AMG Review of Love Songs

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

Another installment in Motown's Love Songs series, initiated in 2009, just before Valentine's Day that year (along with volumes from the Jackson 5, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Commodores, and Gladys Knight & the Pips), this disc skips all over Smokey Robinson's career, ranging from 1965 ("Choosey Beggar," "Ooo Baby Baby") to 1987 ("One Heartbeat"). With only 12 slots -- the disc is part of a cheaper line, after all, retailing for $10 -- it couldn't possibly be wholly satisfying; even casual fans could come up with a second volume of romantic essentials without thinking too hard. Some of Robinson's biggest hits, both with and without the Miracles, are indeed here, including 1967's "My Love for You," 1975's "Quiet Storm," 1981's "Being with You," and 1983's "I've Made Love to You a Thousand Times."