A Quiet Storm

A Quiet Storm
Studio album by Smokey Robinson
Released March 26, 1975[1]
Genre Soul, quiet storm
Length 36:01
Label Tamla
Producer Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson chronology
Pure Smokey
(1974)Pure Smokey1974		 A Quiet Storm
(1975)		 Smokey's Family Robinson
(1976)Smokey's Family Robinson1976

A Quiet Storm is the 1975 third solo album by American soul singer, songwriter, and producer Smokey Robinson.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB[2]
MusicHound R&B4/5[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

This is one of the most highly acclaimed soul albums of the 1970s. A longtime innovator at Motown, Robinson responded to the funk revolution in black music (Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green) with an effective counterpoint: this stylish and mature album. This landmark album spawned and lent its name to the "Quiet Storm" musical programming format, a format still adopted by radio stations across America more than 40 years later. It spawned 3 hit singles including his first disco hit "Baby That's Backatcha" that went to number 7 on the Billboard Disco chart (Top 10 R&B), and this album re-established Robinson's reputation as a master songwriter and producer and solidified his solo success after leaving his legendary group, The Miracles. In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Robert Palmer said A Quiet Storm proved Robinson was "still a dynamic creative force" as it succeeded on the strength of his singing and production, although he highlighted the "sexy directness" of the title track and "Baby That's Backatcha".[5] Vince Aletti ranked it as the year's third best album in his ballot for the 1975 Pazz & Jop critics poll.[6] Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic, believing the title track was somewhat bold for concentrating Pure Smokey's "drift into a style", but finding much of the record lacking rhythm, with the exception of "Love Letters" and "Coincidentally".[2]

A Quiet Storm was later named one of the greatest Motown albums of all time in a 1999 edition of Q.[7] According to Pitchfork journalist Eric Harvey, the record reinvented Robinson's brand of "contemplative romantic soul" with the Miracles, revitalized his career after two underperforming solo albums, and typified what would become known as quiet storm music.[8]

Miracles member Marv Tarplin was also a contributor to this album .

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Smokey Robinson; except where indicated.

  1. "Quiet Storm" 7:47 (Robinson, Rose Ella Jones [Robinson's real-life sister])[9]
  2. "The Agony and the Ecstasy" 4:43
  3. "Baby That's Backatcha" 3:36
  4. "Wedding Song" 3:20
  5. "Happy" – Love Theme from Lady Sings the Blues (Robinson, Michel Legrand) 7:05
  6. "Love Letters" 4:04
  7. "Coincidentally" 4:22

Personnel

Charts

Year Album Chart positions[10]
US US
R&B
1975 A Quiet Storm 36 7

Singles

Year Single Chart positions[11]
US US
R&B		 US
Dance
1975 "Baby That's Backatcha" 26 1 7
"The Agony and the Ecstasy" 36 7 —
1976 "Quiet Storm" 61 25 —

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.allmusic.com/album/r16689/review
  2. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1981). "Smokey Robinson: A Quiet Storm". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the '70s. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306804093. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  3. ↑ Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh Freedom; McFarlin, Jim, eds. (1998). "Smokey Robinson". MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 1578590264.
  4. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "Smokey Robinson". The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 693. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ↑ Palmer, Robert (July 31, 1975). "A Quiet Storm". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (December 29, 1975). "It's Been a Soft Year for Hard Rock". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  7. ↑ Anon. (October 1999). "Best Motown Records of All Time". Q. p. 161.
  8. ↑ Harvey, Eric (May 15, 2012). "The Quiet Storm". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ Smokey Robinson Mourns Death of Sister | EURweb
  10. ↑ "Smokey Robinson US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  11. ↑ "Smokey Robinson US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
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