The Temptations Do the Temptations

AMG Review of The Temptations Do the Temptations

Craig Lytle
All Music Guide

The Temptations were going through some personnel and transitional changes during this period, and it's reflected in the selections. On this album, the Tempts emerge with a new falsetto lead singer in Glenn Carl Leonard; Dennis Edwards rejoins the group after a brief absence, while Richard Street and mainstays Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin complete the lineup.

The title of this album is deceiving; it would have one think that these are songs the group recorded on prior albums. But to the contrary, these are songs assembled specifically for this recording, never before recorded by the Tempts. During a period when they were struggling to remain a quintet, they were also struggling to find material that was appealing to their audience and conducive to their sound. They managed to assemble a series of songs that featured only one single, "Who Are You," to appear on the Billboard R&B charts (#22, 12 weeks). The single is dance-oriented, with Dennis Edwards on lead, but it's not the best single from the album. "Why Can't You and Me Get Together" is a spendidly arranged composition set in an uptempo, finger-snapping groove with a full orchestra introduction and interlude with co-leads by Leonard (falsetto) and Street (baritone). And for a more mellow mood, "I'm On Fire (Body Song)" is a romantic, gentle-flowing allad that allows Leonard to express urgency and impatience in each lyric.