With this final album, the Motels attempted to move squarely into the MTV-sponsored pop/rock mainstream, adding harder guitars and bigger hooks. Although their makeover isn't entirely successful, the best moments on the album - "Shame," "Cries and Whispers" and the title track - are enjoyable mainstream rock. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)
"Little Robbers", the follow-up to the Motels' commercial breakthrough "All 4 One", is nearly as consistent as its predecessor, finding the perfect balance between mainstream rock conventions and quirky new wave flourishes. Again, the singles are the best parts of the record, with the hazy "Suddenly Last Summer" deservedly reaching the Top Ten and "Remember the Nights" being a fine AOR workout, but the remainder of the album suffers from undistinguished material and a distinct lack of hooks. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)
The Motels' third album "All Four One" finds the group working the fine line between mainstream arena-rock and quirky new wave pop. Their roots lie in the sleek, polished Californian hard rock that dominated late-'70s and early-'80s album-oriented radio, but "All Four One" has a shiny new wave production, complete with keyboards and processed guitars. Still, it plays like arena rock, especially since Martha Davis oversings each track, but its best moments - "Take the L" (out of lover and it's over) and the single "Only the Lonely" - are embarrassingly catchy guilty pleasures that make the album an entertaining nostalgia piece. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)
With their second release, the Motels make steps toward a more seamless style of new wave-inflected pop. Careful kicks off with the perky, sax-driven "Danger," and there are more hits than misses. The lyrics still lean toward the darker side as on the moody, watercolor melody of the title track, but there are also moments that are pop gems like the Europop-styled "Bonjour Baby," the midtempo rock of "Days are O.K. (But the Nights Were Made for Love)", which features the album's catchiest hook, and the uptempo "Cry Baby." Martha Davis, with her distinctive vocals, is still the band's trump card, but this time around the band gives her a little more backing. (Tom Demalon in AllMusic)
1979's self-titled debut release from the California band the Motels comes across as what a less pretentious Doors might have sounded like had they emerged during the new wave era. The Motels is a fairly cold, almost robotic affair which trades in lyrics that explore the darker side of life in Los Angeles. There are a few tracks that bear repeated listens like the frantic "Kix" and "Celia," a warning to a woman involved with the wrong guy. "Total Control," a big hit for the band in Australia and later covered by Tina Turner, is the album's standout with its menacing lyrics of possession delivered by Martha Davis. She is the one consistently redeeming attraction of this dated record. Although she tends to over-sing at times, Davis is a riveting and sensual vocalist and her vocals hint at the potential in the band. (Tom Demalon in AllMusic)
