Being With You

Back in the late '70s, Smokey Robinson made a great comeback with his 1979 hit "Cruisin'." With his broadened lyrical style and more knowing in his voice, the aesthetic powered such album classics as Where There's Smoke and Warm Thoughts. 1981's Being With You, in effect, ended the ride, but the hits more than continued. The single "Being With You" is a deft update of Robinson's '60s naïveté and is certainly a great pop record. The same can't be said for most of the tracks here. Handing over the production reigns to George Tobin, some of Robinson's quirks and musical trademarks are lost to polished and radio-friendly production. The songs aren't great here, either. The didactic and reggae-tinged "Food for Thought" just comes off silly.

Being With You: Late Night Soul Classics - 60 love tinged soul classics all wrapped up in an attractive fold out card pocketpack. Featuring The Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Sade, Luther Vandross, Barry White and many more.

Sk8er Boi is a New Wave-style rock'n'roll song composed by Avril Lavigne and The Matrix (Scott Spock, Lauren Christy, and Graham Edwards). Sk8er Boi is distinguished by the clever spelling of the title, by the conservative use of well-placed sound effects, by transitions in mood and rhythm (transitions that are rarely found in rock'n'roll, but more common on classical music), and by the coherent storyline told by the lyrics…

Not every singer who is relevant to vocal jazz is a rigid purist who completely rejects the influence of R&B, pop, and folk. There are some jazz-friendly singers who stray outside of jazz, which is what Swedish singer/songwriter Rigmor Gustafsson often does on Alone with You. Parts of this CD offer straight-ahead post-bop, while other parts are more pop-minded and/or R&B-ish and draw on influences ranging from Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro to Stevie Wonder.