Phoenix Rising

by The Temptations

Overview

Three years after the brilliant For Lovers Only and two personnel changes, the Temptations dished out Phoenix Rising. Ali "Ollie" Woodson and Theo Peoples were replaced by Harry McGilberry and Barrington Scott Henderson. The album gets off to an excellent start with "Stay," a lilting, mid-tempo mood setter that samples the opening riffs of "My Girl"; the red-light special became their highest charting single in years. "How Could He Hurt You" is one of those good, questioning ballads that always finds a way into your heart. These new Temptations are all right, but none are comparable to the squalling Temptations' tenors of the past. Voices reaching the magnitude of David Ruffin's, Dennis Edwards', Ali Woodson's and Richard Street's are sorely missed. Otis Williams seems to have found his niche doing interludes between songs; it would be interesting to see if they would incorporate Williams' eloquent love talks into their stage act. Ron Tyson sings effortlessly in a honey-laden falsetto on "Tempt Me," which, other than "Stay," is the most arresting number here. Tyson displays his natural tenor before sliding into a sky-high falsetto, the backing voices are a thing of beauty as they weave in, out, and around Tyson's deft delivery, and the bass dots in and out placing exclamation points everywhere. "If I Give You My Heart" features a Williams rap and has a pop-ish beat; the tenor tries to cut loose but may have been restrained by producer Narada Michael Walden. When listening to "Take Me in Your Arms" it helps to imagine Ruffin, Edwards, or Woodson on lead. The mid-tempo songs, for the most part, outshine the ballads. "That's What Friends Are For" (not the Dionne Warwick song) has a deft, stepping beat but changes tempos on the chorus and becomes annoying until it gets back to that "Da, Da, Da" beat. The baritone voice on an occasional lead is sorely missed. Temptations' albums used to feature a baritone voice distinct from the tenor not only in register, but in style and phrasing; here the voices are too similar. Still, not a bad silver platter when you take the personnel changes into consideration. ~ Andrew Hamilton

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/1998
Label:	Motown
UPC:	0731453093720

Tracks

1. Here After (Interlude)
2. Stay
3. False Faces
4. How Could He Hurt You
5. I'm Calling You (Interlude)
6. This Is My Promise
7. My Love
8. Tempt Me
9. If I Give You My Heart
10. Take Me in Your Arms
11. That's What Friends Are For
12. Just Like I Told You
13. Stay

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Temptations   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background)
Narada Michael Walden   Guest Artist,Percussion,Tambourine,Drums
Arthur Marbury   Keyboards
Keith Rouster   Bass
Sonny Lallerstedt   Guitar
Jimi "The Sweet" Fischer   Synthesizer Strings,Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Darin "Zone" McKinney   Keyboards
Polyester Players   Ensemble
Nils Juptner   Guitar
Theo Peoples   Piano,Keyboards
Troy "Buddha" Lampkins   Bass
Ronnie Garrett   Keyboards
Greg "Gigi" Gonaway   Cymbals
Kerry Turman   Bass
Greg Moore   Guitar
Donald Hayes   Sax (Alto)
Victor Carstarphen   Keyboards
R. David Tucker   Guitar
Greg Dalton   Guitar
Dennis Nelson   Guitar
Jerry Hey   Conductor
Rex Rideout   Keyboards
Takuya "Taku" Hirano   Percussion
Jetro Dasilva   Keyboards
Mike Mani   Fender Rhodes
Rodney "Cortada" Alejandro   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Norman Jean Roy   Photography
David Irvin   Design,Art Direction
Azubike Chima   Assistant Engineer
Arthur Marbury   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Producer,Drum Programming
Marc Reyburn   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Sunny Hilden   Composer
Jimi "The Sweet" Fischer   Programming,Engineer
Harriet Cole   Stylist
James Fischer   Composer
Darin "Zone" McKinney   Programming
Darrin McKinney   Composer
Theo Peoples   Composer,Vocal Arrangement
Terry Weeks   Composer,Composer
Charlie Paakkari   Assistant Engineer
Kevin Lively   Assistant Engineer
Markus Ulibarri   Assistant Engineer
Michael "Wolf" Reaves   Engineer
Benjamin Wright   Composer
Rodney Alejandro   Composer
Scott Urquhart   Composer
Melvin Jordan   Composer
Andrew Lyn   Mixing Assistant
Otis Williams   Composer,Narrator
Narada Michael Walden   Composer,Producer,Bass Programming,Vocal Arrangement,Arranger
Ronnie Garrett   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming
Tony Kurtis   Composer
Ike Behar   Clothing/Wardrobe
Bob Tucker   Mixing,Engineer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Claytoven Richardson   Vocal Arrangement
Benjamin F. Wright   Composer
Tony Black   Mixing,Engineer
Kenneth Cole   Clothing/Wardrobe
Barry Keenen   Assistant Engineer
Tony Vanias   Project Coordinator
Paul Anthony Morris   Clothing/Wardrobe
Perry Ellis   Clothing/Wardrobe
Robin Taylor Brooks   Composer
Whitney Kyles   Stylist
Tony Lindsey   Vocal Arrangement
Skyler Jett   Vocal Arrangement
Paul Smith   Clothing/Wardrobe
Greg Dalton   Rhythm Arrangements
Rob Hoffman   Assistant Engineer
Ronald White   Composer
Johnny Britt   Composer
Jerry Hey   Arranger
Ryan Williams   Assistant Engineer
Rex Rideout   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming
David Frazer   Mixing,Engineer
The Temptations   Arranger,Introduction,Vocal Arrangement
Thom "TK" Kidd   Mixing,Engineer
Darcy Aldridge   Composer
William Robinson   Composer
Isaias Gamboa   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Drum Programming,Rhythm Arrangements
John Forte   Remixing
Smokey Robinson   Composer
Ron Tyson   Composer
Mike Mani   Drum Programming
Rodney "Cortada" Alejandro   Composer,Programming