Album Review

Andrew Hamilton [allmusic.com]

Hall & Oates resurrected the fading careers of ex-Temptations stars David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks. H&O took them on tour, paid them regularly, and arranged a record deal for them with RCA, but the relationship soured for unknown reasons. It's been rumored that Kendricks thought they were being used to boost H&O's career, which couldn't be true because H&O were already hot; it was Ruffin and Kendricks who had been reduced to playing bucket-of-blood, inner-city nightspots. Or perhaps Kendricks just tired of singing ''Get Ready'' so often. His voice sounded like it would tear when he sang ''Ready'' with H&O, while David Ruffin tempted in the background. Ruffin sounded better, much better; he still had some voice, but the electricity had gone out of it. Kendricks sounded better on the rollicking ''The Way You Do the Things You Do,'' and acted like he enjoyed singing Smokey Robinson's metaphoric gem. An ordinary performance of ''My Girl'' ended the Temptations segment of the H&O show. Things really picked up, though, when Hall & Oates stood alone with band and did their current chart-toppers. Daryl Hall shows his blue-eyed soul roots by biting into ''When Something Is Wrong With My Baby''; not to be denied, John Oates rips off a stinging guitar solo, helping Hall polish off Sam & Dave's classic in style. Their performances of ''I Can't Go for That,'' ''One on One,'' ''Possession Obsession,'' and ''Adult Education'' have to be heard to be believed. They work a crowd like few can, and their harmonies are impeccable.