It's hard to say that
Smokey Robinson
's catalog was in desperate need of a new compilation when the double-disc
Gold
was released in the summer of 2006. He had excellent single-disc, double-disc, and box sets in his catalog, so there seemed to be a collection for every kind of fan -- and at first glance it seems that
offers nothing that previous sets do not. Closer inspection reveals that
serves a curious niche. Where such previous
Smokey
double-disc sets like 1995's
Anthology
and 2002's
Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology
focused entirely on music that he made with
the Miracles
(the 1995 set even included
"Love Machine,"
which
recorded after his departure), this set has a heavy dose of his solo material -- the last 13 songs of this 40-track compilation are devoted to solo
, including such hits as
"Baby That's Backatcha,"
"Quiet Storm,"
"Cruisin',"
"Ebony Eyes,"
and
"One Heartbeat."
This combined with an excellent 27-track overview of his prime work with
-- all the standard hits along with some superbly chosen relatively lesser-known tunes -- makes this
an excellent choice for the listener who wants a comprehensive double-disc overview of
Robinson
's entire career and not just of his time with
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine