The Miracles

Depend on Me: The Early Albums (Hip-O Select)

Smokey Robinson penned a Brill Building’s worth of immortality, which makes Miracles albums Motown’s best smash-n-grabs. The imprint’s platinum debut, “Shop Around,” introduces 1961’s tremulous Hi, We’re the Miracles, while Cookin’ With the Miracles slumps on filler (“Embraceable You”). I’ll Try Something New boasts “What’s So Good About Good Bye,” but dissolves into highball music. The Fabulous Miracles, plus live encores, bows fabulously on CD between “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Happy Landing.”

***.5

This article appears in September 11 • 2009.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.