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

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

singer, songwriter, and producer

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

. The album received generally positive reviews, and spawned the hit single "

Baby That's Backatcha "Baby That's Backatcha" is a 1975 single written, produced and performed by Smokey Robinson. From the album, '' A Quiet Storm'', this disco/dance record (also featured on the disco charts) was Robinson's first of two solo (without the Miracles) n ...

", which spent one week at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Singles chart. According to ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

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

the Miracles The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...

, 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. This album spawned three hit singles, including Robinson's first

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

hit "

", rising to number 7 on the ''Billboard'' Disco chart (Top 10 R&B). The album re-established Robinson's reputation as a master songwriter and producer and solidified his solo success after leaving his influential Hall of Fame 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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'',

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

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, on 13 September 1973, in ''Disc ...

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 abse ...

critics poll.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

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 Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

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

; except where indicated. # "Quiet Storm" (Robinson, Rose Ella Jones) 7:47 # "The Agony and the Ecstasy" 4:46 # "

" 3:36 # "Wedding Song" 3:20 # "

Happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

" – 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, jazz pianist, and singer. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to ma ...

) 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 1970s concept albums Quiet storm albums