Essar (album)

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.).

Reception
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.

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. 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".

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

Side A

 * 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

Side B

 * 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

Personnel

 * 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)

Production

 * 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

Essar to Emgee
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.