In 1960 William “Smokey” Robinson and his band The Miracles, released a song called Shop Around on the Detroit-based Motown Records. The record became the first ever million seller for the young label and started a revolutionary era in music that made Motown an iconic African-American cultural institution.
Robinson was an essential part of the success story of Motown as one of its most successful performers and songwriter for his fellow stars at the label, like Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye and the Temptations, for whom he wrote what he calls an “international anthem”, My Girl.
He held the position of Vice President at Motown Records right through the golden era of the 1960s and 70s, until the company was sold in 1988, even as he continued with his singing and recording career.
Having turned 85 in February this year, Smokey Robinson's latest album What the World Needs Now, is a message of compassion and love during these turbulent times.
The voice is still that pure trademark falsetto that generations have loved through the years of a phenomenal catalogue of timeless songs like Tracks of My Tears, The Tears of a Clown, I Second That Emotion, Just to See Her and Being with You.
The new album released on April 25, 2025, has an air of nostalgia about it with Robinson’s renditions of 10 classics spanning soul, jazz, pop and reggae. It is fascinating to hear a legend who has lived right through all these songs and knew the original artists personally, recording his interpretations of them so many years later. It is a stark contrast to a younger performer who was probably not born at the time the songs were first recorded, reimagining them.
There is no better person to understand the nuances of these songs and to connect to them in a style that is true to the originals while adding his personal touch.
The songs represent diverse inspirational classics across different genres but with a universal appeal. “With all the things happening around the world today, my new album is just something to encourage everyone that the world needs more love and kindness toward one another,” Robinson wrote on social media this week.
The Gaither Music Group, a Nashville record company that is associated with gospel music, presented him with a list of inspirational songs from which he then picked those he recorded for the album.
The album opener is a mid-tempo version of Be Thankful for What You’ve Got, a 1974 song originally by William DeVaughn whose refrain “Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin’ the scene with a gangsta lean” has been referenced by hip hop artists like Outkast, De La Soul and Ludacris.
Louis Armstrong’s 1967 recording What a Wonderful World is among the best-known songs of all time and even though his vocals are a contrast to Satchmo’s famous gruff delivery, Robinson offers a beautiful reflective rendition. Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds is an interesting choice as Robinson retains the cheery, reggae melody from the 1977 album Exodus.
There is a spiritual take on Everything Is Beautiful a pop/country song, that was a US No 1 hit for Ray Stevens in 1970, with its choral verse and uplifting lyrics which celebrate the diversity of the world.
That positive mood is retained on What the World Now, the album title track, Robinson interpretation of the 1965 song written by Burt Bacharach/David Hal and made popular by Jackie DeShannon.
Robinson calls Bill Withers “one of the greatest songwriters to ever pick up the piano” and it is no surprise when he sings the 1972 soul anthem Lean on Me, on his new album and then rolls on to I’ll Take You There, complete with the signature bass line, a big anthem of the US civil rights era originally recorded by Staple Singers. He then takes on Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend, first released in 1971, a song of pure joy and inspiration celebrating the value of friendship.
Be Kind to a Growing Mind may not be among the familiar songs in this collection, except to the most die-hard Smokey Robinson fans who will know it as one of his own songs, recorded along with his fellow Motown icons, the Temptations.
He wrote it as a message to songwriters to avoid lewd lyrics and was one of the tracks on Robinson’s 1986 album Smoke Signals. The closing song Food for Thought, a calypso-flavoured rhythm is also taken from Robinson's past catalogue, first released on his 1981 album Being with You.
Even after six decades of making music, Smokey Robinson is not slowing down; he is currently on tour celebrating 50 years of his groundbreaking album Quiet Storm. His album What the World Needs Now is released by Gaither Music and is available across all major music streaming platforms.
