"[1] Unlike pop-soul, which predominantly featured dance-oriented music at the time, smooth soul was more ballad-oriented with generally romantic and seductive lyrical themes.
The funk influence of smooth soul's beats also gave the subgenre its distinction from pop.
[1] The music enjoyed commercial success during the early to mid-1970s through the works of such artists as Al Green, The Spinners, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Bill Withers, Minnie Riperton, Earth, Wind & Fire and The Stylistics.
[1] Well-known works of the smooth soul genre include Let's Get It On (1973), Spinners (1972), Just as I Am (1971) and Let's Stay Together (1972).
[2] As pop-soul had metamorphosed into disco during the late 1970s,[3] smooth soul was eventually followed by the development of the quiet storm format.