Double Good Everything

Double Good Everything is an album by the American musician Smokey Robinson, released in 1991. It was his first album to be released by a label other than Motown.
The album peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. Its first single was "Double Good Everything", which reached the R&B Top 30.

Production

Nine of Double Good Everything's 10 tracks were written or cowritten by Robinson, who also produced the album. "When a Woman Cries" was written by Joshua Kadison. Robinson worked with his longtime friend, guitar player Marv Tarplin.

Critical reception

Entertainment Weekly called the album "no watershed, just sweet, warm Smokey doing his bit for romantic drive-time inspiration, more courtly than salacious, and slightly teenage in his depictions of love." Stereo Review concluded that "the unifying thread is Robinson's singular voice—almost delicate but unmistakably masculine in its high register, marked by an eternal edge of youthful anticipation." The Kitchener-Waterloo Record opined that, "except for 'Skid Row' and 'When a Woman Cries', Robinson sounds almost uninterested." The Buffalo News wrote that, "though the peaks of his voice may be gone, the gentle emotive stirring is still there."
The Indianapolis Star thought that Robinson's "excellent vocals are underscored by superb instrumentals, particularly on the intimate 'I Love Your Face' and the sashaying 'Rewind' and 'Be Who You Are'." The New Pittsburgh Courier deemed the album "10 new pop/soul gems that are remarkable for retaining the 'Smokey' touch while feeling perfectly contemporary." The Philadelphia Daily News labeled it Robinson's "strongest in years." The Commercial Appeal considered that "Robinson's falsetto is as sweet as ever, as he mixes in a bit of reggae in 'Why', joyously assays the uptempo pop-soul of the title track or croons 'Be Who You Are', a love song that hearkens back to his classic Motown days."
AllMusic wrote: "Though pleasant and inoffensive, this will disappoint even diehard Smokey Robinson fans and won't win him many new ones."

Track listing

Personnel

Smokey Robinson – vocals
Christopher Ho – keyboards
Reginald "Sonny" Burke – acoustic piano, percussion
Larry Ball – synthesizers, computers, sequencing, bass guitar
Bob "Boogie" Bowles – acoustic guitars, electric guitars
Marvin Tarplin – electric guitars
Torrell Ruffin – guitars
Robert Palmer – guitar solo
Tony Lewis – drums, percussion
David Li – saxophones, electronic wind instrument
Chris Mostert – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
Michael Fell – harmonica
Ivory Stone – backing vocals
Patricia Henley – backing vocals
Robert Henley – backing vocals
Ronald Henley – backing vocals

Strings

Reginald "Sonny" Burke – arrangements and conductor
Ron Clark – concertmaster
Suzie Katayama, David Low and Nancy K. Masaki-Hathaway – cello
Elizabeth Erman – harp
Rollice Dale and Robin Ross – viola
Nicole Bush, Mark Cargill, Pam Gates, Ed Green, Davida Johnson, Gina Kronstadt, Maria Newman, Donald Palmer, Barbra Porter and Marcella Schants – violin
Production
Smokey Robinson – producer, basic arrangements, cover design
Dan Bates – associate producer, recording, mixing
Allan Kaufman – associate producer, recording, mixing
Guy DeFazio – recording assistant
Chris Fogel – recording assistant, mix assistant
Jesse Kanner – recording assistant
Ed Korengo – recording assistant
Chad Munsey – recording assistant
Tom Perez – recording assistant
Mark Hagen – mix assistant
Bernie Grundman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering
Lynn Robb – photography processing
Bonnie Schiffman – photography