This week’s feature is Smokey. I’d like to issue a correction. Last week in an effort to emphasize the completeness of his 1975 classic, I dismissed the majority of Smokey Robinson’s 70s catalog as expendable. Inaccurate, it didn’t even start that way. In 1973, Smokey Robinson was enjoying the perks of solo artistry. Without the Miracles around him, Robinson began his stylistic drift. His steady, light musical MO became less bound by the walls of bar-to-bar structure allowing Smokey to perform without distraction or constriction, just sonic support. That level of creative freedom resulted in some misses. The record’s first two tracks are good examples. But by track 3, “A Silent Partner In A Three-Way Love Affair,” Motown’s VP (and well-known champion of monogamy) found his groove. He doesn’t relinquish, consecutively supplying the timely “Just My Soul Responding,” the Miracles tribute “Sweet Harmony,” and his touching, famously ‘Kanyed’ rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”. This ’73 debut is two songs longer than his masterpiece, A Quiet Storm, and while it doesn’t have the same level of timelessness or unwavering execution, it serves as a damn good warning shot. The warmth, depth, and horizontal coverage of soul as a genre throughout this record set an important standard, and it wouldn’t be long before Robinson parked himself back atop the charts. Assessing this debut by metrics of critical popularity or monetary success disregards the framework it laid for a legendary solo career. Maybe it wasn’t quite time for Smokey in 1973, maybe people weren’t ready, but maybe they should’ve been.

Enjoy!