The Eddie Kendricks Collection, Vol. 1

iTunes Review

In the past few years the folks over at Rhino’s specialty imprint Hip-O-Select have been doing stunning work bringing forgotten corners of the Motown catalogue back into print, and they've now taken it upon themselves to reissue the long neglected solo work of former Temptation Eddie Kendricks in this excellent two album package. Kendricks left the Temptations in 1971 following the success of his heart-stopping showcase “Just My Imagination.” That song, with its gentle loping funk and wistful harmonies provided something of a blueprint for his subsequent career and Kendricks’ debut solo album, All By Myself, which makes up the first seven tracks of this compilation, was an exercise in silky lover man balladry. But if All By Myself was somewhat predictable, Kendricks’ sophomore LP, the storming People Hold On, was a singular masterpiece that sounds like nothing else in Motown’s catalogue. It found Kendricks delivering fiery sermons, delirious ballads and indignant protest songs over breakbeat heavy backing from the Senators, an ambitious young funk combo from Washington DC. Tracks from his follow up records, Eddie Kendricks and Boogie Down are also included here, and though they rarely reach the heights of People Hold On, standout numbers like “Each Day I Cry A Little” are indispensable for Kendricks fans.