic |
 Hip-O Select’s 2010 release The Solo Albums, Vol. 1 combines Smokey Robinson’s first two post-Miracles albums - 1973’s Smokey and its 1974 sequel Pure Smokey - on one CD. Arriving between Smokey’s glorious late-period singles with the Miracles and 1975’s trend-setting Quiet Storm, these two LPs tend to get overlooked in the grand scheme of things - particularly because they didn’t burn up the charts, producing no big hit singles — but this disc proves they’re compelling transitional albums, records where Robinson finds his solo voice while coming to terms with the shifting sounds of the time. Of the two, Smokey is a tentative step forward, carrying clear remnants of his 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 medly 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. Pure Smokey consolidates Smokey Robinson’s progressions on Smokey, retaining the adventurous maturity of subject matter-in particular, Robinson remains fixated on family, paying tribute to the sister who raised him on “It’s Her Turn To Live,” noting the passing generations on “She’s Only A Baby Herself” and expressing “The Love Between me and My Kids” - but moving firmly into the present with his music. Apart from the closing “A Tattoo,” which was co-produced by Willie Hutch, Pure Smokey is helmed by Smokey himself and he creates a seamless blend of smoothed-out disco and gorgeous soft soul, the former firmly within the commercial realm of 1974 and the latter creating the sound he would coin Quiet Storm on his next LP. Here, Smokey favors lively beats over slow sways - even the mid-tempo numbers carry a bounce to their rhythm - yet these insistent, danceable rhythms convey an element of seduction thanks to Smokey’s velvet delivery, a smoothness that’s undeniable in his vocals and arrangements. So smooth is Pure Smokey that it’s easy to overlook its subtle innovations in subject and music, but that’s what makes it a rich, enduring LP: it goes down easy but pays back greater dividends upon close listening....full text |
| Hbdirect |
| The new album from Smokey Robinson called Solo Albums, Vol. 1 (2010)! Tracklist: 1. Holly 2. Medley: Never My Love / Never Can Say Goodbye 3. A Silent Partner In A Three-Way Love Affair 4. Just My Soul Responding 5. Sweet Harmony 6. Will You Love Me Tomorrow? 7. Wanna Know My Mind 8. The Family Song 9. Baby Come Close 10. It's Her Turn To Live 11. The Love Between Me And My Kids 12. Asleep On My Love 13. I Am I Am 14. Just Passing Through 15. Virgin Man 16. She's Only A Baby Herself 17. Fulfill Your Need 18. A Tattoo...full text |
| Soulmusic |
| Motown had been credited with being a great singles label. However, Marvin Gaye successfully changed the album game at the label, when the world heard, ‘What’s Going On’. Stevie Wonder prepared for his brilliant artistic run, beginning with ‘Where I’m Coming From’ and ‘Music of My Mind’. He then finally hit the goldrush with ‘Talking Book’. Diana Ross had successfully transformed her career as a pop singer, with more than credible jazz interpretations on the soundtrack to Lady Sings the Blues. The Temptations, under the guidance of Norman Whitfield, created three back to back minor R&B/Pop masterpieces with, ‘Sky’s the Limit’, ‘Solid Rock’ and then ‘All Directions’. The label’s superstars entered the ‘70s fully loaded with classic albums. But where was Smokey Robinson? His farewell tour with The Miracles lasted a year. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles achieved their final #1 pop/r&b single with “Tears of a Clown” (1970) exactly a decade after their first #1, “Shop Around” (1960). Stevie was well into his creative album nirvana by 1973, having not only released ‘Music of My Mind’ and ‘Talking Book’, but also his 2nd Grammy-winning Pop Album of the Year, ‘Innervisions’. Marvin had delivered ‘What’s Going On’ and the equally powerful, but, carnal ‘Let’s Get It On’, along with the soundtrack to Trouble Man. Diana had won an Oscar nod and a Golden Globe for her #1 Pop Album ‘Lady Sings the Blues’, returning to contemporary recording with the Grammy- nominated ‘Touch Me In The Morning’ album. The year 1973 would also see the vocal talents of Diana & Marvin united in the now classic album of the same name. William “Smokey” Robinson had made the decision to take on a full time role as Head of Motown’s A&R Department. His executive responsibilities would keep him away from the studio as a solo recording artist until 1973. Considering that Motown had successfully made the transition from Detroit to Los Angeles, his duties as Head of A&R were indisputable. Finally secure that the Motown Mount Rushmore of Superstars was commercially and critically acclaimed, Smokey was now ready to return to the studio and ignite his solo career. That long-awaited debut, resulted in the self-titled, only slightly more understated ‘Smokey’ (1973). “Holly”, the lead track on Smokey’s debut, tells a mournful tale of a young girl impatiently wanting to express her independence. It was a story that could easily have been an extension of “Love Child”. Holly was a young woman anxious to embrace adulthood, only to have her dreams sideswiped by drugs. In the tradition of classic Smokey, the dreaminess of the track coupled with his passionate vocals, could have easily been mistaken for a typical love song. But a typical love song, it was not. And while it may not have been as bold as Marvin’s “Flying High in the Friendly Sky” or Stevie’s “Too High”, it was just as effective. It worked also because it still retained the beauty of a great Smokey Robinson ballad. The first single, “Sweet Harmony” was a sentimental salute to his tenure as part of The Miracles. The song takes a minute to get into your system, but, when it does, it possesses the musical endurance to match some of his best work. That single was followed by the equally beautiful, “Baby Come Close”. In fact, “Baby Come Close” is classic Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, in the tradition of “Oooh Baby, Baby”, “Tracks of My Tears” and/or “Baby, Baby Don’t Cry”. It personifies sensuality as only Smokey can. Urban radio embraced it and his path to solo superstardom had been laid. It became his first Top Ten R&B solo hit, peaking at a more than respectable, #7....full text |
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