Jeff Wilson
Enquirer contributor

In the early 1960s a five-man vocal group formed that topped the pop charts for a decade. Its music played a major role in the development of the Motown Sound, R&B and pop music.

That band was the Temptations. On Saturday, the Temptations played the Cincinnati Zoo, and while their show was uneven, they did, by the end of the night, revive some of their old magic.

The Temptations once billed themselves as "the group with five lead singers," but in reality the lead duties were shared by Eddie Kendricks, who sang in a falsetto, and David Ruffin, whose voice was deeper and grittier. Both of these members left the band long before they passed away in the 1990s.

For 20 years, Ron Tyson has sung the songs that Kendricks immortalized, and he showed early in the 90-minute that he could perform such hits as "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and "Just My Imagination" with authority.

The wild card was the newest member of the band, G.C. Cameron, who has only been with the Tempts for a few shows. A veteran of the Spinners, Cameron now fills David Ruffin's shoes, which means he sings lead on the majority of the songs. Fortunately, Cameron is a fine singer who seems comfortable in the lead role.

This is not to say that the show got off to a strong start. At first the backing band sounded tight but mechanical, rushing tempos and making the contribution of the Funk Brothers to the Motown Sound even clearer. Two funk classics, "Ball of Confusion" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," sounded like the work of a cover band.

The low point of the night was "Some Enchanted Evening" from the musical South Pacific. Marred by schlocky keyboards, it would have sounded better a cappella.

With the next song, "Get Ready," the band finally got in synch with the singers. The songs began to stretch out, giving sweet harmonies a chance to shine.

The highlight of the show was a nine-song medley devoted to warm renditions of classic love songs like "Don't Look Back, "Since I Lost My Baby," and "Beauty is Only Skin Deep." Sitting on stools, the singers relaxed as they strolled down memory lane instead of racing down it at breakneck speed. "My Girl" ended the medley and had the crowd dancing in the aisles.

The show closed with a spirited version of "(I Know) I'm Losing You."