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Double Good Everything

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Double Good Everything
Studio album by
Smokey Robinson
Released1991
Studio
GenreR&B, soul, pop
LabelSBK[1]
ProducerSmokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson chronology
Love, Smokey
(1990) 		Double Good Everything
(1991) 		The Ultimate Collection
(1997)

Double Good Everything is an album by the American R&B musician Smokey Robinson, released in 1991.[2][3] It was his first album to be released by a label other than Motown.[4]

The album peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart.[5] Its first single was "Double Good Everything", which failed to make the R&B Top 20.[6][5]

Production

Nine of Double Good Everything's 10 tracks were written or cowritten by Robinson, who also produced the album.[7][8] "When a Woman Cries" was written by Joshua Kadison.[9] Robinson worked with his longtime friend, guitar player Marv Tarplin.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Buffalo News[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
Entertainment WeeklyB[14]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[16]

Entertainment Weekly called the album "no watershed, just sweet, warm Smokey doing his bit for romantic drive-time inspiration, more courtly than salacious, and slightly teenage in his depictions of love."[14] Stereo Review concluded that "the unifying thread is Robinson's singular voice—almost delicate but unmistakably masculine in its high register, marked by an eternal edge of youthful anticipation."[17] The Kitchener-Waterloo Record opined that "except for 'Skid Row' and 'When a Woman Cries', Robinson sounds almost uninterested."[18] The Buffalo News wrote that "though the peaks of his voice may be gone, the gentle emotive stirring is still there."[12]

The Indianapolis Star thought that Robinson's "excellent vocals are underscored by superb instrumentals, particularly on the intimate 'I Love Your Face' and the sashaying 'Rewind' and 'Be Who You Are'."[7] The New Pittsburgh Courier deemed the album "10 new pop/soul gems that are remarkable for retaining the 'Smokey' touch while feeling perfectly contemporary."[19] The Philadelphia Daily News labeled it Robinson's "strongest in years."[20] The Commercial Appeal considered that "Robinson's falsetto is as sweet as ever, as he mixes in a bit of reggae in 'Why', joyously assays the uptempo pop-soul of the title track or croons 'Be Who You Are', a love song that hearkens back to his classic Motown days."[21]

AllMusic wrote: "Though pleasant and inoffensive, this will disappoint even diehard Smokey Robinson fans and won't win him many new ones."[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Smokey Robinson; except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Why" 3:55
2."Double Good Everything" 3:48
3."Rewind" 3:43
4."Be Who You Are" 4:33
5."I Love Your Face" 2:34
6."I Can't Get Enough" 4:19
7."Rack Me Back" 4:06
8."When a Woman Cries"Joshua Kadison3:31
9."You Take Me Away" 3:55
10."Skid Row"Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin4:23

Personnel

  • Smokey Robinson – vocals
  • Christopher Ho – keyboards
  • Reginald "Sonny" Burke – acoustic piano, percussion
  • Larry Ball – synthesizers, computers, sequencing, bass guitar
  • Bob "Boogie" Bowles – acoustic guitars, electric guitars
  • Marvin Tarplin – electric guitars
  • Torrell Ruffin – guitars (3)
  • Robert Palmer – guitar solo (4)
  • Tony Lewis – drums, percussion
  • David Li – saxophones, electronic wind instrument
  • Chris Mostert – baritone saxophone (6), tenor saxophone (9)
  • Michael Fell – harmonica (7)
  • Ivory Stone – backing vocals
  • Patricia Henley – backing vocals
  • Robert Henley – backing vocals
  • Ronald Henley – backing vocals

Strings (Tracks 5 & 8)

  • Reginald "Sonny" Burke – arrangements and conductor
  • Ron Clark – concertmaster
  • Suzie Katayama, David Low and Nancy K. Masaki-Hathaway – cello
  • Elizabeth Erman – harp (5)
  • Rollice Dale and Robin Ross – viola
  • Nicole Bush, Mark Cargill, Pam Gates, Ed Green, Davida Johnson, Gina Kronstadt, Maria Newman, Donald Palmer, Barbra Porter and Marcella Schants – violin

Production

  • Smokey Robinson – producer, basic arrangements, cover design
  • Dan Bates – associate producer, recording, mixing
  • Allan Kaufman – associate producer, recording, mixing
  • Guy DeFazio – recording assistant
  • Chris Fogel – recording assistant, mix assistant
  • Jesse Kanner – recording assistant
  • Ed Korengo – recording assistant
  • Chad Munsey – recording assistant
  • Tom Perez – recording assistant
  • Mark Hagen – mix assistant
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Lynn Robb – photography processing
  • Bonnie Schiffman – photography

References

  1. ^ "Smokey Robinson Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Jet's Top 20 Albums". Jet. 81 (9): 62. Dec 16, 1991.
  3. ^ Britt, Bruce (October 4, 1991). "ROCK NEWS & NOTES - OCTOBER: GOOD TIME FOR NEW MUSIC". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L28.
  4. ^ Jenkins, Craig (November 19, 2020). "Let Smokey Robinson Tell You About Changing Music". Vulture.
  5. ^ a b "Smokey Robinson". Billboard.
  6. ^ Davis, Sharon (January 6, 2012). 80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story. Random House. ISBN 9781780574110 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Ford, Lynn Dean (27 Dec 1991). "RECORD REVIEWS". The Indianapolis Star. p. C6.
  8. ^ Heim, Chris (29 May 1992). "A crowd-pleaser, a pro: Smokey Robinson still in fine form". Chicago Tribune. Friday. p. M.
  9. ^ Simms, Greg (December 6, 1991). "RECORDINGS ON REVIEW". Dayton Daily News. Go!. p. 19.
  10. ^ Jaeger, Barbara (December 12, 1991). "RENEWED BLAZE FROM OLD FIRES". The Record. p. C22.
  11. ^ a b "Double Good Everything - Smokey Robinson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. ^ a b Allen, Carl (December 6, 1991). "IN BRIEF". The Buffalo News. p. G36.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 74.
  14. ^ a b Berger, Arion. "Double Good Everything". EW.com.
  15. ^ MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 481.
  16. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 595.
  17. ^ Garland, Phyl (Mar 1992). "Popular Music -- Double Good Everything by Smokey Robinson". Stereo Review. 57 (3): 74.
  18. ^ "Double Good Everything Smokey Robinson". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. 28 Nov 1991. p. C9.
  19. ^ "SMOKEY ROBINSON: 'I'M TRULY A BLESSED MAN': NEW RELEASE MARKS NEW ERA FOR LEGENDARY MOTOWN SINGER". New Pittsburgh Courier. 82 (81): P.B-2. 12 Oct 1991.
  20. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (16 Dec 1991). "Sweet Soul Music". Philadelphia Daily News. FEATURES YO!. p. 39.
  21. ^ Nager, Larry (November 22, 1991). "RECORDINGS". The Commercial Appeal. p. E19.
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