Double Good Everything
| Double Good Everything | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Soul, pop | |||
| Label | SBK[1] | |||
| Producer | Smokey Robinson | |||
| Smokey Robinson chronology | ||||
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Double Good Everything is an album by the American 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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Buffalo News | [12] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[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. | Title | Writer(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 Kadison | 3:31 |
| 9. | "You Take Me Away" | 3:55 | |
| 10. | "Skid Row" | Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin | 4:23 |
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
- ^ "Smokey Robinson Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Jet's Top 20 Albums". Jet. Vol. 81, no. 9. Dec 16, 1991. p. 62.
- ^ Britt, Bruce (October 4, 1991). "Rock News & Notes". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L28.
- ^ Jenkins, Craig (November 19, 2020). "Let Smokey Robinson Tell You About Changing Music". Vulture.
- ^ a b "Smokey Robinson". Billboard.
- ^ Davis, Sharon (January 6, 2012). 80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story. Random House. ISBN 9781780574110.
- ^ a b Ford, Lynn Dean (27 Dec 1991). "Record Reviews". The Indianapolis Star. p. C6.
- ^ Heim, Chris (29 May 1992). "A crowd-pleaser, a pro: Smokey Robinson still in fine form". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. M.
- ^ Simms, Greg (December 6, 1991). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 19.
- ^ Jaeger, Barbara (December 12, 1991). "Renewed Blaze from Old Fires". The Record. p. C22.
- ^ a b "Double Good Everything". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Allen, Carl (December 6, 1991). "In Brief". The Buffalo News. p. G36.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 74.
- ^ a b Berger, Arion. "Double Good Everything". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 481.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 595.
- ^ Garland, Phyl (Mar 1992). "Popular Music — Double Good Everything by Smokey Robinson". Stereo Review. Vol. 57, no. 3. p. 74.
- ^ "Double Good Everything Smokey Robinson". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. 28 Nov 1991. p. C9.
- ^ "Smokey Robinson: 'I'm Truly a Blessed Man'". New Pittsburgh Courier. Vol. 82, no. 81. 12 Oct 1991. p. P.B-2.
- ^ Takiff, Jonathan (16 Dec 1991). "Sweet Soul Music". Features Yo!. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 39.
- ^ Nager, Larry (November 22, 1991). "Recordings". The Commercial Appeal. p. E19.