Search - Moments :: Look at Me / Live at New York State Women's Prison

First the good news...

David Wayne | Santee, CA United States | 08/12/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When this album was recorded (circa 1974), Billy Brown had been leading The Moments since the virtual beginning of their career.
Only the first single on the group, "Not On The Outside", did not
feature Brown (it was sung by Mark Greene). Billy's ultra-high, sweet tenor led The Moments on so many great hits, the greatest being "Love On A Two-Way Street". But at one point Billy and Al Goodman found themselves in need of a third member, and at that same time, Billy came down with a serious ailment of his throat.
The solution was to bring in Harry Ray to sing lead, while Billy
concentrated on backgrounds to give his voice a chance to recover. Thus, the "Look At Me" album featured Ray throughout. The title cut led off the album and hit #1 R&B. As the guys were
enjoying tremendous success in the European market, they also recorded the song in French, and Harry did a fine job of infusing
his sensuality into the recording. Similarly, the popular club cut "Girls" (featuring The Whatnauts) was recorded in both languages. Ray expresses a very serious, very sincere male viewpoint on the album cuts "I Feel So Good Again" and "Come Away With Me". These songs would definitely do when the lights are low, but on the other hand, "Got To Get To Know You" is the kind of lively, upbeat number that would have gone over well at the opening of a live performance. "Dolly My Love" was a major hit in Britain. So this studio album represents the good news of this 2-on-1 release. The bad news is that during the live performance at a woman's prison, Billy still did not have the voice to sing all of the great hits he'd fronted since 1969. The result is a performance that spotlights Ray singing covers of songs made popular by others. Brown only gets to unveil his fragile tenor chops for a brief medley toward the end of the show, and he is reduced to mainly scatting and ad-libbing, for there was no way he was going to be able to reach the high notes on, for example, "I Do"! If you can imagine it, the appearance closed with Al Goodman taking the lead on a rather lengthy take on "Going In Circles," a big hit for The Friends of Distinction!
The incarcerated female audience certainly appreciated the guys, as they shrieked their rapture throughout the set, despite the lack of hit Moments material. So there you have it: Part one of this release is just fine, but part two is a bit disappointing. But if you are a big fan of The Moments (or Ray, Goodman & Brown), you'll enjoy the package on the whole."