Masterpiece - THE TEMPTATIONS***

Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)/Masterpiece/Ma/Law Of The Land/Plastic Man/Hurry Tomorrow

Masterpiece has been criticised for sounding like a Norman Whitfield solo album with The Temptations as backing vocalists. A truncated version of the lengthy title track would reach No.7 in the US singles chart. (US:7)

“The title track is a big workout by the genius producer Norman Whitfield, where the Tempts voices are not heard a lot among this long suite of wah-wah guitar effects, psychedelic violins, plonking bass, congas and Fender Rhodes.”

“Here we have The Temptations flirting with a proto-disco sound in their wealthy mixture of funk, soul, psychedelia and quiet storm. The long sequence Masterpiece deserves its title as it is a progressive incredible danceable monster. The opener Hey Girl (I Like Your Style) is funny enough to hold attention but it's the low point on the album, a refreshingly happy and lighter one.”

“For a while a Temps album featured a long cut that gave the group room to show their musicality while the band was allowed to jam. The title cut from this release was an excellent forerunner to extended remixes to come in the 70s disco era. Although the album does not qualify as a classic from the group, it still has its moments.”

“Whitfield and The Temptations set out to make their most ambitious project to date, but in many ways, Masterpiece sounded more like a Norman Whitfield solo album with the Temps adding occasional vocals. The album's long, carefully layered tunes, complete with sweeping string charts and cleanly punctuated horn lines, have the widescreen splendour of a big budget movie. While it's inarguably impressive to hear, the featured artists often seem to be lost in the shuffle. It doesn't help that while the album is musically impressive, several of the songs are lyrically cut-rate.”

“The Tempts start off right away with a bang. Richard Street shows he is an able replacement for the late, great Paul Williams. The lead singing is great as always, as well as, those harmonies, and the social significance of each of these songs should speak for itself. Those social messages are as important today, as they were when The Tempts recorded them.”