Customer Reviews

Reflections

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The problem that I have with this release is that none of the remakes is fresh. The arrangements do not differ too much from the originals and the sparseness of backing instrumention gives the album an "unplugged" feel without the soul. Even the vocals pale to previous albums from this incarnation of the legendary quintet. The Temps sound as if they are auditioning in front of Paula, Randy, and Simon!

As has been the case in the past decade or so, Otis Williams is the sole survivor from the group's heyday.

It's a shame that this follow-up to the 2004's four-star "Legend" is so weak.

If the guys want to know how to rework hits, they need to look no further than Dionne Warwick's 1998 release, "Dionne Sings Dionne," a masterpiece wherein the vocalist takes many of her signature songs and totally restructures them to satisfy a diverse and contemporary audience.

If the Temps were trying to appeal to a younger demographic, as well as their fan base, they failed grandly.

I'VE LISTERNED TO THE TEMPTS SINCE THE TIME THEY HAD DAVID RUFFIN AND EDDIE KENDRICKS. THROUGH THE YEARS THEY HAVE LOST AND ADDED MEMBERS DUE TO DEPARTURES FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.THIS CD IS VERY SWEET ON SOME CUTS, LIKE Ooo BABY BABY, AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING,TRY IT BABY,AND HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU. THEY ALSO JAM ON A LOT OF OTHER CUTS WHEN THEY WANTED TOO. THE ONLY SONG I RELLY DID'NT CARE THAT MUCH ABOUT WAS WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED BECAUSE NO ONE CAN ARRANGE THAT SONG LIKE THE ORIGINAL FUNK BROTHERS DID FOR JIMMY RUFFIN. YOU WILL LIKE THIS CD IF YOU LIKE GOOD HARMONY AND SWEET VOICES. THEY CAN STILL SING THIS OLD SCHOOL MUSIC THE WAY WE LIKE IT.

While it seems that some found the Reflections album to be lacking, I found most of it to be of decent quality. My favorite track is the title cut, 'Reflections'. It drives with an inflection that is smooth with a soulful groove. Very different from what you hear played today as R&B music. Very mature and confident in what it is, and that is grown folks music...

'Can I get a witness' is a cover that is full of funk and drive, I like it!

I do not believe that Smokey Robisons 'Ooo Baby Baby' can ever be made to sound the way that he made it sound, and therefor I do not expect the Temps to sound like Smokey on this track. But with Smokey producing this one himself, it sounds far better than any other cover of Ooo baby baby that I've heard.

There are some tracks that I do not care for like Jimmy Ruffins 'What becomes of the broken hearted' (Another that I dont believe can be recreated in the same stlye and feel as the original). Should have left it alone.

Overall, its decent listening but it should be understood that when they made this album, originality was probably not the mainpoint. If it was then they would have made new cuts instead of covering classic material.

Though the Temptations' line-up has changed constantly over the years, Otis Williams and company have managed to keep their sound current and fresh. This newest release, which features basically the same line-up as their last few studio projects, is quite nice. The guys do a splendid job of re-interpretting and modernizing these Motown classics, though honestly I wonder if they needed to modernize them. As I listen to this CD, I find myself thinking "Wow! They really interpretted that song well," yet I also think "I wish they had just sung the song and had a little more fun with it..." as opposed to trying to re-invent it. All-in-all, though, for a Motown fan and for a Temptations fan, this release is a really, really, really good. It is enjoyable, entertaining, thought provoking, well crafted... though not, in my humble opinion, all that it could have been. Motown music was, for the most part, meant to be fun. This collection seems a tad too serious to me!

When this was first released I too had my doubts about this, since cover cds are all over the place it's hard for many to add anything new to them and when I saw that the Temps were gonna cover some Motown gems, I was like no way! So I listened without comparing these covers to the originals and surprisingly many of them work! 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' the arrangement is really good and it's fun and is the standout cut for me... the only cover i didn't care for is 'I'll Be There' because this song was never a favorite of mine.. There take on 'OOO Baby Baby' is very good, they didn't try and do Smokey\Miracles version, I love there versions of 'Reflections' & 'I Hear A Symphony'. If your a fan of the Temptations gave this cd a listen.

I love the idea of The Temptations doing re-makes of Motown songs they didn't record back in the day. Tremendous idea ... fabulous idea, one of the better examples of creativity I've heard of in awhile.

However, Otis Williams and Company didn't complete the execution, darn it! No, it wasn't the song selection, or even the singing. It's the freaking production and studio "instruments" if I may call them that. They sounded like drum machines and synthasizers to me. Ugh!

