Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson didn't have to put out a record this good. After all, he's widely celebrated as Motown's first resident genius, with 50 years of hit records behind him. But Smokey gets it right just being himself -- his amazing pipes haven't aged, the backings are organic and free of any modern R&B, and he wrote 11 of the 12 songs (he covers Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why"). The exquisite ballads "Time Flies" and "That Place" rule the day, alongside duets with Joss Stone and India.Arie. Robinson even pays tribute to his huge Latino fanbase with a trilingual blues number costarring Santana.

Except for a set of pre-rock pop standards, Smokey Robinson has been largely absent this
decade. He returns here with the smooth "quiet storm" vibe he invented on his 1975 album
of the same name, duetting with Joss Stone and India.Arie on a pair of wind-chime-romantic
ballads and turning in an inspired (if somewhat unnecessary) remake of the J5's "I Want You
Back." But when he puts his sterling tenor to the slow-burning funk of "One Time"... More >