This album was released in the autumn of 1995 with very little fanfare. I find it very annoying that most albums I consider essential, classy and timeless receive little press, scant cover or – worse – derision from the media, including those which allegedly support soul music. I am guilty of derision, especially where albums of cover versions are involved. I generally feel that the trend towards sets of covers is not only lamentable but also alarming. Some albums, though, warrant trumpeting, such as this one purely because they are different. What the Temptations, along with veteran producer, Richard Perry, did on this album was to take some classic, household-known standards and then completely dissect them, not limb from limb, but almost molecule from molecule. These songs were reassembled into interpretations and not merely covers. No stone was left unturned in an effort to make the songs fresh, different and, well, sound like brand spanking new. Their efforts paid off. The timbre of the album is certainly an emotional one from many viewpoints. This was the last album recorded with Melvin Franklin prior to his early and untimely passing – to hear him on here is not only poignant, but also pitched emotionally beside the beautiful, haunting and touching melodies that really do cement these album’s fortunes. Anyone who knows me will know that as soon as I hear that an album is a set of cover versions my eyes roll, I sigh and give some resigned comment. This is exactly what I did with this album, and so I ignored it. It was almost 6 months before I heard it via friend who bought it from a regular pilgrimage to London. I was intrigued that he bought it in the first place, but when I heard it I was instantly blown away. Theo Peoples joined the team in 1994 and his powerful vocals dominated the set along with the awesome Ali-Ollie Woodson. “Some Enchanted Evening” is a well-loved song, but the Temptations really make this their own vehicle. Their harmonies are tighter than the top of a Scotsman’s purse, and Isaias Gamboa on the mix makes it more than a memorable moment. One of the scene-stealers is “What A Difference A Day Makes” – no one has, and ever will cut this song in such a powerful fashion. This is indeed one magical brew of skilled production, soulful interpretation courtesy of Ron Tyson and first class lyrics. Johnny Britt’s muted trumpet is a killer, too. Twelve years after release, this song still gets me every time. “That’s Why I Love You So” displays some magnificent harmonies atop a soulful plateau. The vocal interchanging is superb. The haunting and melancholic “Melvin’s Interlude” melts into the sublime “Life Is But A Dream” where the good old-fashioned street corner harmonies come into play. The Temptations rarely get better than this. “Time After Time” commences with the words “Drop the groove”, and the fellas do exactly that – I’m not certain what Cahn and Styne would make of this version, but I for one love it to pieces. Since the release of this album, the Tempations have gone on to release two albums of cover versions – both do not even compare to this Masterpiece. “For Lovers Only” is a landmark Temptations recording and should not be a set that you ignore. As essential today as it ever was, “For Lovers Only” stands tall in the impressive and unequalled Tempations catalogue.
The Vibe Scribe
