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
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