Eddie Kendricks: "People...Hold On"

I can think of no better album title to reflect the state of the world today, even though this music was recorded at the dawn of the ‘70’s, in a completely different era of struggle and despair.  Yet the central message of this record remains applicable to these times we now find ourselves in, and honestly, we don’t have artists making records like this anymore.  If we want to hear the real revolutionary truth possible in music, it is practically a necessity to re-visit the voices and songwriting of the past, ‘cause we ain’t got no Gil Scott-Herons or Stevie Wonders runnin’ around making an impact in the current musical climate of nihilism and materialism…

…which leads us to Eddie Kendricks and this album.  Recorded in ’72, “People…Hold On” is an undeniable masterpiece, similar in some ways to the groundbreaking work of Motown label-mates Wonder, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye, yet retaining its own singular beauty.  When Kendricks left the Temptations following the superb hit of “Just My Imagination” in 1971, he seemed determined to distance himself from the sound that had made his former group so famous.  While fellow ex-Temptation David Ruffin more or less continued on in the vein of psychedelic soul that the Temps had pioneered, Kendricks opted for a different outlook altogether, one that predicted more accurately the trends of modern soul and neo-soul, which, with the passage of time, has proven Kendricks to be one of the most prescient figures in ‘70’s soul.  In fact, the percussion-driven title track sounds so contemporary that Erykah Badu sampled and “re-worked” it on her “New Amerykah Pt. 1” album, with the help of prolific underground producer Madlib.  Another song on this LP that sounds more modern that it would have in the ‘70’s is the lengthy “Girl You Need A Change Of Mind,” a favorite of DJ’s and heads alike that, while still showing vague traces of ‘70’s Motown, strolls along with a heavy dance groove that doesn’t let up for nearly eight minutes.  These two tracks exist as the centerpiece of “People…,” yet there are other wonderful grooves here as well, including the funky soul of “If You Let Me” and “I’m On The Sideline,” as well as the melancholy and beautiful “Date With The Rain.”  Throughout the proceedings, Kendricks revels in being the focal point of the music, no longer reduced to being “the guy with the falsetto voice” from the Temptations, and instead stepping out in fine form as a solo artist worth noticing.  I’m an unabashed fan of most everything Motown, but “People…Hold On” stands on its own, a career high point for Kendricks and an absolute gem in the famed label’s catalogue.