Song For You
Leon Russell's title track had already become a modern standard recorded by everyone from theCarpenterstoWillie Nelsonby the time the Tempts got to it on this 1975 disc. With the number of original group members shrunken by death and departure, it no doubt held plenty of resonance for those who carried on. The record's highlight, though, is "Shakey Ground," driven byP-Funk-ersEddie Hazeland William "Billy Bass" Nelson. What remains is thoughtful, somewhat shallow, and not up to the level of innovation Motown colleaguesStevie WonderandMarvin Gaye, not to mention the Tempts themselves, had reached. A good album, if one that fails to meet its goal of true significance.--Rickey Wright