Double Good Everything Explained
| Double Good Everything |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Smokey Robinson |
| Border: | yes |
| Released: | 1991 |
| Studio: |
|
| Genre: | Soul, pop |
| Label: | SBK[1] |
| Producer: | Smokey Robinson |
| Prev Title: | Love, Smokey |
| Prev Year: | 1990 |
| Next Title: | The Ultimate Collection |
| Next Year: | 1997 |
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 Everythings 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
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." 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."[11] The Kitchener-Waterloo Record opined that, "except for 'Skid Row' and 'When a Woman Cries', Robinson sounds almost uninterested."[12] The Buffalo News wrote that, "though the peaks of his voice may be gone, the gentle emotive stirring is still there."
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."[13] The Philadelphia Daily News labeled it Robinson's "strongest in years."[14] 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."[15]
AllMusic wrote: "Though pleasant and inoffensive, this will disappoint even diehard Smokey Robinson fans and won't win him many new ones."
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
Notes and References
- Web site: Smokey Robinson Biography, Songs, & Albums. AllMusic.
- Jet's Top 20 Albums . Jet . Dec 16, 1991 . 81 . 9 . 62.
- News: Britt . Bruce . Rock News & Notes . Los Angeles Daily News . October 4, 1991 . L28.
- Web site: Let Smokey Robinson Tell You About Changing Music. Craig. Jenkins. November 19, 2020. Vulture.
- Smokey Robinson. Billboard.
- Book: Davis, Sharon. 80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story. January 6, 2012. Random House. 9781780574110.
- News: Ford . Lynn Dean . Record Reviews . The Indianapolis Star . 27 Dec 1991 . C6.
- News: Heim . Chris . A crowd-pleaser, a pro: Smokey Robinson still in fine form . Chicago Tribune . 29 May 1992 . Friday . M.
- News: Simms . Greg . Recordings on Review . Dayton Daily News . December 6, 1991 . Go! . 19.
- News: Jaeger . Barbara . Renewed Blaze from Old Fires . The Record . December 12, 1991 . C22.
- Garland . Phyl . Popular Music — Double Good Everything by Smokey Robinson . Stereo Review . Mar 1992 . 57 . 3 . 74.
- News: Double Good Everything Smokey Robinson . Kitchener-Waterloo Record . 28 Nov 1991 . C9.
- News: Smokey Robinson: 'I'm Truly a Blessed Man' . New Pittsburgh Courier . 12 Oct 1991 . 82 . 81 . P.B-2.
- News: Takiff . Jonathan . Sweet Soul Music . Philadelphia Daily News . 16 Dec 1991 . Features Yo! . 39.
- News: Nager . Larry . Recordings . The Commercial Appeal . November 22, 1991 . E19.
