Just to Keep You Satisfied: Motown’s Overlooked Male Voices of the 1970s Resurface

Satisfaction comes in many forms. When the magical word Motown is uttered, most people are hard-wired to think of The Four Tops, The Temptations, and The Supremes. But to reduce Motown to the effervescent sixties is only part of the label’s remarkable legacy.

By the 1970s, a different sound was emerging. America was on edge—the Vietnam War had been a disaster, urban street crime was epidemic, and college campuses were alive with political resistance. The joyful hope that had inspired “Baby Love” now felt out of place in a world where unrest was impossible to ignore.

The industry was shifting too. The 45rpm single that had driven Motown’s success in the 1960s was being eclipsed by concept albums. Edwin Starr released his anti-war statement War and Peace in 1970. The Temptations ventured into psychedelic territory with Psychedelic Shack. And in 1971, Marvin Gaye reshaped the possibilities of soul with his state-of-the-nation masterpiece What’s Going On.

By then, Motown had arguably the greatest roster of male vocalists in the world, including former Temptations leads David Ruffin, Dennis Edwards, and Eddie Kendricks. Around them, singer-producers like Leon Ware and Frank Wilson were stepping forward with their own powerful visions. Ruffin’s “Crime in the Street” captured Detroit’s epidemic of violence, his voice raging quietly against gun crime. A few years later, his cult favorite “Rode by the Place” would sound even more ahead of its time.

This was the fertile ground where Motown helped shape what would later be called “quiet storm”—a mid-tempo, moody, and deeply soulful style that carried intimacy and fire in equal measure. Groups like The Originals and The Fantastic Four, led by the impassioned “Sweet” James Epps, pushed this sound forward, leaving behind music that still resonates today.

Just to Keep You Satisfied invites listeners to revisit this overlooked chapter in Detroit soul, showcasing the creativity of Motown’s male voices during the early 1970s. It’s a collection that proves Motown was more than just the hit machine of the 1960s—it was a label willing to evolve, innovate, and reflect its times.

Track Listing
A1. Blackmail – David Ruffin
A2. Crime in the Street – David Ruffin
A3. Look Out Your Window – Frank Wilson
A4. Just to Keep You Satisfied – The Originals
A5. I Pray You Still Love Me – Jimmy Ruffin

B1. I Hate Myself for Loving You – The Fantastic Four
B2. If I Can’t Love You Then I Can’t Love Me – Eddie Kendricks
B3. When the Lights Come Down on Love – Dennis Edwards
B4. You Are the Way You Are – Leon Ware
B5. Don’t You Wanna Come – Leon Ware