Double Good Everything | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1991 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Soul, pop | |||
Label | SBK[1] | |||
Producer | Smokey Robinson | |||
Smokey Robinson chronology | ||||
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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]
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]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Buffalo News | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B[14] |
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
All tracks are written by Smokey Robinson; except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Why" | 3:55 | |
2. | "Double Good Everything" | 3:48 | |
3. | "Rewind" | 3:43 | |
4. | "Be Who You Are" | 4:33 | |
5. | "I Love Your Face" | 2:34 | |
6. | "I Can't Get Enough" | 4:19 | |
7. | "Rack Me Back" | 4:06 | |
8. | "When a Woman Cries" | Joshua Kadison | 3:31 |
9. | "You Take Me Away" | 3:55 | |
10. | "Skid Row" | Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin | 4:23 |
Strings (Tracks 5 & 8)