Four Tops on Broadway

Released in March 1967, 'Four Tops on Broadway' represents a strategic pivot common for Motown's top-tier acts like The Supremes and The Temptations: the 'crossover' album aimed at white, adult audiences and the lucrative nightclub circuit. Recorded during the peak of their hit-making years, the album eschews the typical Motown beat for traditional pop and showtune arrangements. While critics of the era sometimes viewed these projects as diluting the group's R&B roots, modern reassessment highlights the sheer vocal versatility of the quartet. Levi Stubbs' performance on tracks like 'Maria' and 'Climb Ev’ry Mountain' is particularly noteworthy, as he maintains his soulful intensity within the constraints of orchestral pop. The album is a vital document of the Motown machine's ambition to move beyond the 'teen' market and establish its artists as all-around entertainers in the vein of Sinatra or Sammy Davis Jr.