This is a water-treading, wheel-spinning entry in the Miracles catalogue, pleasant enough but lacking everything that made me love I Like It Like That, and if anyone were to tell me this was their favourite Miracles record, I’d be deeply suspicious. (5)
Plenty of fun as far as it goes, but that only really lasts for as long as it’s playing – you wouldn’t dig it out on purpose for repeated listening, and it fades from the memory literally ten seconds after it’s done. (4)
Not even the most die-hard Miracles fan would say this was the big-ticket hit single to return them to the top, but it’s a lovely, warm-hearted record, impossible to dislike. A minor work in the Miracles canon, for sure, but a really enjoyable one all the same. (8)
Motown’s musical standards had risen dramatically in the 18 months or so since this was first cut, and by those increasingly rarefied and demanding standards, this rough-edged R&B scribble just wasn’t up to scratch any more. (4)
Not bad, per se, but absolutely nothing special. (4)
Even if it’s not a great record, even among the rest of the Miracles’ output in 1963, it’s charming, bouncy and joyful, and I still (whisper it, blasphemer!) actually prefer it to Mickey’s Monkey. (6)
I was absolutely prepared to hate this going in, but it’s both charming and disarming, and filled with character and what I assume are bold choices. Either way, it’s lovely. Bravo. (6)
It’s not terrible – there’s something in Smokey’s pained, awkward delivery which always brings me back for more, so they must be doing something right at least – but it’s very much a remnant from an era Motown was already leaving behind forever. (4)
This is manifestly better than Mickey’s Monkey on almost every possible level, even though it shares most of the same ingredients. (8)
It’s a testament to the strength of Smokey’s songwriting, and the excellent vocal he turns in here, that even a “Miracles by the numbers” job like this is still better than some groups’ best efforts. (5)
Oh yeah, they all knew this was some infectious junk alright. Damn it, Smokey, you know I can’t stay mad at you – you’ll always get me in the end. (6)
Motown Junkies 