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 BillboardTop 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]
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
Nicole Bush, Mark Cargill, Pam Gates, Ed Green, Davida Johnson, Gina Kronstadt, Maria Newman, Donald Palmer, Barbra Porter and Marcella Schants – violin
