The great
Jerry Wexler was 60 when he produced the producer, creating a record with
Bob Crewe as vocalist. In the revealing liner notes,
Wexler asks, "Who ever heard of a superstar record producer with years of hits deciding to make his 'singing' debut on an album?" Well, the late
Jimmy Miller garnered more hits than
Crewe and was signed to Colpix Records at the age of 19, before he began his stellar production career. That being said, the guy who brought the world
Mitch Ryder and hits like "Get Dancin'" by
Disco Tex with his sister-in-law
Cindy Bullens providing backups, the dude who enhanced "Lady Marmalade" and "My Eyes Adored You."..actually has a decent middle-of-the-road voice. The problem with
Motivation is that it is absolutely vacuous. His voice is slicker than protégé
Mitch Ryder's, but contains none of the expressive soul. That's not to say this record isn't interesting.
Crewe co-wrote eight of the nine songs here, with one tune, "Merci Beaucoup," composed solely by the maestro. This shows that
Crewe can write a great tune, and if he dusts this one off and gives it to a
Ricky Martin he can reclaim the glories that
LaBelle and
Frankie Valli brought him. For those who couldn't get enough of singer/songwriter
Kenny Nolan (who penned "My Eyes Adored You," "Lady Marmalade," and "Get Dancin'"), there is "Marriage Made in Heaven," co-written with
Crewe. It sounds like a sequel to both of
Nolan's hits, "I Like Dreamin'" and "Love's Grown Deep." "Somethin' Like Nothing Before" would be majestic in the hands of
Engelbert Humperdinck, but
Crewe sounds like your cousin singing at the wedding, surprising you with his vocal abilities, but not compelling enough to make you shell out $30 for a concert ticket. What is really missing on this disc is
Crewe performing some of the hits he was known for. "A Lover's Concerto" (recorded for his label) or "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" could have brought this album the attention that a songwriter like
Carole King found when her producer
Lou Adler sprinkled her '60s compositions throughout her new work. It was a formula that took a couple of albums before resulting in
Tapestry, and would have been advisable here over the disco/semi-gospel "Give It Hell," resplendent in choir voices and horns. Interesting that
Ryder went to Memphis for his important Detroit/Memphis Experiment album to get away from the L.A./N.Y. "music machine," while his mentor recorded this in Muscle Shoals, AL. Songs like "Lady Love Song" just don't sound as sincere as, say,
Gerry Goffin on his It Ain't Exactly Entertainment, or
Burt Bacharach's celebration of his many hits on the
Reach Out long-player. Despite its shortcomings, this is an interesting disc. Would've been great to hear
Patti LaBelle on "It Took a Long Time" instead of her producer; in fact, if
LaBelle,
Frankie Valli,
Nolan,
Cindy Bullens,
Barbara Harris of the Toys, and
Ryder (i.e., the former
Bob Crewe stable of stars) all took a song on this disc, it would really and truly be something. Even a duet with the producer would be more substantial. Just ask
Quincy Jones. ~ Joe Viglione