User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
- Summary: The covers release of some of the R&B singer's hits features duets with Gary Barlow, Aloe Blacc, Mary J. Blige, JC Chasez, Sheryl Crow, CeeLo Green, Elton John, Jessie J, Ledisi, John Legend, Miguel, James Taylor, and Steven Tyler.
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Record Label: Verve
- Genre(s): R&B, Adult Contemporary R&B
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 2 out of 6
-
Mixed: 4 out of 6
-
Negative: 0 out of 6
-
Aug 19, 2014While the new versions have little chance of replacing the originals seared into our collective brains, both Smokey and his buddies certainly sound like they’re having a good time revisiting Hitsville.
-
Aug 19, 2014If the all-star duets record is beginning to feel like a legacy-burnishing obligation, Robinson, 74, sidesteps that vibe on the breezy Smokey & Friends, a would-be museum piece with some real air in it.
-
Aug 19, 2014The balance of respectful tributes and reimaginings recalls John Fogerty's similarly structured 2013 collection, Wrote a Song for Everyone.
-
MojoNov 7, 2014It is impossible to wholly mess up a great pop songwriter's work; second, it is equally impossible to improve upon a perfectly crafted original recording. [Nov 2014, p.100]
-
Aug 19, 2014Compared to the originals, or even the better covers released during the intervening years, these versions are pleasant if sterile.
-
Q MagazineNov 13, 2014When countless Miracles anthologies exist, anyone who reaches for this is a bigger clown than the weepy one in Smokey's song. [Dec 2014, p.116]