The trademark ‘Motown Sound’ owed much of its’ success to downright simplicity; if not an audacious refusal to complicate the music unnecessarily . Tambourines were often used to emphasize backbeats. Percussion was often ‘thin’, while the creative use of reverb added warmth & richness as well as a celestial feel. The motto among Motown’s family of producers was often ‘KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID !’; or ‘KISS’ as this active principle of delivering honest, streetwise soul music was known to insiders. Thus the emphasis was on pop-appeal, distinctive melodic/harmonic hooks, choruses employing many of the vocal techniques of Gospel (most Motown artists came from Gospel-instructed childhoods). This made use of ‘call/response’ phrases which made the songs conversational & of universal (spiritual/soul) appeal. The attention to choralisation proved a winner with acts such as The Four Tops, for whom it was a trademark, showcased by the awesome hits ‘Bernadette’ & ‘(Reach Out) I’ll Be There’.