''For Lovers Only'' is a 1995 covers/

pop standards Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

album by

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

for the

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

label, something of a sequel to their 1967 album ''

The Temptations in a Mellow Mood ''The Temptations in a Mellow Mood'' is a studio album by the Temptations, released in 1967 by Gordy Records. Composed primarily of pop standards such as "Ol' Man River" and "For Once in My Life" (later a major hit for Motown labelmate Stevie Won ...

''. The album features the final recordings of

Melvin Franklin David Melvin English (October 12, 1942 – February 23, 1995) better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, or his nickname "Blue", was an American bass singer. Franklin was best known for his role as a founding member of Motown singing g ...

, who fell ill during recording and died before the album's release. Franklin was replaced on the tracks he does not sing on by

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive fu ...

's Ray Davis in his only album appearance with the group. The first single, "Some Enchanted Evening", reached #40 on the Urban Adult Contemporary charts. The album was also the final Temptations album for

Ali-Ollie Woodson Ali-Ollie Woodson (born Ollie Creggett; September 12, 1951 – May 30, 2010) was an American R&B singer, musician, songwriter, keyboardist, drummer, and occasional actor best known for his twelve years with the Temptations alongside Otis William ...

, who would be released from the group by

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American baritone singer.Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Endearing Soul of the Temptations''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 7–9 He is o ...

in 1996, after having suffered several bouts of throat cancer. ''For Lovers Only'' was reissued in 2002 with a bonus track, a remix of "Night & Day" as included on the soundtrack to ''

What Women Want ''What Women Want'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy film written by Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, and Diane Drake, directed by Nancy Meyers, and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The film earned mixed reviews from critics but wa ...

''.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor Andrew Hamilton found that ''For Lovers Only'' was "arguably the Temptations' best album since ''

Truly for You ''Truly for You'' is a 1984 in music, 1984 album by American R&B vocal group the Temptations. Released on October 15, 1984 by Motown Records' Gordy label, This is the first full Temptations album to feature Ali-Ollie Woodson (credited simply as ...

'' dropped in 1984." He added: "Richard Perry outdid himself with this production, he expertly captured the essence of the Temptations, regardless of the members, in these songs."

Track listing

All tracks produced by

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...

Personnel

: vocals (tenor) *

Theo Peoples Theo Peoples (born Theoplis Peoples, III on January 24, 1961 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American R&B and soul singer. Biography His first recordings with the Temptations were released in the box set ''Emperors of Soul'' (1994) where he sang ...

: vocals (tenor) *

: vocals (baritone) *

Ron Tyson The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...

: vocals (tenor/falsetto) *

: vocals (bass) (only on "Melvin's Interlude" and "Life Is But A Dream") * Ray Davis: vocals (bass) (all except "Melvin's Interlude" and "Life Is But A Dream")

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1995 albums The Temptations albums Covers albums Motown albums Albums arranged by Paul Riser Albums produced by Richard Perry