web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Smokey Robinson

  • Smokey Robinson sings with friends!

    Smokey Robinson sings with friends!

    Smokey Robinson sings with friends on his brand new duets album, Smokey & Friends!

    Hi folks. I know it’s been a few weeks since my last post. I’ve been busy with this move from Texas to Germany and am still sitting in temporary lodging. Fortunately, I still have Internet access and was lucky enough to score a review copy of Smokey Robinson’s new album, Smokey & Friends!

    Smokey Robinson has had a very long and successful career in the music business. At age 74, his voice is still in great shape as he collaborates with an eclectic variety of rock star notables on Smokey & Friends. Though I can’t yet count myself among his most ardent fans, I do enjoy some of his best known hits as well as the songs he wrote for others. I had the chance to listen to Smokey & Friends yesterday morning and I really enjoyed it.


    On this video by the Associated Press, Smokey Robinson talks about how this project came to be.

    Smokey & Friends consists of eleven tracks written by Smokey Robinson and includes duets by everyone from Mary J. Blige to James Taylor. This new album was produced by American Idol star and record producer Randy Jackson. The production on Smokey & Friends is a bit on the slick side for my usual tastes; on the other hand, it was pretty good morning music and helped me wake up.

    A jaunty organ solo kicks off the first song, “Tracks of My Tears”, which is a collaboration between Smokey Robinson and Elton John. I have always liked this song and I think Smokey and Elton work well together, although I must admit that at first, I thought Elton was Van Morrison. His voice has deepened a bit and, on this song, it almost sounds like he has an Irish accent. It wasn’t until Elton cut loose on the chorus that I recognized his voice. Still, it’s a strong effort and I like it.


    Elton John talks about making his duet with Smokey Robinson.

    Steven Tyler was a great choice for the next song, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”. This sounds like a song Aerosmith could have easily covered. This rendition has edgy guitars that give it a straight rock sound. It works very well, although Smokey’s vocal contributions are less obvious on this track.

    Next comes a very smooth and sweet rendition of “My Girl” featuring Smokey Robinson singing with Miguel, Aloe Blacc, and JC Chasez. Although I am very partial to The Temptations’ famous cover of Smokey’s song, this is a really pleasant, soulful version of “My Girl”. As I listened to these guys singing together, I was reminded of Daryl Hall and I kind of wondered why he’s not on this record too. Their voices blending together reminded me of classic Hall & Oates.

    I first heard of Jessie J. when she was featured at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. I thought she had a pretty powerful voice during that performance. Singing “Cruisin’” here with Smokey Robinson, she offers even more power and soul. Before the song begins, Jessie J. explains that she first heard Smokey sing when she was 7 years old and that singing with him is “a dream come true”. “Cruisin’” happens to be one of my favorite songs by Smokey Robinson. To my ears, this version doesn’t surpass Smokey’s original, but I am impressed by the vocal chemistry Jessie J and Smokey Robinson have.

    I wasn’t familiar with “Quiet Storm” before I listened to this duet version, featuring John Legend. Legend and Robinson work well together on this relaxing, jazzy number; now I’m curious about the original.

    I had no idea that “The Way You Do The Things You Do” was a Smokey Robinson creation. Here, he sings it with CeeLo Green. I like this updated version of “The Way You Do The Things You Do”, which gives CeeLo Green the chance to show off his rich, warm vocals.

    The cool, sensual “Being With You” is another one of my favorite songs by Smokey Robinson. Mary J. Blige offers a sexy counterpart to Smokey Robinson’s silky voice. Though this song was originally a solo, it works great as a duet.

    I love James Taylor’s music and I know that he has a special fondness in his heart for classic hits from the 50s and 60s. “Ain’t That Peculiar” gets a Taylor makeover on Smokey & Friends, which is arranged a bit like Taylor’s most recent recordings. When this song started, I was immediately reminded of the songs on October Road. He uses lots of organ, electric guitars, and an interesting rhythm. He definitely made it his own, which I respect. It sounds like they had a lot of fun with it.

    Sheryl Crow gamely takes a turn with “The Tears of A Clown”, another classic Robinson hit. This is a solid effort; Sheryl Crow has a less tremulous quality to her voice that balances well with Smokey’s voice. Plus, I really like the song itself; it’s one of those numbers that never gets old.

