[youtube id=”WlzY6cWpoMQ”]Smokey Robinson recorded his 1979 single “Cruisin'” for the Where There’s Smoke album. Robinson co-wrote “Cruisin'” with Marv Tarplin who was a member of The Miracles with him. The romantic song about lovers going for a car ride or just spending time together put Robinson in the spotlight as a solo artist after his earlier days at Motown as a Miracle. He had experienced success in 1975 with his Quiet Storm album but his subsequent albums until 1979 were not as well-received. “Cruisin'” was his first pop hit to make the Top Ten charts and took Robinson’s voice into the ’80s. Robinson had already introduced his flawless falsetto to the world as a Miracle singing “Ooh Baby Baby” and made that vocal style an essential of pop music and “Cruisin'” took that influence to Generation X and beyond. D’Angelo would record a successful cover of “Cruisin'” for his debut album Brown Sugar in 1995. In 2014, he revisited “Cruisin'” with singer Jessie J on his Smokey & Friends album that featured covers of his songs with contemporary artists. The collection is his second most successful solo album and his most recent work. Robinson will debut his new show Live In Vegas! at the Encore Theater on February 27th.Â
