Smokey Robinson Leads Spinner's SXSW Soul Revue

Posted on Mar 20th 2010 12:30PM by Benjy Eisen
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Soul music is hip again, if Spinner's SXSW Soul Revue at the Austin Music Hall on Friday night was any indication. It featured a local legend, Black Joe Lewis; a revived R&B star, Raphael Saadiq; the most iconic soul sister of the past few years, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings; and a true soul legend, Smokey Robinson. The bill proved that soul music is both a part of our collective heritage as well as a living, breathing art form.

Black Joe Lewis enjoyed some newfound recognition following his role in 'Echotone,' an indie film about the Austin music scene. Raphael Saadiq charmed the socks off the crowd. But the night truly belonged to Smokey Robinson. Performing hits such as 'Second That Emotion,' 'My Girl' and 'Get Ready,' Robinson turned out to be quite the host as he fed the audience a soul music history lesson. The fans were so down that, after just four songs into it, they applauded as if it was the encore. "Well, I guess this is it!," joked Robinson. "We should've opened with that song."

All joking aside, Robinson explained that he is in the middle of a three-year celebration of the 50th anniversary of Motown Records, an association that he is infinitely intertwined with. Telling stories of writing 'Tears of a Clown' with Stevie Wonder following a Motown Christmas party one year, and of writing hits for other Motown artists such as the Temptations ('The Way You Do the Things You Do'), Robinson had the entire Austin Music Hall singing along to songs that everyone knew by heart, whether they realized it beforehand or not. "I was there," Robinson said of the half-century long Motown regime. "It was a great place to grow up."

Believe it or not, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings had the guts to go out onstage after Robinson. How do you follow up a legend? By being legendary yourself. Keep your eye on the stars of the Soul Revue -- we hear they're going places.

Smokey Robinson on AOL Music