Although Smokey Robinson is known for heartbreak soul songs like Tears of a Clown, this rare UK visit shows he can be a jester, too. He arrives flanked by mini-skirted dancers, wears revealing, tight trousers and sings You Really Got a Hold on Me while slowly unbuttoning his spangly coat. Tears of a Clown implausibly requires a backing vocalist to stick her tongue out at the great man.
From almost any other 67-year-old, these stunts would be cheesy, but Robinson's engaging humour shows that even a Motown legend is not above sending himself up. Robinson is clearly revelling in being on stage again - trotting out anecdotes, and affectionately and hilariously impersonating Steve Wonder. Urging crowd assistance during the opening Going to a Go-Go and I Second That Emotion could suggest he no longer has the voice, but as his pipes open up for a symphonic Ooo Baby Baby, it's clear he retains the airy vocal chords that prompted ABC's Martin Fry to sing "When Smokey sings, I hear violins."
To watch Robinson squeezing out the words - eyes closed, body arched - is to watch singing genius. Slightly surreally, he appears on screen to plug new standards album Timeless Love, which presumably saves his tonsils from damage by delivering a nightly spiel, but increasingly, japes give way to soul.
Who's Lovin' You is heartbreakingly raw. Legendary Miracles guitarist Marv Tarplin strums the chords to Tracks of My Tears before the song builds into an orchestral showstopper, so intense that at least one grown man in the audience is seen to break down and cry.
· At Glasgow SECC on Tuesday. Box office: 0870 0404000. Then touring.
