Still Waters Run Deep

About

This 1970 album found The Four Tops embracing the era’s changing musical, political, and cultural landscapes. It saved their careers, and yet it’s an overlooked gem in the their catalog. Helmed by Motown staff producer/songwriter Frank Wilson, the album featured a sexy remake of “It’s All in the Game” (the storied tune was actually cowritten by U.S. vice president Charles Dawes) and Smokey Robinson’s pretty perfect “Still Water (Love).” Both hit songs lifted the group back into the Top 40 after a two-year dry spell. The rest of the album is equally and pleasingly eclectic. There’s a beautiful reworking of Bob Lind’s spellbinding “Elusive Butterfly” highlighted by Levi Stubbs’ soulful lead vocal, while a gender-switched rendition of The Supremes' classic “Reflections” shows how certain songs can never tire. Wah-wah guitars and a country-soul-psych feel enhance “Everybody’s Talkin’,” a version released a year after Harry Nilsson’s hit from the film <i>Midnight Cowboy</i>. The Four Tops' cover of Sherlie Matthews’ terrific “L.A. (My Town)” predates Motown Records’ move to L.A., which, ironically, left The Four Tops back in Detroit to sign with a new label.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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