Las Vegas Weekly

February 10, 2010 · 5:42 PM

On Valentine’s Day weekend, Smokey Robinson is all about the love

By John Katsilometes

Smokey Robinson makes a surprise appearance onstage with Human Nature at the Imperial Palace Showroom.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Genius is measured in so many abstract ways the true meaning of the term is often watered down. For instance, can you be considered a musical genius if you can write a hit song while in the loo?

Yes, you can. If you are Smokey Robinson, anyway. During a phone interview last week, the Motown legend, Las Vegas resident and inspirational supporter of Human Nature at Imperial Palace described the various environs that inspire him to write music.

"It's wherever I am at the moment," he said. "I'm not one who needs to isolate myself, shut the door and be by myself, like, 'Don't bother me,'" the 69-year-old singer/songwriter/producer/golfer said. "I can be on the plane. I can be on the toilet. I can be running around town and I'll catch a melody, words, a phrase, and try to remember it so I can write it down later."

When last we spoke with Robinson, he was promoting the guys from Human Nature at IP. But not today. He's gearing up for a show Saturday night at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino's Grand Events Center, and promoting his own new music.

"I'm concentrating on my new CD, my own label, my day-to-day job," he said. The release is, Time Flies When You're Having Fun, which is a CD that embraces Robinson's favorite theme: Love.

"Love never gets old," he says. "It's not like writing about a favorite cars or dances. Those time out. But I love all aspects of love. It's a forever emotion. It gives until you die."

Robinson last month recorded a performance at the White House, where he was joined by such stars as Yolanda Adams, Joan Baez, Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp and Seal for, "In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement." Robinson says that if given the choice to do anything at all, regardless of monetary reward, it would be "performing, writing songs, or producing for other people. Music would be involved, I can tell you that." It is particularly fun to record when you can bring in Joss Stone, Carlos Santana and India.Arie, all of whom perform on, Time Flies.

"It's not a concept album — I didn't 'conceptualize' anything — but there are just some good songs on there with some great surprises," Robinson said. "It's a happy album to me."

The process of recording and distributing music has changed radically over the time when Smokey Robinson and The Miracles first had hits for Motown with such classics as "Shop Around" and "Tears of a Clown." The biggest difference he sees is outside the studio.

"With so much free downloading now, there are more outlets to purchase your music, and the magic of buying new music is gone," he said. "There are no more mom-and-pop stores like Tower, where you go in and just browse, look for music, maybe ask the guy at the counter what he likes. Aside from Best Buy or Target, stores that sell a lot more than music, there are not many places to actually browse for music, and that's a shame to me."

Aside from writing songs and working in the studio, Robinson finds fulfillment — if not his own errant Titleist — on the golf course. When asked if it's more difficult to write a hit song or record a birdie, Robinson's answer was swift. "It's harder to get a birdie. Even the best golfers will tell you that."

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.

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