Gasms

Gasms is a studio album by American singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson, released on April 28, 2023. It was the first album of all-new material from Robinson since 2009. A concept album about sex and other forms of pleasure, the release has received controversy for its title and themes, as well as positive critical assessment. The song lyrics and titles include several sexual connotations.

Recording, release, and promotion

Robinson worked on the music on this album for five or six years prior to release and worked intimately with J. J. Blair to mix the album. Sessions included songs that Robinson had written up to 20 years prior. Gasms was announced in January 2023 and was accompanied by the lead single "If We Don't Have Each Other"; "How You Make Me Feel" followed as a single. The album was released on April 28, 2023 by TLR Records. Robinson also toured behind the release.

Reception

Public reception of the album and song titles resulted in controversy and disbelief, as reported by Blavity and The Root, particularly since Robinson is known for milder romantic songs, rather than explicitly about sex. Although his wife and stepdaughter tried to talk him out of it, Robinson wanted to stir up controversy with the title, but interprets "gasms" as not only orgasms, but "anything that makes you feel good". His goal was to initiate controversy and curiosity about the music to encourage listeners to engage with it.

For NPR's All Songs Considered, critics Ayana Contreras, Christina Lee, Hazel Cills, and Robin Hilton highlighted this album as one of the best releases of the week. Contreras points out the sparse mixing and gentle singing that Robinson displays, allowing the strength of his vocals to shine on the recording. Editors of AllMusic Guide scored this release 2.5 out of five stars, with critic Andy Kellman praising the "humorously raunchy" tone present on some tracks among "a collection of clean and pleasant love songs" as well as the "low-key" instrumentation that complements his voice. Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork gave this album a 7.2 out of 10, noting that Robinson is one of the very few musicians to remain vital into his eighties and "an indelible talent" who has "made the kind of record only he can".

Track listing

All songs written by Smokey Robinson except where noted.

Personnel

Personnel adapted from AllMusic Guide.

Smokey Robinson – vocals, mixing, production
Brandon Behymer – engineering
Karrie Benoit-Morales – vocals
Bill Bergman – saxophone
J. J. Blair – engineering, mixing
Rick Braun – trumpet
Brandon Brown – bass guitar
Gorden Campbell – drums
Eric Erickson – engineering
Steve Ferrone – drums
Chuck Findley – trumpet
Brian French – engineering, mixing
David Garfield – keyboards, piano, arrangement, string arrangement, production
Roland Gajate Garcia – percussion
Sharlotte Gibson – vocals
Gary Gold – keyboards, drum programming, engineering, production
James Harrah – guitar
Kenya Hathaway – vocals
Dorian Holley – vocals
Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar
Leon Lacey – keyboards, drum programming, production
Nick Lane – string arrangement
Ivri Lider – keyboards, production
Ricky Lawson – drums
Steve Luxenberg – instrumentation, production
Amon Nehesi – instrumentation, production
Khari Parker – drums
Ray Parker, Jr. – guitar
Cory Rooney – keyboards, arrangement, drum programming, production
Steve Sykes – engineering
Freddie Washington – bass guitar
David Williams – guitar
Joe Zook – mixing

Chart performance

Gasms spent one week on the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart, placing 61 on May 13, 2023 and "If We Don't Have Each Other" peaked at 28 in six weeks on the Adult R&B Airplay chart.

References

External links

Gasms at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
Smokey Robinson Speaks On His New Album 'GASMS' from WBLS
Interview on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, August 1, 2023
Performance for Tiny Desk Concert, October 16, 2023
Music legend Smokey Robinson: The Sound of Motown, why music brings people together, new album 'Gasms', concert in Chicago

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