Motown old-guards The Temptations have returned with their latest studio album since 2010’s Still Here. The current line-up comprises original member Otis Williams, long-term members Ron Tyson and Terry Weeks, and newcomers Larry Braggs and Willie Green. On All The Time, their characteristic five-part harmonies are put to surprisingly good use on a selection of 21st century covers. Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’, a blue-eyed soul hit, fits particularly well in The Temps’ style given its gospel-flecked refrain. Likewise with Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’, where backing vocals and retro instrumental flourishes are easily wrapped around the melody. The cover of The Weeknd’s ‘Earned It’, a steamy chamber pop number featured in the Fifty Shades of Grey film, is the unexpected highlight; the arrangement is thrilling and Terry Weeks attacks the song with his rugged vocals. However, the three original recordings fail to make much impact and hokey renditions of Michael Jackson’s ‘Remember The Time’ and John Mayer’s ‘Still Feel Like Your Man’ weaken the album. Still, an unexpectedly robust effort.

The critical consensus around Leon Bridges’ sophomore effort, Good Thing, is that the 2015 breakout artist has consciously distanced himself from the 1960s throwback label attached to his debut. Indeed, Good Thing dabbles in D’Angelo-esque neo-soul (‘Lions’), makes more overt forays into modern R&B/pop (‘Forgive You’, ‘Beyond’), and draws upon the Bruno Mars/Pharrell Williams school of blending retro influences with contemporary production (‘If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)’, ‘You Don’t Know’). Yet, perhaps with the exception of the poetic angst of ‘Lions’, Bridges fails to make much of a statement either musically or artistically with these offerings. It is is soulful vocals which help ‘Beyond’, an Ed Sheeran-style romantic ballad (‘She might just be my everything and beyond’), get away with its mawkish cliches. The songs with more traditional soul leanings are clearly superior. ‘Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand’, the album’s opening track, is the highlight of Good Thing. Backed by beautiful strings, Bridges flicks in and out of his feathery falsetto on this wistful ballad where he ponders the future of a relationship. On the jazz-styled ‘Bad Bad News’, Bridges coolly nods to his hard work and ability to transcend the odds stacked against him from childhood. Closing track ‘Georgia To Texas’, a celebration of his mother’s love and perseverance, has a powerful gospel serenity. This is not to suggest that the songs more evocative of 1960s African-American soul are at all dated. In fact, he avoids the occasional fustiness of his debut – a largely acclaimed piece of work yet criticised by some for being imitative.

For his latest project, Ghanaian-American singer Abiah has paid tribute to the High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone. ‘ABIAH Sings NINA is my homage to her great legacy and tutelage… I aim to reimagine her contributions in hopes of elongating her influence and reaching depths of my own,’ he says. The extent of reimagination varies across the record. Certain rearrangements are noticeable, such as the his percussive take on ‘See-Line Woman’ and an impressively modern rendition of ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’. Elsewhere, ABIAH Sings Nina sticks to the cadence of the original material although the band perform wonderfully. However, the beauty of the record lies in Abiah’s vocal delivery. While occasionally imitative of Simone’s inflections, he uses every facet of his voice to capture the mournfulness and intensity of the material. On ‘Tell Me More and More and Then Some’, his muscular and buttery tenor soars. Drawing inspiration from Simone’s vocal style, he glides and improvises over an elongated rendition of ‘My Man’s Gone Now’ – drawing each drop of pain and grief out of the Gershwin/Heyward tune. His original contribution, ‘I’m Just Like You’, written after the death of Trayvon Martin, is deeply moving and, perhaps ironically, the best example of him channeling the spirit of Ms Simone.

(Image copyright: UMe, Columbia Records, Madoh Music Group)