    “Ooh Baby Baby” begins with an introduction by Ledisi, who joins Smokey on this very sexy hit. I have to admit, when it comes to cover versions of “Ooh Baby Baby”, I’m kind of partial to Linda Ronstadt’s take. Ledisi and Smokey Robinson give their duet more of a quiet sensuality and warmth than Ronstadt’s more torch like presentation. It’s appealing and entertaining and I can tell Ledisi is really into it.

    The last song is “Get Ready”, a great song for the morning if I ever heard one. Gary Barlow and Smokey Robinson update this into an exciting and hard driving rock song. I think they did a great job updating this hit and I really like it. It’s a great way to close out Smokey & Friends. This arrangement almost has an element of danger to it, which breathes new life into a true classic.

    Smokey and his friends did fine work with Smokey & Friends. I enjoyed listening to these duet renditions of Smokey Robinson’s classic hits and am very impressed by how great Smokey still sounds after all his years in the music business. This album also reminds me that Smokey Robinson is a great songwriter and inspires me to listen to more of his work. I know I already turned on one of his fans to this latest effort and I hope some of you out there will also give it a spin!


    Trailer for Smokey & Friends… a great place to hear some samples from this record.

  • Big in Europe: Plan B “She Said”

    Not to be confused with a German band who mined a far less confrontational hybrid of hip-hop and soulful pop in the mid 1990s, Plan B is the wildly ambitious British singer-rapper-actor-producer-aspiring filmmaker Ben Drew, whose 2006 album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words?, a record as nightmarish, epic, and unstoppable as a British Petroleum oil spill, elicited breathless comparisons to artists as varied as Eminem, Justin Timberlake, and Damien Rice. Like Eminem, Plan B knows how to tell a good story, but where Mr. Mathers’ rhymes are self-referential and reek of embellished memoir, Mr. Drew writes mostly bleak and bloody urban fictions centered around drug addicts, gang-bangers, and other assorted denizens of East London’s early-21st Century underworld.

    His latest album is a sort of Northern Soul opera called The Defamation of Strickland Banks, and while the record has been lingering at the top of the British pop and soul charts since its release in April 2010, its second single “She Said”, four minutes of achingly tense but oh-so-old-school-groovy courtroom intrigue, has been storming the pop charts all over the mainland as well. Drew takes a cue from Mark Ronson’s pointedly organic strings-and-horns productions for Amy Winehouse, but here that treatment feels more about advancing a sinister plot – heightening the song’s tension – and less retro-for-retro’s sake. A big band underscores the song’s insistent syncopations and Drew’s pleading vocals like a musical judge and jury nodding along with the defense’s arguments while quietly forming their rationales for a guilty verdict they’d long since unanimously decided in their heads.

    “She Said” may evoke nostalgia, but it doesn’t do so cheaply or lightly. Plan B may know Eminem’s name, but Strickland Banks suggests that Ben Drew has spent a lot more time with his parents’ Smokey Robinson records and that he’s never taken those Lenny Kravitz posters down from his bedroom wall. This is not backward looking music. This is, rather, almost surely what Maroon 5’s next album is going to sound like. Only not as good. (And I sorta like Maroon 5. Just sayin’.)

    The song’s also supported by an instant classic of a video, and Drew is apparently working on a short film of the same title to accompany The Defamation of Strickland Banks which will likely incorporate the videos for record’s singles. If “She Said” is any indication of what the final product might look like, I’m totally in line for the DVD.

  • American Idol Season 8 – Motown Showdown

    Smokey in concert
    Smokey in concert

    Ok, so I have to say that last night’s show was one of the more fun Idol shows that I can remember. Many of the performances were better than good and there were only a few that were hard to sit through. Plus, we had Smoke Dog Robinson. What more could you ask for?

    Well, tonight we not only get Smoke Dog performing (with Joss Stone for some reason), but we also get Ruben Studdard and Stevie Wonder. If I were a mean person I’d wonder if the American Idol folks promised a buffet tonight. But I’m not mean.

