Now here's a much awaited solo release from one of the great voices at Motown in the form of the late Eddie Kendricks, one time joint lead singer, and 'voice' of the Temptations during the 1960's (with fellow great David Ruffin). Between the two of them they gave the Temptations the edge over many other acts on the label and there won't be a Motown fan reading this review that hasn't got a favourite Temptations song that doesn't feature Eddie on lead vocal.

Kendricks left the group at the beginning of the decade to pursue a solo career (as did David Ruffin two years earlier) no doubt spurred on by the success that Ruffin was enjoying at the time. First release was in 1971 on US Tamla with the glorious ballad 'Can I' which on first listen has you begging for more, and even more so when he breaks into a swing beat mid way through the song before returning back to the gentle overall feel of the song. This was a typical format that most quality soul artists followed during 71-73 before the onslaught of the disco era.

That said of course Motown were not be left out when the phenomenon arrived and immediately issued 'Keep On Truckin' which was an immediate hit for Eddie and had clubbers jamming the dance floors with every play. Suddenly Kendricks was a 'buzz' name on the club circuit proving his worth alongside other big names of the day. Wah Wah's galore - fabulous!

For anyone who has followed Eddie's career over the years will appreciate the beauty of 'Honey Brown' a gently weaving ballad of the highest order and one that makes this CD an essential purchase. Seems this LP track is just about everybody's favourite song at the moment. 'Boogie Down' aimed at the dance floors was a typical early seventies Temptations produced song which could easily have come from their Masterpiece set a year earlier and a song that made some indentations on the UK charts and was a club hit too, though I personally feel the song is somewhat drawn out a bit.

'I've Got To Be' is a deceptive spoken intro stop 'n' start song before mid way kicking into a mid paced stomper much reminiscent of his glory days with the Temptations. If the song itself had been more consistent with its back beat then this could well have become a northern soul favourite. With so much interest from the modern soul soul scene in old album tracks 'Body Talk' will not fail to please the most ardent listener with its classy early seventies style wah wah guitar licks and just oozing with class style with a vocal delivery that most other artists can only dream of. Motown in the seventies were to be commended with their production techniques after a decade of uptempo stompers it was time to settle into a new era and 'sound' and a whole host of new names on the label were beginning to have healthy record sales.

One of the big record labels of the disco/dance era was Salsoul and their in-house production team of Baker/Harris/Montana were just the right ingredient for Eddie's vocal style and Motown issued an album during '76' with songs songs written by the aforementioned with 'He's A Friend' becoming a much played '45' in the clubs. Suddenly Kendrick's had a new sound, and it was beginning to reap bigger commercial rewards than his earlier singles. Whilst Philly International were romping home with just about everything they issued Eddie took some of that sound for himself and ''Skeletons In Your Closet' and 'On My Way Home' are clearly standout cuts as far as dance material is concerned, but the real classy ballad on this CD comes in the form of 'The Newness Is Gone' which shows just how a good soul ballad should be done, and one that could well have been included in a blaxploitation movie at that time.

We were all saddened at the untimely death of Eddie Kendricks but he does leave behind a wealth of music and memories that we will all treasure forever. This CD is unquestionably worth every penny of £6.99 in the UK and an opportunity to experience a master at work.

Please click here to sample Eddie in action with the Temptations back in the sixties - Enjoy.