Temptations 60 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 28, 2022 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Soul | |||
Length | 53:45 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label | UMe | |||
Producer |
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The Temptations chronology | ||||
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Temptations 60 is a 2022 studio album by American soul group The Temptations. The release marks the 60th anniversary of the group signing to Motown and was preceded by two singles, including a collaboration with Smokey Robinson. [1] The album has received positive reviews from critics.
Temptations 60 was recorded as part of a year-long celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the group, featuring their first tour since the COVID-19 pandemic and a run of the jukebox musical Ain't Too Proud. [2] The line-up for this recording includes the only surviving original member, Otis Williams, who took the recording sessions as an opportunity to re-record one of the band's first songs, the doo-wop ballad "Come On". [3] Williams also reached out to songwriter and musician Smokey Robinson who was responsible for writing many of The Temptations' earliest hits, but only actually collaborated with them one time in the studio, recording " The Christmas Song" for a 1989 compilation; the resulting "Is It Gonna Be Yes or No" was a single. [4]
Editors of AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, with reviewer Andy Kellman calling this album "an inspired return that sensibly balances the past with the present" and opining "hearing these five voices together is a treat at all times". [5] In Record Collector, Chris Roberts rated this four out of five stars, calling this "a remarkably vivacious album" and sums up the confluence of strong vocals, a classic soul music sound, and contemporary hip hop influences "irresistible". [6] Writing for theGrio, Matthew Allen considers this release "an album with more moments of brilliance and pleasure" than simply rehashing the band's sound or simply updating it with fresh references. [7] In The Spill Magazine, Aaron Badgley rated this album 3.5 out of five, considering this a mix of traditional soul music that is "not retro but rather aging" as the band changes its style, but pointing out that some of the production is uneven and makes the music "middle of the road", but sums up, "this album is full of remarkable music". [8] The Arts Fuse's Allen Michie considers Temptations 60 a "joyful celebration" of the group's history and longevity, that includes some failed experiments with contemporary styles and ballads that "can't seem to keep up a woke feminism for very long", but also notes several successful tracks and supposes that if this is the band's final release "then it’s a fitting farewell in a triumphant year for the band". [9]
"Come On" contains samples of the following original Motown masters performed by The Temptations:
The Temptations
Additional personnel
Temptations 60 spent one week on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, placing 97 on February 12, 2022. [10]
Temptations 60 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 28, 2022 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Soul | |||
Length | 53:45 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label | UMe | |||
Producer |
| |||
The Temptations chronology | ||||
|
Temptations 60 is a 2022 studio album by American soul group The Temptations. The release marks the 60th anniversary of the group signing to Motown and was preceded by two singles, including a collaboration with Smokey Robinson. [1] The album has received positive reviews from critics.
Temptations 60 was recorded as part of a year-long celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the group, featuring their first tour since the COVID-19 pandemic and a run of the jukebox musical Ain't Too Proud. [2] The line-up for this recording includes the only surviving original member, Otis Williams, who took the recording sessions as an opportunity to re-record one of the band's first songs, the doo-wop ballad "Come On". [3] Williams also reached out to songwriter and musician Smokey Robinson who was responsible for writing many of The Temptations' earliest hits, but only actually collaborated with them one time in the studio, recording " The Christmas Song" for a 1989 compilation; the resulting "Is It Gonna Be Yes or No" was a single. [4]
Editors of AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, with reviewer Andy Kellman calling this album "an inspired return that sensibly balances the past with the present" and opining "hearing these five voices together is a treat at all times". [5] In Record Collector, Chris Roberts rated this four out of five stars, calling this "a remarkably vivacious album" and sums up the confluence of strong vocals, a classic soul music sound, and contemporary hip hop influences "irresistible". [6] Writing for theGrio, Matthew Allen considers this release "an album with more moments of brilliance and pleasure" than simply rehashing the band's sound or simply updating it with fresh references. [7] In The Spill Magazine, Aaron Badgley rated this album 3.5 out of five, considering this a mix of traditional soul music that is "not retro but rather aging" as the band changes its style, but pointing out that some of the production is uneven and makes the music "middle of the road", but sums up, "this album is full of remarkable music". [8] The Arts Fuse's Allen Michie considers Temptations 60 a "joyful celebration" of the group's history and longevity, that includes some failed experiments with contemporary styles and ballads that "can't seem to keep up a woke feminism for very long", but also notes several successful tracks and supposes that if this is the band's final release "then it’s a fitting farewell in a triumphant year for the band". [9]
"Come On" contains samples of the following original Motown masters performed by The Temptations:
The Temptations
Additional personnel
Temptations 60 spent one week on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, placing 97 on February 12, 2022. [10]