In his solo career in the 70s, after he left the Miracles, Smokey stuck with Motown and enjoyed a string of classic singles, but he never really put all the pieces together to create the kind of albums he obviously had the talent to make. Whilst Marvin and Stevie varied up their game and spoke about social ills and the state of black people, Smokey kind of stayed in one place, covering all the different angles of love but not much else. Its cool though and this album here `Quiet Storm' is without doubt my mans shining moment.

The `Quiet Strom' tag was such a hit that it lives on to this day as its own individual style of R&B and it was Smokey who laid the blueprint, a kind of chilled sound that deals with love & works best in the late hours. The opening three cuts are straight FIRE. The title track and `The Agony & The Ecstasy' are mesmerising slow burners, whereas the up tempo `Baby That's Backatcha' rides the coolest groove Smokey ever constructed. The rest of the cuts are equally cool and as usual Smokey flaunts that brilliant poetic style of his with wit and complicated rhyme schemes throughout.

`Quiet Strom' proved that Smokey as a solo artist was a major talent who could hang with any artist in history. How and why he managed to squander the ground he gained with this release kills me & he was never considered as important as Marvin or Stevie etc. Still, this is one of the Must Own soul albums and his solo anthology is also cool.

Smokey Robinson should be considered a National Treasure, or at least, a natural resource. His skills as a songwriter are paralleled by only the best in pop history (like Lennon & McCartney or Holland-Dozier-Holland). Imagine yourself not hearing "Shop Around," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "My Girl," or "My Guy" on oldies radio! Smokey racked up these credits and dozens more while still the leader of The Miracles. After launching his solo career in 1972, Robinson released two lps ("Smokey" and "Pure Smokey") that got his feet wet. Then came this blockbuster! Smokey was inspired by the concept albums his labelmates Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye were doing about this time (1975). Smokey had been known to appeal to the younger crowd both as a writer and performer, but one listen to "A Quiet Storm" confirmed that this one was directed to the adults in the audience; the grown-ups. And the album was so successful that it started a whole new radio format. Yes, Smokey Robinson is to blame for the "Quiet Storm" programs that take over Black/urban radio after 10 p.m.! The title cut really sets the mood: it is jazzy, sensuous, soulful, soft and warm. Its throbbing bass line and eerie moog effects help to make it a perfect track for that special time of evening. A wind-blowing (or perhaps mind-blowing) sound effect leads to the next cut, and all others on the album, giving it a sense of unity. That next cut, "The Agony and The Ecstasy," is a much-beloved song, especially amongst his myriad female fans at live shows. The major chart success of the set was "Baby That's Backatcha," which rose to #1 on the U.S. R&B chart. "Wedding Song" was written for the wedding of Hazel Gordy and Jermaine Jackson, and was included here only at their request. It is a perfect fit for the album, as is "Happy," the love theme from "Lady Sings The Blues," which was also a minor hit for Michael Jackson. The unknown gem of the set is the drivingly funky, "Love Letters," with its clever lyric and humorous but tragic theme. The last song, "Coincidently," is almost TOO clever. But it seems out of place here. Maybe it would have gone better on the next album, "Smokey's Family Robinson," but its inclusion here really doesn't mar the final product. Smokey went on to have a lot more success as a singer in the pop marketplace. But this album is his masterpiece. If you want to check out Smokey's recent work, "Double Good Everything" contains some of his best songwriting in years, and his latest lp, "Intimate," actually takes Smokey in the hip-hop direction.

I was 16 when this album came out, I would just play the "Quiet Storm" side over and over (and over) again. As with most of the reviewers have stated, William "Smokey" Robinson has got to be one of the most underrated Songwriters/Singer's on the planet. As on this collection of songs, Smokey runs the vibe hot, warm and cool (note that I never said "cold!") That, if possible is a description of the album "Quiet Storm." Five stars!

Smokey's voice is incredibly romantic, sexy and sensual. The songs on this CD are equivalent to a lovely, breezy spring day and the music is danceable, funky, sensual and soothing. This is Smokey at his absolute finest-he never fails to satisfy.

My personal favorites on this CD are Quiet Storm, Baby That's Backatcha, Love Letters, and Coincidentally. Actually, the entire CD is excellent, regardless. Buy this CD-you will NOT be disappointed!!

Blowing softly through your speakers and gently wafting in your subconcious without hardly raising a ruckus, Smokey's "Quiet Storm" is the song and album that redefined R&B and created an entire radio format. The 7 flawless selections here are the smoothest, most effortless pieces of music Mr. Robinson ever committed to tape. The title track is a tour-de-force of understated elegance and romance set against a backdrop of buttery bass, bongos, keys and the wind blowing in the distance. The shifting, jazzy arrangement and beautiful backing vocals make this cut alone a masterpiece. My personal fave is "The Agony And The Ecstasy" which sports a simple, straightforward arrangement accented by the glorious sound of a cello moaning away in the background. The real centerpiece of this entire suite "Happy"(Love Theme From Lady Sings The Blues) is one of Smokey's most heartfelt love songs and his finest vocal moment on record. Listen, as he carefully, passionately measures every word, phrase and nuance of the lyrics! His voice sounds so sexy, and emotionally naked on the chorus ("let sadness see what happy does, let happy be where sadness was") it simply makes you shiver! The hanful of uptempo numbers ("Love Letters", "Baby That's Back Atcha$Q and the closing "Coincidentally") are all swift moving funk, but Mr. Robinson's delivery is still so smooth, they could almost be ballads. It bears noting that Smokey's singing on this record is something of a revelation. While his lovely falsetto is present in all its glory, he cut his vocals in a lower key on most of these tracks and the lower register works to his advantage, he can still reach those high notes with no effort, but the shrillness of his early hits is gone completely and the change is quite refreshing! This LP is a another great additon to a body of work that stands as nothing less than legendary.