music.wikisort.org - Composition

Essar is a 1984 album by American singer Smokey Robinson. It was produced and arranged by Robinson with Reginald "Sonny" Burke. The album was released on the Motown sub-label Tamla. The album's title is a pun on the initials of Robinson's name.

Essar
Studio album by Smokey Robinson
Released	1984
Recorded	1984
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	41:44
Label	Motown
Producer	Smokey Robinson and Reginald "Sonny" Burke
Smokey Robinson chronology
Touch the Sky (1983) Essar (1984) Smoke Signals (1986)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Reception

The album only peaked at #141 on Billboard pop charts, and at #35 on R&B charts. "And I Don't Love You" peaked at #106 Billboard and #33 R&B charts, and "I Can't Find" at #109 Billboard and #41 R&B charts.

Although the 12" B-side of "And I Don't Love You" Larry Levan's Instrumental (Dub) became a House Music classic in the late 2000s.[1]

William Ruhlmann gave 2 out of 5 stars on AllMusic, addressing it as "the low point" in Robinson's career and holding Sonny Burke's dominating synthesiser play responsible.[2] Where Robert Christgau rated it as B+, acknowledging that there are "fillers", but concluding with "one thing you can say about Smokey's filler that you can't say about anybody else's--Smokey's singing it".[3]

Track listing

All tracks composed by William "Smokey" Robinson; except where indicated

Side A

1. "And I Don't Love You" – 5:20
2. "Train of Thought" – 4:55
3. "I Can't Find" – 6:15
4. "Why Are You Running From My Love" (Scott V. Smith, Stephen Tavani) – 4:20

Side B

1. "Gone Forever (Theme from the motion picture Cry of the City" (Mark Kevin Davis) – 3:10
2. "Close Encounters of the First Kind" – 4:35
3. "Little Girl Little Girl" – 5:12
4. "Girl I'm Standing There" – 4:25
5. "Driving Thru Life in the Fast Lane" (Milton Brown, Snuff Garrett, Steve Dorff) – 3:32

Personnel

• William "Smokey" Robinson - lead vocals
• Ivory Davis, Patricia Henley Talbert, Smokey Robinson - backing vocals
• Charles Fearing, Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker - guitar
• "Ready" Freddie Washington - bass
• Reginald "Sonny" Burke - drums, keyboards, arrangements

Production

• Producers – William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. and Reginald "Sonny" Burke
• Assistant Mixing Engineers – William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. and Reginald "Sonny" Burke
• Recording Engineer – Mitchel Delevie
• Mixing and Editing Engineer – Barney Perkins at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California.
• Editing Assistant – Phillip Walters
• Second Engineers – Fred Law and Jeff DeMorris
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California.
• Contractor – George Annis
• Copyist – Andres Victorin, Music Suite
• Cover Concept – William "Smokey" Robinson
• Photography – Aaron Rapoport
• Art Direction – Johnny Lee

Additional credits:

"And I Don't Love You"

• Yamaha DX7 programming – Clark Spangler
• Assistant Editor – Bob Robitaille

"I Can't Find"

• Cello – Michael "Jake" Jacobsen
• Concertmaster – Harry Bluestone

"Why Are You Running From My Love" – Recorded at Mama Jo's, North Hollywood, with:

• Backing vocals – Howard McCrary, Howard Smith and Ivory Davis
• Guitar – James Harrah
• Keyboards – Michael Ruff
• Synthesizer programming – Rhett Lawrence
• LinnDrum Programming – Davis Lynn Coulter and Scott V. Smith
• Engineers – Chris Banninger, Frank Wolf and Win Kutz.
• Second Engineers – Steve Ford and Todd Van Etten
• Producers – Scott V. Smith and Stephen Tavani

"Gone Forever" – Recorded at Golden Sound Studios, Inc., Hollywood with:

• Backing vocals – Allan Rich, Carmen Grillio and Mindy Sterling
• Bass – Lequeint "Duke" Jobe
• Keyboards, synthesizer – Mark Davis
• Oboe – William Green
• Vocal Engineer – Mitchel Delevie
• Rhythm Engineer – Karen Siegel
• Assistant Engineer– Michael Dotson
• Producers – Mark Davis and William "Smokey" Robinson

"Girl I'm Standing There"

• Cello – Michael "Jake" Jacobsen
• Concertmaster – Harry Bluestone
• Rhythm Engineers – Mitchel Delevie and Paul Ring

"Driving Thru Life In The Fast Lane"

• Backing Vocals – Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Oren Waters and Smokey Robinson
• Bass – Joe Chemay
• Drums – John Robinson
• Guitars – Dann Huff and Paul Jackson Jr.
• Keyboards – John Hobbs
• Percussion – Paulinho da Costa
• Trombones – Dick Hyde and Richard Noel
• Trumpets – Gary Grant, Warren Luening and Jerry Hey
• Horns arrangements – Larry Herbstritt
• Rhythm arrangements – Steve Dorff
• Session Coordinator – Dave Pell
• Engineer – Ed Barton, Gary Singleman and Marv Clamme.
• Producers – Randy Dunlap and Steve Dorff

Essar to Emgee

The cover backside contains a handwritten message: "A note to Emgee: We're really gonna miss you, Essar" – obviously from Smokey Robinson (S.R.) to his colleague Marvin Gaye (M.G.) who was murdered on April 1, 1984.[4]

References

External links

• Essar on Discogs

---