Following the announcement of Smokey Robinson’s 24th album, Gasms, the R&B legend has become a trending topic in recent weeks. When song titles such as “How You Make Me Feel,” “I Wanna Know Your Body,” “Roll Around,” and the two eyebrow raisers, “You Fill Me Up” and “I Fit in There.” were revealed their was a collective mindset of what is Smokey smoking?
While the song titles don’t necessarily resonate with listeners, fans can take solace that the album’s first single and this week’s Slow Jam Saturday pick, “If We Don’t Have Each Other,” is textbook Smokey. Robinson, the song’s writer, and producer, recently stated, “I chose this song as the first single of my upcoming album because it’s different musically and has a slide dance feeling to it… which is different from what I’ve ever done before. Additionally, it has a current rhythm that I love, and I hope everyone else does.
Considering how legendary Robinson’s pen game is, the lyrics might come across as mundane to some. Watching the song’s lyrics video, I understand what he’s trying to convey. In a nutshell, Robinson hopes to validate how love can be a powerful force in life. The song explores the idea that without the other person, there is nothing. The lyrics highlight how two people fit together perfectly and that life would not be the same without each other. The chorus emphasizes how not much has meaning without each other and suggests that love is the most meaningful thing in life. The song is about how two people make each other feel complete and how love is more powerful than anything else.
Even though Robinson is 82 years old, he manages to do more with this song with his heartfelt lines over smooth, breezy guitar work than other so-called R&B singers have done with their entire catalog. Harmless and to the point, “If We Don’t Have Each Other” does have me eager to see what Smokey has cooked up with Gasmas.
“If We Don’t Have Each Other” is available on all streaming platforms, while Gasms is set for release on April 28th.
Growing up in the nineties, movies aimed at a melanin audience often featured soundtracks that had to be just as flavorful as the films themselves. This week, for Slow Jam Saturday, I want to take a trip back to 1993 and highlight one of the slow jams from the soundtrack of “Menace II Society”.
Last week marked two significant anniversaries for one of the greatest artists of all time, Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson. It’s only fitting that I show him some love for Second Listen Sunday. The first anniversary was on the 21st, commemorating nine years since his passing. The second anniversary was on the 22nd, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his seventh studio album, “Around the World in a Day.”
One of my most significant decisions late last year was to pledge to Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. At the time of this writing, I am in Atlantic City for my fraternity’s Regional Conference, where I will represent my chapter, Beta Alpha Omega. In that regard, I believe the perfect song for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday is “The Best Man I Can Be.”