    And though I wanted to see Steveland do more Burnin’ Up with the Jonas Brothers, it sounds like he’s going to do a Motown medley. That’s all good in my book. What’s Ruben going to do? I’m guessing he’s going to either celebrate someone home, or perform something from his new album which comes out very soon.

    Before I get to the show, did you know that Kara DioGuardi is 38 years old? I’m not usually into older women, but you know, she could probably change that.

    The 10 contestants are doing a Motown medley. Word came out today that these medleys are pre-taped and the contestants lip sync on stage. Really? Someone had to actually research this? Considering that these contestants get hammered for missing notes and being pitchy all the time, I figured they had to be pre-taped. They wouldn’t let them go live especially while trying to remember dance steps.

    Big Rube Studdard is on stage now and he hit one long note and is already sweaty. How did that happen? The song is nice, but it’s not going to be Big Rube’s comeback song.

    They show footage of the contestants flying from Los Angeles to Detroit in a jet. They show poor Scott yawning so they can make fun of him. How the heck was Scott supposed to know the camera was there? Someone on that show has a cruel sense of humor.

    Adam is up first and they’re getting him out of the way first. He’s safe. By the way, his hair-do is back to Adam normal, which is just not normal for anyone else who didn’t go to the Adam Ant or Culture Club school of fashion. I did buy his version of Tracks Of My Tears on iTunes and sadly, it’s a studio version rather than the live version. It’s still nice, but it’s missing the component of him actually hitting those notes live.

    Here’s a bad copy of Adam’s brilliant performance from last night. So far, this one hasn’t been taken down.

    Matt is next up and he either has a huge zit on his forehead or it’s a mole. Have I not noticed that before? Matty is in the bottom three. America, I’m shaking my head at you. But Kris is safe. Of course he is. The guitar is more loved than the piano.

    Lil Rounds is safe, but Michael is not. America, though I’m still shaking my head at you, you got that one right.

    Joss Stone is out singing and Megan just looked at everyone and said, “See, that’s what I’m trying to do. Don’t you get it now?” Actually, Joss is trying the R&B thing a little too hard. I didn’t like it that much. Well, that is until Smoke Dog entered the building. With Smoke Dog and Stevie on the same show, I wonder if they are going for that over 50 demographic a bit hard? Also, it’s kind of hard watching 20-something year old Joss and 60-something year old Smoke Dog sing, “You’re the one for me,” to each other without wondering if Smoke Dog was her long lost grandfather.

    Who is going to join Matty and Michael in the bottom three? Not Allison because she is safe. Anoop’s upside ya’ head is safe as well. Danny is safe and smiling.

    Scott and Megan are up together and Megan was looking so pretty until she made this face to pretend that she was surprised at the bad feedback she received from the judges. It’s kind of hard to explain, but she bugged out her eyes, sunk in her cheek bones, puffed out that cleft above the upper lip, and I think gave herself a double chin. It was a frightening two seconds, but then her face went back to normal and all was well in the world again.

    Scott is in the bottom three. Scott kind of looks like (believe it or not) “The Greatest American Hero”.

    America, at least you got two out of three right.

    Randall Jackson says Matt rocked the mike and doesn’t deserve to be there. Ryno sends Scott back to safety.

    Stevie Wonder is doing a medley that starts off with My Cherie Amour. He moves onto Superstition and right when I expected the Jonas Brothers to come in and screw up Stevie’s lyrics, they were nowhere to be found.

    Are we at the point where Steve just needs to cut off all his hair? Is there a reason for the dreadlocks if they cover only the latter half of his head? I love Steve more than maybe any entertainer on earth. I’m just trying to help.

    Paula and her smooshed together boobs were dancing to Overjoyed while Stevie was singing. It started off a little rough for Steve as he forgot where the mic was, but he started to sing his ass off. Stevie then finished off with a song I didn’t recognize and neither did the rest of the contestants. They were hootin’ and a hollerin’ for Superstition and had to do some pretending with this song.

    Matty is safe. Michael Sarver now has to sing for his American Idol career. He better not be too proud to beg. Because he has zero chance to overwhelm these judges and get saved. Carrie Underwood will send him back to Home Sweet Home.

    Michael actually did a better job tonight than he did yesterday. But Simon still sent him home.

    Photo by jcrawford3505 and shared through creative commons