With the same group and same song selection this product works IF Otis would've hired The Funk Brothers or some kickin' studio musicians. Surely with his dough he could've afforded that instead of going cheap on us with drum machines and the sort. Lots of good studio musicians out there, Otis knows more than enough guys to have pulled this off. They could've at least semi-emulated the old Motown sound on this.

The easy out is to bash the "new" Temptations. That's not the problem here. "New" Tempts albums "Ear-Resistable" and "Phoenix Rising" are excellent, as is "Legacy," which is tremendous. Also, Otis Williams has brought some great singing cohorts: G.C. Cameron (former Spinners lead man) is a seasoned vet, Ron Tyson has been with The Temptations for about a quarter of a century, Terry Weeks is a talented younger guy, and Joe Herndon is a good bass singer.

The group does flex its musical talent in "Try It Baby," which honestly is good enough to buy the album just for that song. They also hit a home run with "This Old Heart of Mine" and do a solid remake of Smokey Robinson's "Ooh Baby Baby."

The singing talent is there, so guys, let's try this project again, without the drum machines and poppy sound. Give us that old time soul!

Sorry, but this cd is a disappointment considering their career. It's sad when they have been on top of their game, and now are reduced to remaking songs that aren't even done too well. There are a few that stand out and make the album alright, but overall this doesn't cut it. I did like Don't Leave Me This Way (I've always loved this) and I Hear A Symphony and What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted. Their voices are still tight, but overall, the arrangements for many of these songs aren't fantastic at all. Next time, I hope they write NEW material. I do give them props though for the cool cd cover. I love that.

This new cd is just awful. An album of covers is a risky move per se but here we have the worst album ever. The line-up has changed, one more time. Otis Williams is the same as usual: a background vocalist (and please, stop with the "legend" stuff: he is not Ruffin, Kendricks or Edwards, the reasons we like the Temptations). Ron Tyson is still here... G.C. Cameron is the "new" one since 2004. New ? This guy was the Spinners' lead singer from the mid 60's to 1972. And after that, nobody remembers his couple of charted songs as a solo act, more than 30 years ago. The two others singers are virtually unknown. The production is the cheapest one I've ever heard, reminding me those pityful live acts in third rate restaurants. And the songs are surely the worst of all. Who thought that a 60 old year man singing songs by the Supremes like the Supremes was a creative idea? Yes, we have that on the album but we have also the opposite: apparently a producer thought that sticking to a strict Motownian way was too unchallenging so we have fake Isaac Hayes ("Never can say goodbye"), fake Mariah Carey ("I'll be there") and the three star fake "Don't leave me this way", 3 minutes alternatively copying Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, Thelma Houston and the Communards (by the way is this song what we usually call a Motown song ?). Everything on this record is so ridiculous. Singers are tired and unconvincing: it's time for them to think of doing something else than singing. And finally, the album is not even on Motown but on an obscure label I've never heard of.

First, enough with the misleading Temptations hype. When I read that this is "their 47th album," or "they pay tribute to their Motown brethren," I wanna hold up my hand in the stop sign position. I mean, Otis Williams has been there from day one, God bless him. But let's face it, he was never the sound of the Temps like Ruffin, Kendricks or even Edwards. So let's stop pretending that this group, in its current form, is legendary.

If Ringo lined up 3 karaoke singers from Liverpool and called them the Beatles, I don't think anyone would be fooled...nor should they fall for these guys calling themselves the Temptations.

That said, these guys may indeed be talented. But how many times can these particular Motown songs be remade? Some, like "How Sweet It Is," "This Old Heart of Mine," Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ooh Baby Baby," and "I'll Be There" have been covered to death, and were radio hits 2 or 3 times over. What could these guys do with these songs to possibly make them fresh again?
Nothing.

I'm surprised that in all the umpteen recent Motown "remake" CD's (M. McDonald, Remixed, and this one), they always grab the most familiar, overplayed, and over-remade songs instead of equally great songs that have not been done to death.

Sorry, Temps. I'm sure this seemed like a great idea when it was pitched, but you only get two stars for this one. And please, the next time someone raids Berry Gordy's million dollar vault, surprise us...give us something we haven't heard over, and over and over.

I was born and raised in Motown and there's little I don't like about Motown music or it's stars. Therefore I excitedly purchased 2 of these CD's - one to give away. I had to apologize to the recipient. This is without a doubt one of the worse CD's I've heard. It's hard to believe that it's really the Temptations. The vocals are bad, they can't harmoize - even the music is bad. Is the entire group new and trying to pass themselves off as THE Temptations? The caliber of their previous CD, "For Lovers only" is what I was expecting and believe me, this one fell far short. By the way, the recipient of the other CD, another Temptation lover, had the same reaction. As much as I love them and for all the great music they've produced, if this really is The Tempations and this is the best they can do they should retire.