''Intimate'' is a studio album by

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

, released in 1999 on

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

. The album rose to No. 28 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart. It was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

Overview

The album was his first in over seven years and marked a return to

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

Records. Artists such as

The Emotions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and

Gerald Albright Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist. He earned Grammys for 24/7 in 2012 and Slam Dunk in 2014 and has been nominated for New Beginnings in 2008 and for Sax for Stax in 2009. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Albright grew up in its ...

guested on the album. The album had two singles: "Easy to Love" and "Sleepin' In". Music videos were made for both singles.

Critical reception

Alan Light for ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' feels the album relies "too heavily on dated synthesizer washes and 'romantic' tinkly percussion", but Robinson's voice is "just as lovely, just as pure and clean, as ever." Andrew Hamilton of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

doesn't think ''Intimate'' rates with his albums from the 1970s, calling the results "merely adequate" but says it "is a fine comeback by Mr. Motown."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Smokey Robinson and Michael Stokes; except where indicated #"Sleepin' In" – 4:07 #"Easy to Love" (Smokey Robinson) – 4:30 #"Love Love Again" (

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

, Junior Miles, Bruce Roberts) – 4:12 #"Intimate" – 4:36 #"I'm the One" (

Berry Gordy, Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

, Michael Lovesmith) – 4:02 #"Just Let Me Love You" (Berry Gordy, Jr., Michael Lovesmith) – 4:04 #"All of Mine" – 3:50 #"The Bottom Line" – 3:54 #"Feelings Flowing" – 4:13 #"Ready to Roll" (Berry Gordy, Jr., Michael Lovesmith) – 3:48 #"Tu Me Besas Muy Rico" – 5:13 #"Intimate" (Reprise) – 1:22

References

Smokey Robinson albums 1999 albums Albums produced by Smokey Robinson Motown albums {{1990s-R&B-album-stub