Editing The Temptations (section)

===From funk to some disco to adult contemporary music (1974–present)===
In 1974, after Whitfield was dismissed as the producer for The Temptations, the group altered its sound to accommodate a balance of both up-tempo dance material as well as ballads. The vocal arrangements began to focus again primarily on one lead singer per track, although some leads were still being shared periodically. In addition, The Temptations themselves, after fighting Motown and Berry Gordy for creative control, began to write and produce some of their own material. From this point on, The Temptations focused almost exclusively on songs about romance. However, songs about social issues similar to the recordings made during Whitfield's tenure were periodically produced as well.

The Temptations recordings of the mid-1970s focused significantly on the influences of [[funk music]] from artists such as [[Parliament-Funkadelic]] and Sly and the Family Stone, and members of both acts contributed significantly to material recorded by the group during this period. Their signature ballad sound, reduced to filler material during much of the Whitfield period, was restored to the lush, full productions of the earlier hits produced by [[Smokey Robinson]]. After a brief diversion into [[disco]] in the late-1970s, The Temptations settled into a form of an [[adult contemporary]]-rooted type of R&B, a style in which they continue to record.