 Smokey Robinson Smokey Robinson's 1975 hit album is one that deserves much greater critical recognition. It's a great argument against the notion that the mid-'70s were lean years for Motown. A Quiet Storm has been copied so many times that the album itself is completely taken for granted nowadays. Smokey literally invented the slow jam, as the title track attests. Seven and a half minutes of dreamy, disorienting majesty. With its alien synth and loping groove, the song makes me feel drunk almost instantly. Suddenly my Wal-Mart bedsheets are made of satin and I'm lost in the moment with one of my honeys. I got to stop falling asleep in the middle of albums. Too much post-suggestive power. I always wake up shocked and disappointed that I have no Afro. Anyway, this is one of those silky smooth albums that achieves a symphonic level. No track is substandard, yet each contributes to a uniform flow. It is a wonderful ride. I wonder if I would think the album kind of corny if I weren't white ("Wedding Song" must be hokey, but I don't see it). Tough call. As it is, I would place this in the top 10 essential Motown recordings. Utterly wonderful music, and as George Harrison would say (and he was whiter than me), "Pure Smokey." So why are we stuck with a shitty 80s CD transfer?! Hopefully Motown will do this one up right, like the deluxe What's Going On. If their product weren't so damn superior, I'd take 'em to task for their lazy-ass packaging. Oh well, they know they got the music!
Review by Uptown Brown |