The Lady Is A Tramp/Mountain Greenery/This Can’t Be Love/Where Or When/Lover/My Funny Valentine/My Romance/My Heart Stood Still/Falling In Love With Love/Thou Swell/Dancing On The Ceiling/Blue Moon
Sing Rodgers & Hart was another attempt by Motown to move The Supremes into a more adult MOR market. It is notable for being the last release under the original line up before Diana Ross took centre stage. (US:20 UK:25)
"This classic, but rarely heard, album is an important milestone for both The Supremes and Motown. It is one of the most famous examples of Motown's 1960s policy of grooming their stars for career longevity (i.e. appealing to a more affluent, adult audience). At a time when nearly every pop or R & B star had culled from the Great American Songbook, many have forgotten that The Supremes were one of the first acts to do so - and they did it better than most who followed."
"The harmonies are incredible, the orchestra highlighting them while not competing or overshadowing them. Diana is soaring, kittenish and mature all at the same time."
"What makes this album work so well are the arrangements and The Supremes excellent interpretation and phrasing of the standards. It's not just an R & B version of jazz tunes, they really made these tunes their own. It's very evident everyone involved on the album did their homework. Unlike some other Motown stars who were clearly ill at ease with belting out a Broadway ballad or swing number, The Supremes excelled at it."
"These recordings also marked a historical milestone for The Supremes. Not only would this project be the last time the trio would receive group credit - as all future releases involving Ross would give her top billing - but sadly, these also turned out to be the final studio recordings made by the original line up."
"This works so well for many reasons. Firstly, the songs themselves could hardly miss. R & H wrote great tunes, and those selected here are wonderful. Secondly, the music is treated with respect and enthusiasm, even the tunes where a 'Motown sound' was adapted, work very well. Thirdly, Diana Ross was coming into her own as a song stylist. Her performances are uniformly very good to excellent. Fourth, the background vocals are prominent on songs in which they exist, and they add a special dimension to the music."
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