''A Quiet Storm'' is the 1975 third solo album by American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singer, songwriter, and producer Smokey Robinson. The album received generally positive reviews, and spawned the hit single " Baby That's Backatcha", which spent one week at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Singles chart. According to ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' journalist Eric Harvey, ''A Quiet Storm'' revitalized Robinson's career after having left his group

the Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...

, and typified what would become known as the

quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album '' A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Li ...

radio format.

Critical reception

''A Quiet Storm'' is one of the most highly-acclaimed soul albums of the 1970s. The album spawned three hit singles, including Robinson's first disco hit " Baby That's Backatcha", rising to number 7 on the ''Billboard'' Disco chart (Top 10 R&B). The album re-established Robinson's reputation as a songwriter and producer and solidified his solo success after leaving his influential group,

. In a contemporary review for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', Robert Palmer said ''A Quiet Storm'' proved Robinson was "still a dynamic creative force" as it succeeded on the strength of his singing and production, although he highlighted the "sexy directness" of the title track and "Baby That's Backatcha".

Vince Aletti Vince Aletti (born 1945) is a curator, writer, and photography critic. Career Music industry Aletti was a contributing writer for ''Rolling Stone'' from 1970 to 1989. He was the first person to write about disco in an article published by the m ...

ranked it as the year's third best album in his ballot for the 1975

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abs ...

critics poll. Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic, believing the title track was somewhat bold for concentrating '' Pure Smokey''s "drift into a style", but finding much of the record lacking rhythm, with the exception of "Love Letters" and "Coincidentally". ''A Quiet Storm'' was later named one of the greatest Motown albums of all time in a 1999 edition of '' Q''. According to ''

'' journalist Eric Harvey, the record reinvented Robinson's brand of "contemplative romantic soul" with

, revitalized his career after two underperforming solo albums, and typified what would become known as the

radio format. Miracles member

Marv Tarplin Marvin Tarplin (June 13, 1941 – September 30, 2011) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their bigges ...

was also a contributor to this album.

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Smokey Robinson; except where indicated. # "Quiet Storm" 7:47 (Robinson, Rose Ella Jones obinson's real-life sister # "The Agony and the Ecstasy" 4:46 # " Baby That's Backatcha" 3:36 # "Wedding Song" 3:20 # " Happy" – Love Theme from '' Lady Sings the Blues'' (Robinson,

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

) 7:05 # "Love Letters" 4:04 # "Coincidentally" 4:22 *The "Wedding Song" was originally composed for the wedding of Jermaine and Hazel Joy Jackson December 15, 1973.

Personnel

*Smokey Robinson – lead vocals *Melba Bradford – backing vocals *Joseph A. Brown, Jr. – drums, percussion *Carmen Bryant – backing vocals *Gary Coleman – percussion *Shawn Furlong, Terry Furlong – sound effects, sopranino *Michael Jacobsen – electric cello *Gene Pello – drums *James "Alibe" Sledge – bongos, congas, backing vocals *Fred Smith – horns, woodwind *Russ Turner – musical arrangements, keyboards, backing vocals *

– guitar ;Technical *Greg Venable, Russ Terrana - mixing engineer *Katarina Pettersson - art direction *Jim Britt - photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

References

External links

Smokey Robinson-A Quiet Storm at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quiet Storm 1975 albums Smokey Robinson albums Albums produced by Smokey Robinson Tamla Records albums Concept albums Quiet storm albums