The Drifters Now

AMG Review of The Drifters Now

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

After a long and storied stint with Atlantic Records, the Drifters -- or at least the incarnation now led by singer Johnny Moore and "authorized" by the estate of longtime manager George Treadwell -- relocated to London, signed to Bell, and began recording under the auspices of the songwriting/production team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. As its title promises, The Drifters Now updates the venerable harmony group's sound for the post-funk era, virtually severing all ties to their illustrious past and signature approach -- in the process, the Drifters effectively dropped off the map at home, but overseas the gambit worked brilliantly, with the single "Come on Over to My Place" reaching the U.K. Top Ten. Cook and Greenaway's production couches the group in a series of lush, velvety moods that update but never overwhelm their harmonies, still the selling point of any record with the Drifters' brand above the title -- but by this point it is a brand more than anything else, and for all the splendor of the vocals, passion and intensity are sorely lacking.