Essar
Studio album by Smokey Robinson
Released	1984
Recorded	1984
Studio	Golden Sound Studios (Hollywood, California) Mama Jo's Studios (North Hollywood, California)
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	41:44
Label	Motown
Producer	Smokey Robinson Reginald "Sonny" Burke Scott V. Smith Stephen Tavani Mark Davis Steve Dorff Randy Dunlap
Smokey Robinson chronology
Touch the Sky (1983) Essar (1984) Smoke Signals (1986)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

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 (S.R.).

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]

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

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

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

• Smokey Robinson – lead vocals, backing vocals (1-3, 6-9)
• Reginald "Sonny" Burke – keyboards (1-3, 6-8), drums (1-3, 6-8), arrangements (1-3, 6-8)
• Clark Spangler – Yamaha DX7 programming (1)
• Michael Ruff – keyboards (4)
• Rhett Lawrence – synthesizer programming (4)
• Mark Davis – keyboards (5), synthesizers (5)
• John Hobbs – keyboards (9)
• Charles Fearing – guitars (1-3, 6)
• David T. Walker – guitars (2, 3, 7)
• James Harrah – guitars (4)
• Wah Wah Watson – guitars (6)
• Dann Huff – guitars (9)
• Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (9)
• Lequeint "Duke" Jobe – bass (5)
• Freddie Washington – bass (8)
• Joe Chemay – bass (9)
• Lynn Coulter – LinnDrum programming (4)
• Scott V. Smith – LinnDrum programming (4)
• John Robinson – drums (9)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (9)
• Michael Jacobsen – cello (3, 8)
• Harry Bluestone – concertmaster (3, 8)
• Bill Green – oboe (5)
• Dick Hyde – trombone (9)
• Dick Noel – trombone (9)
• Gary Grant – trumpet (9)
• Warren Luening – trumpet (9)
• Jerry Hey – lead trumpet (9)
• Larry Herbstritt – horn arrangements (9)
• Steve Dorff – rhythm arrangements (9)
• Ivory Davis – backing vocals (1-4, 6-8)
• Patricia Henley Talbert – backing vocals (1-3, 6-8)
• Howard McCrary – backing vocals (4)
• Howard Smith – backing vocals (4)
• Carmen Grillio – backing vocals (5)
• Allan Rich – backing vocals (5)
• Mindy Sterling – backing vocals (5)
• Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals (9)
• Maxine Willard Waters – backing vocals (9)
• Oren Waters – backing vocals (9)

• William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. – producer (1-3, 5-8), mix assistant, cover concept
• Reginald "Sonny" Burke – producer (1-3, 6-8), mix assistant
• Scott V. Smith – producer (4)
• Stephen Tavani – producer (4)
• Mark Davis – producer (5)
• Charlee King – associate producer (5)
• Steve Dorff – producer (9)
• Randy Dunlap – producer (9)
• Mitchel Delevie – recording (1-3, 6, 7), vocal engineer (5), rhythm engineer (8)
• Chris Banninger – engineer (4)
• Win Kutz – engineer (4)
• Frank Wolf – engineer (4)
• Karen Siegel – rhythm engineer (5)
• Paul Ring – rhythm engineer (8)
• Ed Barton – engineer (9)
• Marv Clamme – engineer (9)
• Gary Singleman – engineer (9)
• Jeff DeMorris – second engineer (1-3, 6, 7)
• Fred Law – second engineer (1-3, 6, 7)
• Steve Ford – second engineer (4)
• Todd Van Etten – second engineer (4)
• Michael Dotson – assistant engineer (5)
• Barney Perkins – mixing and editing at Kendun Recorders (Burbank, California)
• Bob Robitaille – editing assistant (1)
• Phillip Walters – editing assistant (2-9)
• Bernie Grundman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
• Dave Pell – session coordinator (9)
• George Annis – music contractor
• Andres Victorin – music copyist
• Aaron Rapoport – photography
• Johnny Lee – art direction

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]

• Essar on Discogs