Personnel: Smokey Robinson (vocals); Sydney Stokes, Rick Whitfield (guitar); Clint Stokes III, Michael Stokes, D'Andre Franklin (piano, keyboards, programming); Kelvin Thomas (keyboards); Andrew Gouchie (bass); Louis Price, Alexandra Brown, Oren Waters, Carmen Carter (background vocals).

Producers: Michael Stokes, D'Andre Franklin, Clint Stokes III.

Recorded at Creative Source Studios, Woodland Hills, California.

One of pop's all-time greatest poets and voices turns his attentions to a higher power in this collection of gospel songs. Cuts such as the album's opener, "Jesus Told Me to Love You," and "He Can Fix Anything" are paeans to the healing, redemptive powers of faith. In "I Have Prayed on It" and "Gang Bangin'" (which, as one would expect, disparages the activity rather than promotes it), Robinson encourages listeners to solve contemporary societal problems through Christian fellowship.

Some fans might find it odd to hear the same pop/R&B icon who gave us "Shop Around" and "Tears of a Clown" crooning holy praises over smooth, urban R&B grooves. But then again, Robinson's lilting tenor is as sensitive and exquisite as ever, and given the many hats he's worn over the years--songwriter, producer, leader of the Miracles, solo performer, and vice president of Motown--it should come as no surprise to find him working in this capacity. Lifted by Robinson's passionate voice, FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT comes recommended for fans of contemporary gospel.