The founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, Smokey Robinson is an R&B legend. A prolific songwriter, producer, and overall massive creative force, his career has been chalked full of highlights. Really a national treasure within American music history, Robinson’s influence has been felt for nearly 70 years now. An absolutely stunning statistic, everyone from The Beatles to Michael Jackson and beyond has been inspired by him. With that in mind, now at 83 years of age, Robinson returns with a brand-new solo record.
Entitled Gasms, and released on April 28, 2023, the album marks his first album of all-new material since 2009’s Time Flies When You’re Having Fun which, at the time, coincided with his 50th anniversary as a musician. Considering this, Robinson had Gasms, its concept, and the songs in the works for almost 6 years now. Putting a lot of careful thought and effort into the music, naturally with a title like Gasms, you are bound to turn some heads. Letting your imagination run away with you, the idea behind the record is clearly about the more intimate aspects of life. Quite bold, the overall feel is sensual, smooth, and very romantic.
However, this is to be expected from a songwriter who has written and performed some of the best love songs of all time; including 1960’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?,” 1962’s “You Really Got A Hold On Me,” and 1987’s “Just To See Her,” to name a few. Considering this, astoundingly Robinson’s feel for writing, recording, mixing, and producing music is still very fresh.
Assembling a strong supporting cast in the studio – one which includes David Garfield and J.J. Blair, among many others – the sound and emotion of Gasms is quite striking. Led by singles such as “If We Don’t Have Each Other” and “How You Make Me Feel,” Robinsons sets a standard for some smooth R&B of the highest order to follow. All are showcasing his distinguished voice, which still sounds outstanding, and everything else on Gasms runs freely into one another like water. With this strong presence noted, some of the biggest winners on this album include “I Keep Callin’ You,” “Roll Around,” “Beside You,” and the quite suggestive “I Fit In There.”
So, does Gasms have an underlined theme? Of course, it does! It is one about sensuality, and sharing love, and Robinson does not shy away from these concepts with pretty bold lyrics. Will it surprise some? Probably, but this is a songwriter who is daring to pique your curiosity. In truth, Gasms is really a strong album for Smokey Robinson filled with well-placed instrumentation, a mood that is executed flawlessly, and intent that will not be lost on those who still believe in love.
Moreover, it is great to see he is still out there touring, putting out new albums such as this one, and more recently, being honored with the launching of Smokey’s Soul Town on SiriusXM. Wondering what that might be? It is the satellite radio provider’s Soul Town channel, but it has now been renamed. With this, it plays classic R&B and Soul hits, but also airs a recurring show every other week, hosted by Smokey, where he shares stories about the songs, artists, and his own life experiences in relation to the curated songs airing. Very worth the time, and so is Gasms, thus Cryptic Rock gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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