by Jason Elias
Throughout the late '60s to the late '70s, the Moments were one of the premier and loved groups in R&B. Tracks like "Love on a Two Way Street" and "What's Your Name" may be preferred to other songs from more successful acts of the time. This 1974 album finds the group successfully changing with the times and exuding more confidence with their production and singing. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Moments were signed to a small label with one of the worst studios in the business. That fact makes most of this skilled but not sonically sound. That being said, Those Sexy Moments is a good mix of dance tracks and the ballads they were famous for. The breezy, "You've Come a Long Way" tells the tale of childhood through adulthood romance as Harry Ray sings the potentially unsettling "I wanted you then/but you were only five." The slow songs, "How Can I Love You" and "Look at Me" (not to be confused with their hit, "Look at Me (I'm in Love)"), both employ the guitar as sitar trick and have the groups' trademark harmonies. The best songs here are basically solo spots for Ray. The big hit here, the steamy "Sexy Mama," has him singing great lines like, "This afternoon I know you like me/By tonight you're gonna love me." The innovative and melodic "Next Time That I See You" puts the spotlight on his underrated falsetto/tenor. For a group that never seemed to make undeniable albums, this effort has enough individual songs to make this worth looking for.