Essar (album)

Essar
Studio album by Smokey Robinson
Released 1984
Recorded 1984
Genre R&B, soul
Length 41:44
Label Motown
Producer Smokey Robinson and Reginald "Sonny" Burke
Smokey Robinson chronology
Touch the Sky
(1983)		 Essar
(1984)		 Smoke Signals
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

Essar is a 1984 album by American singer Smokey Robinson. For the most part it was produced and arranged by Robinson with Reginald "Sonny" Burke. The album was released on the Motown sub-label Tamla.

Reception

The album only peaked at #141 on Billboard pop charts, and at #35 on R&B charts. "And I Don't Love You" peaked at #106 Billboard and #33 R&B charts, and "I Can't Find" at #109 Billboard and #41 R&B charts.

Although the 12" B-Side of "And I Don't Love You" Larry Levan's Instrumental (Dub) became a House Music Disco classic in the late 2000s.[1]

William Ruhlmann gave 2 out of 5 stars on AllMusic, addressing it as "the low point" in Robinson's career and holding Sonny Burke's dominating synthesiser play responsible.[2] Where Robert Christgau rated it as B+, acknowledging that there are "fillers", but concluding with "one thing you can say about Smokey's filler that you can't say about anybody else's--Smokey's singing it".[3]

Track listing

All tracks composed by William "Smokey" Robinson; except where indicated

Side A

  1. "And I Don't Love You" – 5:20
  2. "Train of Thought" – 4:55
  3. "I Can't Find" – 6:15
  4. "Why Are You Running From My Love" (Scott V. Smith, Stephen Tavani) – 4:20

Side B

  1. "Gone Forever (Theme from the motion picture Cry of the City" (Mark Kevin Davis) – 3:10
  2. "Close Encounters of the First Kind" – 4:35
  3. "Little Girl Little Girl" – 5:12
  4. "Girl I'm Standing There" – 4:25
  5. "Driving Thru Life in the Fast Lane" (Milton Brown, Snuff Garrett, Steve Dorff) – 3:32

Personnel

  • Vocals – William "Smokey" Robinson
  • Backing Vocals – Ivory Davis, Patricia Henley Talbert, Smokey Robinson
  • Guitars – Charles Fearing, Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker
  • Bass – "Ready" Freddie Washington
  • Drums, Keyboards – Reginald "Sonny" Burke
  • Producers – William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. and Reginald "Sonny" Burke
  • Arranged by Reginald "Sonny" Burke
  • Assistant Mixing Engineers – William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. and Reginald "Sonny" Burke
  • Recording Engineer – Mitchel Delevie
  • Mixing & Editing Engineer – Barney Perkins at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California
  • Editing Assistant – Phillip Walters
  • Second Engineers – Fred Law, Jeff DeMorris
  • Mastered By – Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California
  • Contractor – George Annis
  • Copyist – Andres Victorin, Music Suite
  • Cover Concept – William "Smokey" Robinson
  • Photography By – Aaron Rapoport
  • Art Direction – Johnny Lee

Additional credits:

"And I Don't Love You"

  • Yamaha DX7 Programming – Clark Spangler
  • Assistant Editor – Bob Robitaille

"I Can't Find"

"Why Are You Running From My Love" – Recorded at Mama Jo's, North Hollywood, with:

  • Backing Vocals – Howard McCrary, Howard Smith, Ivory Davis
  • Guitar – James Harrah
  • Keyboards – Michael Ruff
  • Synthesizer Programming – Rhett Lawrence
  • LinnDrum Programming – Davis Lynn Coulter, Scott V. Smith
  • Engineers – Chris Banninger, Frank Wolf, Win Kutz
  • Second Engineers – Steve Ford, Todd Van Etten
  • Producers - Scott V. Smith, Stephen Tavani

"Gone Forever" – Recorded at Golden Sound Studios, Inc., Hollywood with:

  • Backing Vocals – Allan Rich, Carmen Grillio, Mindy Sterling
  • Bass – Lequeint "Duke" Jobe
  • Keyboards, Synthesizer – Mark Davis
  • Oboe – William Green
  • Vocal Engineer – Mitchel Delevie
  • Rhythm Engineer – Karen Siegel
  • Assistant Engineer– Michael Dotson
  • Producer – Mark Davis and William "Smokey" Robinson

"Girl I'm Standing There"

  • Cello – Michael "Jake" Jacobsen
  • Concertmaster – Harry Bluestone
  • Rhythm Engineer – Mitchel Delevie, Paul Ring

"Driving Thru Life In The Fast Lane"

  • Backing Vocals – Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Oren Waters, Smokey Robinson
  • Bass – Joe Chemay
  • Drums – John E. Robinson
  • Guitars – Dann Huff, Paul M. Jackson Jr.
  • Keyboards – John Hobbs
  • Percussion – Paulinho da Costa
  • Trombones – Dick Hyde, Richard Noel
  • Trumpets – Gary Grant, Warren Luening, Jerry Hey
  • Horns Arrangements – Larry Herbstritt
  • Rhythm Arrangements – Steve Dorff
  • Session Coordinator – Dave Pell
  • Engineer – Ed Barton, Gary Singleman, Marv Clamme
  • Producer – Randy Dunlap, Steve Dorff

Essar to Emgee

The cover backside contains a handwritten message: "A note to Emgee: We're really gonna miss you, Essar" – obviously from Smokey Robinson (S.R.) to his colleague Marvin Gaye (M.G.) who was murdered on April 1, 1984.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "also included on "Horse Meat Disco" compilation, 2009".
  2. ↑ "William Ruhlmann, AllMusic on Essar".
  3. ↑ "Robert Christgau on Essar".
  4. ↑ "Cover backside scan". on Discogs
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.