Post by tempfan on Jul 25, 2006 13:50:30 GMT -5
MUSIC REVIEW: THESE TEMPTATIONS STILL IRRESISTIBLE
BY HELAINE R. WILLIAMS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
“Is it live or is it Memorex?” asks the old TV commercial. Likewise, those at the Robinson Center Music Hall on Friday night may well have been wondering, “Is it the original Temptations, or is it the Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards?”
The performance was certainly on par with the legendary group - but then it helps that the Temptations Review is headed by former Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards.
As featured entertainment during the 74th International Grand Conclave of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Edwards and the Temptations Review appeared before an audience whose members swelled and ebbed during the long evening. In spite of less-than-ideal sound system conditions, the men dazzled not only with their voices but also with their attire - purple suits, worn in celebratory conjunction with the fraternity’s official color scheme of purple and gold.
After a dramatic introduction, the Review launched into a little funk with the old Rick James/ Tempts hit “Standing On the Top.” They then slid into a “musical journey” that made stops at “Cloud Nine,” “I Can’t Get Next to You” and “Ball of Confusion,” all the while performing the old familiar Tempts choreography with a spryness and precision that defied their ages.
“Can we take you back to the beginning of the Temptations?” Edwards later asked, before getting crowd members on their feet with “Get Ready,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “Beauty is Only Skin Deep” and “Wish It Would Rain” (during which Review member David Sea showed off his considerable falsetto skills).
The group concluded its performance with a smattering of ultra-memorable hits, including “My Girl.” The Review was aptly backed by the Temptations Review Orchestra, which featured a talented horn section that brought back the glory days of R&B.
The men of the Temptations Review, proved themselves to be sharp dancers with timeless harmonic chemistry.