April 27, 2014

It's probably their best known song and definitely more of a pop tune than their other material, but it's got a lot of character in its performance and effort put into the production. Like most Motown-released tunes of the time, the arrangement is pretty dense, but everything has its place here. You've got your percussion, rhythm, and wind sections providing a nice backdrop for the spoken word intro, but eventually the rhythm section takes control and the song gets going. Throw in some nice string accompaniment and horn accents on the choruses and you've got yourself an early '70s Motown single. Also, happy birthday to the lead singer on this one, Cuba Gooding.

Got any favorite R&B tunes?

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