by Andrew HamiltonIntimate rarely shifts past first gear, but that's where you want Smokey anyway, as he's long past his "Mickey's Monkey" and "Whole Lot of Shakin'" days. Producer Michael Stokes collaborates with Smokey on a few tunes, but except for "Sleeping In," the results are merely adequate. Contains mostly slow ballads, with only a few exceptions: the midtempo number, stalking "Intimate," and a couple of pop items, including "I'm the One." While Intimate doesn't rate with his '70s albums, it's superior to his last album Double Good Everything, and is a fine comeback by Mr. Motown.