Miracles Song Reviews -
More Love for the Miracles

This Miracles song reviews page features Motown oldies from the Smokey Robinson era, since those are the ones I know better. Billy Griffin should make a cameo appearance at some point, however.

Without further ado, here are the reviews!

Miracles Song Reviews -
"Mickey's Monkey"

This Miracles song gave me pause when I first heard of it. My brain started fretting: A dance tune with that title? With African-American singers? In the 1960s? That doesn't sound...right...

Well. The Miracles don't seem to mind performing the song. Hey, they make me want to do the Monkey too!

Lyrically, it's frivolous. Holland-Dozier-Holland do know how to write engaging nonsense lines, though, like "lum de lum de la iiii."

The musicians sound like they're enjoying themselves. Drummer Benny Benjamin gleefully ticks his sticks together in reply to Smokey's "Alright, is everybody ready?" The trumpets blat, rather than blast. And I have to call the keyboard-playing...pinchy, not punchy. I imagine the keyboardist grinning impishly while tapping his instrument oh-so-lightly with two fingers.

The nicest surprise is Smokey Robinson's lower register. It's still a lofty tenor (which is high for me!), but when he leaps briefly into falsetto territory, the difference is noticeable. Toward the end, Smokey practically barks "Do the Monkey!" in this heartier range, albeit on key.

Speaking of orders, there's something vaguely martial about the song. The clapping and bold backups enhance the good-time vibe, but it still sounds dutiful to me. With Benny Benjamin's mock-militant drum rolls, I figure he got--or created--the joke, if there was one.

The success of "Mickey's Monkey" on the mainstream pop as well as the R&B charts led the way for other fast-paced Miracles songs. If the group just wanted to give fans a little fun with this one, then mission accomplished!

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